You can be liable by the damage caused by a tree on your property if there are signs of negligence on your part - i.e. the tree was diseased and you did not care for it. The past few seasons have shown what havoc nature can play in our lives. Most of us take extra precautions to protect our belongings and secure our living area. Trees are worst hit by most of these storms. This happens because they rarely have a chance to fight the fury of nature, which can cause additional damage to life and property surrounding the trees. Trees have a brighter chance of survival if they receive proper care and protection.

Make sure your trees are healthy and have been checked for any damage or internal faults, such as hollows, rotting and cracks. Look at your trees for the following warning signs, structural weakness or other hazards:

• Wires in contact with tree branches. Trees may become energized when they are contacted by electric wires.
• Dead or partially attached limbs hung up in the higher branches that could fall and cause damage or injury.
• Cracked stem and branch forks that could cause catastrophic failure of a tree section.
• Hollow or decayed areas on the trunk or main limbs, or mushrooms growing from the bark that indicate a decayed and weakened stem.
• Peeling bark or gaping wounds in the trunk also indicate structural weakness.
• Fallen or uprooted trees putting pressure on other trees beneath them.
• Tight, V-shaped forks which are much more prone to failure than open U-shaped ones.
• Heaving soil at the tree base is a potential indicator of an unsound root system.

Preparing trees for these natural disasters is a must and should be done well in advance of the stormy season. Over the years, growing trees will "catch" more wind and become heavier, so they are prone to increased mechanical stresses, thus increasing the chances of failure. Larger trees will also affect an increased area should they or their larger limbs fall. This means that power lines, homes and other structures that might not have been threatened a few years ago might suddenly be under threat by a tree that has grown.

What can you do?

Consult a Tree care Professional: As the arborist to evaluate problems you have found and prioritize treatment. You should also ask the arborist to look for signs of potential hazards, such as stress cracks, weak branches and other subtle or hidden indicators of potential hazards.

Remember, too, that a tree is a living thing and its integrity and stability changes over time, so don't assume that a tree that has survived 10 severe storms will necessarily survive an eleventh.

If you are unsure about your tree's health, consult a professional arborists who will identity and remove hazards, as well as treat the causes of tree health problems.