Native palms such as our Sabal Palms and Mexican Fan Palms stand up very well to wind events and giving them a “Hurricane Cut” (living fronds but no skirt) does not make them any more resistant to storms. That cut can, however, allow for an easier introduction of disease. The long skirt of old fronds also acts to insulate the trunk of a palm against freeze events such as that caused by the Feb 2021 Polar Vortex.
Falling fronds are not a serious issue, as they are quite light. Even those that have thorns on the stems tend to fall with the fronds up and stem down, as the fronds act like feathers on a lawn dart. This means the recurved thorns would not cut as they fall but simply brush past.
Many palms were damaged during Winter Storm Uri. We urge property managers and homeowners to consider wildlife when working to tidy up their property. Please give palms a chance to show new growth before assuming they are dead. An inspection with binoculars, from back aways or from an elevated location, on a sunny day is the best way to inspect for new green growth. Many palms we thought to be dead are now showing signs of life. Once a company with a bucket lift is on site, it is pretty much a given that pruning will be done in order for them to recoup their investment in time and equipment.
If clean up is absolutely insisted upon, please don’t give palms a “buzz cut” or “hurricane cut”.
Please leave the skirt if work just has to be done. If palms are far enough away from buildings or foot traffic, they would not seem to pose a liability issue for property owners, but of course it is up to the property owner to determine this. We only ask that wildlife be considered and that if at all possible, habitat be preserved.
If palms are dead and need to be removed, then her are some Best Management Practices for removal. We also include BMPs for pruning:
A bucket lift should always be used for this work. Climbing a palm to “top it” is very risky to the tree worker and to wildlife. A palm tree is basically a big piece of grass and when it dies, the stem can become mushy, creating a hazard for a climber. Using a bucket lift allows for much safer conditions for performing the work and eliminates the need to drop the whole head of the palm tree, crushing wildlife in the fall.
While working from above, start pruning the topmost fronds and lower each frond with a thin rope. Inspect each frond so that bats hidden in double pleats or cones in the frond are not killed in the wood chipper. This requires a strong light to illuminate the deep recesses of the frond as it sits on some saw horses. Only once sure that bats are not still in the recesses of the frond (see examples below) should the empty frond be fed into a wood chipper.
Proper arborist clothing and working from above eliminates any accidental contact with a bat. Yellow bats are not aggressive and sleep quite soundly; they may not wake up even with chainsaws cutting their fronds. But when a frond falls, a bat could possibly become dislodged and accidentally land on a tree worker, if he/she is working from below.
Make sure your arborist will be using a lift. A lift such as the JLG T350 pictured above can be rented for $216 for four hours and is easily maneuvered into most locations. It is only 4 feet 9 inches wide but allows cutting at 40 feet in height.