Landscaping in Hurricane Prone Areas

Every year, Florida is faced with the possibility of tropical storms and hurricanes that can damage our homes, property, and landscaping.

Just as we take safety precautions to protect our home, we can choose landscape plants that are hardier in storms, and take care to place them in appropriate locations within our yards.  By following some simple steps, you can enjoy a safer, long-lasting, and lower maintenance landscape.

Landscaping Basics for Hurricane Prone Areas 

1. Right Tree Right Place – by simply planting larger trees away from your home, power lines, and other structures, you greatly reduce the risk of branches or the tree itself falling on your home or knocking down power lines.  There are many excellent smaller trees and shrubs that can be planted close to your home or under power lines. 
2. Regular Pruning and Maintenance – assess trees and shrubs for branches that are dying, too large, lopsided, etc.  Regular pruning promotes healthy growth, removes dying or diseased limbs, and can reshape the tree to be more resistant to wind damage.  To ensure healthy plants, please refer to these website for instructions on proper pruning: UF Pruning Shade Trees in Landscapes   and  UF Pruning Landscape Trees and Shrubs 
3. Choose Wind Resistant Plant Species – After the previous year’s hurricanes, researchers collected data from all over Florida on the number and types of trees that withstood the storms or were blown over.  From that information, a list of trees that are more wind resistant, as well as a list of trees that seem to be especially weak in storms, has been generated.  Native trees that do better are slower growing, and feature low centers of gravity and deep root systems.  Some examples include: Magnolias, Hollies, Bald Cypress, and most oaks trees (except Laurel).  More species can be found here or in this new UF guide. 
4. Planting in Groups or Masses – when possible, planting groups of mixed trees together can greatly enhance wind resistance. The trees buffer each other as well as your property and other landscape plants.  

The University of Florida has just published a guide to assist communities plan urban forests.  This excellent resource can be printed from the PDF file linked to their website.

Assessing Damage and Restoring Trees After A Hurricane.
“Hurricanes can be damaging to communities and urban forests. However, there are opportunities to better prepare for the next hurricane season and rebuild a healthy urban forest. This publication is part of an Urban Forest Hurricane Program, aimed at citizens and communities who seek to rebuild and set better urban forest management practices so that future storms are less devastating. It contains six topics: (1) Safety: staying safe during storm cleanup, safely operating a chain saw and hiring the right tree care professional, (2) Assessing Damage and Deciding What to Do: distinguishing trees that should be removed and those that may recover through restoration pruning, (3) Restoration Pruning: pruning trees to restore them to health, (4) Palms and Pines: dealing with palms and pines, (5) Prevention and Design: selecting the right tree, designing the right location and evaluating trees for potential hazard to reduce future storm damage, and (6) Wind Resistant Species: establishing trees for a healthy and more wind resistant urban forest.” (UF IFAS ENH1036)

Additional University of Florida storm preparation and cleanup information can be found here.

The Florida Division of Forestry also has several informative publications:

• Tree Damage
• Preparation and Recovery
• Recovery After A Hurricane
• Safety During Clean-up
• Restoring Your Urban Trees
• Be Firewise After the Storms
• County Forester Assistance