Hurricanes can affect trees in an area by uprooting them due to the high winds that can blow off branches and uproot at times.
One of the common trees throughout Florida is the palm tree with more than 2,600 species calling Florida home, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
That includes the Sabal Palm, which is Florida’s official state tree.
However, despite being so common to Florida, palm trees must withstand a storm when one rolls through but may have its vibrant green palm fronds suddenly wilted and thinned out due to the extreme winds and torrential rains a storm can produce.
According to Brian Bahder, associate professor at the University of Florida’s Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, palm trees not only provide a very tropical feel to a yard’s landscape, but they also can play a vital role in the ecosystem.
“Some species are natives and are important food and nesting sources for our native wildlife,” Bahder said. “Meanwhile, other palm species are critical crops worldwide, with coconut and oil palms being the most important.”
Healthy foods like acai also come from palm trees, making it a nutritious addition to the landscape as well.
One of the popular questions Bahder gets asked by residents pertains to how strong palm trees are against a tropical storm or hurricane?
“An established healthy palm will withstand a storm like Hurricane Debby without serious problems,” Bahder said. “Depending on the palm, the leaves might shred or bend at the petiole, but not sustain significant damage that would require replanting. Palms have hundreds of fibrous roots that anchor them in the group, nicely, and the trunks of palms have their vascular tissue randomly distributed throughout the trunk. They don’t run perfectly straight up and down, they “snake” their way through the trunk, and gives the palm trunk high flexibility and more resistance to breaking when compared to typical trees, like oak trees.”
One of the easiest ways to determine whether a palm has survived a storm can be simply by its appearance.
“Unless the canopy falls off, it should be fine if the palm looks similar to its appearance before the storm,” Bahder said. “It may be possible for fungal pathogens to make their way into the canopy, combined with excess rainfall, but this likely won’t manifest for a while.”
Bahder suggested taking a patient approach following a storm and giving palm trees six months or even longer before it becomes apparent whether the tree will recover or not.
“Palms are slower growers than typical trees, and they only have one growth point, palms with a single trunk, that is, so it will take longer to know if it is recovering compared to other plants,” Bahder said. “This depends heavily on the palm species and the extent of damage. Some palm species could fully recover in six months, while others could take years.”
