Ice storm leaves tree limbs, power loss in its wake
For Cindy McGuire, last week’s ice storm was a final straw – for her tree, at least.
A huge limb on her Bradford Pear tree broke off in the storm, leaving a hole in the trunk that won’t be survivable. That will leave McGuire with the task of cutting down a tree in her yard for the second time in a month. Last month’s intense windstorm finished off her other Bradford Pear tree.
“I felt like we’re very unfortunate,” she said. “The trees are not known for long life span.”
She and her husband planted the Bradford Pear trees in their yard on West Street about 15 years ago. Unfortunately, at the time, she didn’t realize the trees had shallow root systems and were so top-heavy.
“I didn’t know that when I planted it,” she said. Trees were just one aspect of the
Trees were just one aspect of the problematic ice storm last week that left city crews scrambling to keep power on for Cordell residents.
Cordell city administrator J.C. Moser said the city is proud of the job its power crew did.
They worked non-stop from 8 a.m. Tuesday morning until 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, he said.
“They had to eat on the go, and they kept going all day during the sleet and rain, working to get trees off the power lines and get the power restored,” he said.
The city received 46 calls on Oct. 27 from residents without power, though Moser estimated the power affected more than those 46 calls.
This recent storm is an example of why a city running its own power operation can be beneficial, he said.
“I think it’s important that we are not dependent upon some big company based in some big city,” Moser said. “I’m really glad we have our municipal power here by people who care about the residents in Cordell.”
As of Thursday, Moser said there were still places in Oklahoma that had residents without power.
“Our guys were working hard to keep the power on. I’m really proud of them,” he said. “Our city never lost complete power.”
Meanwhile, McGuire hoped her Bradford Pear tree would survive the ice storm. Unfortunately, it didn’t.
She doesn’t know what her next steps will be. Because the Bradford Pear trees were so dense, she said, the Bermuda grass in her yard wasn’t as flush as it could have been because of the lack of sun.
“We had talked about putting some shade grass in there,” she said.
They may not need to do that now.
She also won’t necessarily miss the upkeep and maintenance on those trees.
“The trees were pretty close to the street,” she said. “It was a lot of work to keep them trimmed to keep them from blocking traffc.”
With an early ice storm like this, there’s not much people can do to prepare to save their trees, Oklahoma State Extension Washita County ag and 4H educator Greg Hartman said.
“Certainly an ice storm in October, before trees lose their leaves, there’s nothing you can do to prevent the damage,” he said.
Usually, these types of storms occur in January or February, when the trees have lost their canopy, he said.
In Western Oklahoma, trees are more suited to wind, not ice.
“With some of the damage I’ve seen already, people will need to cut those damaged limbs back,” he said. And then maybe prune them again in February, he added.
Depending upon the damage, trees might not look presentable for years.
A lot of trees will be salvageable, he said. Other trees, though, residents will have to make some hard decisions.
“People don’t like to think about (having to cut down trees),” he said. “People love their trees, but they can be hard to grow and take care of. People will have to come to realize, with really extensive damage, they’re not going to make it.”
This ice storm was bad, but could have been worse, he said.
“Trees are pretty resilient,” he said. “We are probably luckier in Western Oklahoma because of the drought, that meant the canopies weren’t as big and thick.”
McGuire would advise people to think twice about planting Bradford trees. They face challenges in Oklahoma, she said.
She has some simple advice for others.
“If you want a tree to plant that will last for many, many years, don’t plan a Bradford Pear,” she said. “But they are beautiful trees.”
Seek help
Most extension offices have fact sheets they can give to residents to help understand how to take care of trees. Hartman said you can call the local office, and he’ll try to get out and give homeowners a professional opinion.
Debris removal
The city of Cordell will pick up tree limbs. If you haven’t already, just drag any limbs and branches to the curb and the city will pick them up and haul them off, city Administrator J.C. Moser said.