Some Windsor-Essex trees are hazardous after — and maybe even before — storms hit them

It's something many Windsor-Essex residents have become familiar with this year: severe weather across the region.

And it's not just during the storms. It's also the aftermath, such as trees being compromised, making them more vulnerable to come down in the future.

They include ones like a large, mature tree that sits in front of a Norman Road home in Windsor in southwestern Ontario.

Celeste Pane said people in her neighbourhood have contacted the city "numerous" times with their concerns of it being a potential hazard — as it "arched like a rainbow" over the street.

On a calm, sun-filled Wednesday afternoon, a large branch from the tree came crashing down, leaving the road impassable until crews removed it.

"As you can see [it was] literally arched and it was top heavy," said Pane. 

"I believe this storm weakened it. But as you can see, if you were driving and it fell … or even myself … I'm always walking down here with my little dog. He loves that tree and the potential of hazard is so high. We were concerned about the neighbours around here prior to this."

The day after two tornadoes simultaneously touched down in the city and county last week, Windsor's forestry department said it would take more than a week to handle 400 emergency calls and triage another 200 or so, and that before the storm, the city had already surpassed all tree-related service compared to all of 2022.

Pane said she's thankful no one was hurt, but it could have had a much different result.

"That something like this could happen … either a car could be damaged or a person right. And there was a car, the neighbour's car here … it literally just missed it by probably six feet," or nearly two metres.

According to Pane, the city needs to do a better job of listening to its neighbourhoods.

"So why not just cut it? And prevent something from happening, an accident. It's very simple. What's the big deal?"

Pane said for trees like the one on Norman, it was just a matter of time despite having crews out to assess it in the past.

"What do you do when they say no, the tree is fine, it looks healthy … it's not going to break? You can't do anything. You got to wait. And so now this is what's happened."

City of Windsor forester Yemi Adeyeye said while his team ensures most complaints are addressed — following priority levels — it is possible that due to a "high workload" related to the recent storms, they haven't reached all sites with reported issues.

"While tree status, in terms of tree health, is an important factor that shapes the level of impact of weather events on trees, there are other factors at play," said Adeyeye in an emailed statement.

"These factors, among many others, include location and severity of weather events."

As related to the large branch falling across Norman Road, Adeyeye said his department has a record of significant damage to trees in many addresses — all of which have been assigned to be cleaned up.

"Our staff and contractors are working their way through the emergencies, and we hope to have all cases resolved soon."

Windsor residents are urged to continue to contact 311 with potential hazardous tree issues they spot across the city, he said.

How to assess the health of a tree

The chief administrative officer for the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) said there are a few things city and county residents can look for in trees to try and determine whether they're healthy or not.

Tim Byrne said if leaves are falling or turning colour early, a tree is shedding bark, and the trunk is showing what appears to be water leaking from it or water staining the side of it — those are the kinds of things that you should seek advice for from qualified individuals.

"Obvious signs that a tree could be suffering health issues or approaching the end of its lifetime people should call appropriately."

According to Byrne, February's ice storm is still impacting the region, too.

"There are now still snags of overstressed limbs on much of the flora throughout the region. And now that the trees have become full leafed the leaves are actually hiding some of those structural challenges and problems."

Byrne said most municipalities in the county have their own robust parks and recreation departments because they're more densely inhabited, and in those cases, they should be contacted for questionable trees.

However, ERCA comes into play mainly in the more rural areas, he said.

"It's less of a parks and rec issue … it's more of a structural issue … and it is more of a public works type of a response and/or ourselves. If somebody's concerned about the health of a tree or a group of trees — upon request we'll go out and take a look and provide advice."

Get the news you need without restrictions. Download our free CBC News App.