BEAUMONT, Texas — Hurricane Beryl showed Southeast Texans the dangers they can face during storms.
High winds are no match for trees that are too close to your house and trees that are unhealthy or dying.
How do you know when to cut a tree down? Two Southeast Texas tree experts are offering their advice.
David Oates, a Jefferson County horticulture extension agent, says trees are much like humans, they can get stressed, sick and die.
One resident that spoke to 12News says that seeing damage from Hurricane Beryl has caused him to take a second look at the trees in his own yard.
"Looking at what happened in Houston, some of their big trees fell down to the house causing some damage to the house, so that's a concern," said Mohamde Hassan.
"When you're looking at a tree that's supposed to be in full bloom but it has no leaves on it, that's a telltale sign, you're seeing more frequent limbs," Oates said. "That's a good time to raise that red flag and have an arborist or certified tree professional and have them evaluate it. "
Depending on the type of tree, strong winds could create the perfect recipe for disaster.
"Our maples, our ashes, they grow very fast... they are more susceptible to damage. Most trees, our oaks our pines, are moderately slow growth so they have a good developed root system and they can withstand the hurricane forced winds," said Oates.
He suggests that homeowners never plant trees near their homes.
"If the inevitable does occur, we have strong winds that they don't fall on a structure or individual," Oates told 12News.
12News spoke to Lucas Hoffpauir, who specializes in tree removals. He says it could cost thousands of dollars to remove a tree, but a trim could be a cheaper alternative.
"Just removing any dead branches, branches that are rubbing anything, hanging over your roof. It could save you 50% maybe 75% of what it costs to remove a tree," Hoffpauir said.
Hassan says this is something he will look into.
"I'm probably going to talk to my yard guy to see what we can do in that regard," he said.
Oates says the county offers residents a free evaluation of their trees and they can help point you in the right direction if you need help finding resources.