Wind and trees: a survey of homeowners after Hurricane Andrew.
Duryea M. L., Blakeslee G. M., Hubbard W. G., Vasquez R. A.
Author Affiliation: School of Forest Resources and Conservation, IFAS, P.O. Box 110420, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
Journal of Arboriculture 22 : 44-50
Abstract : Amenity and street trees in the urban areas of Dade County, Florida, USA, were damaged by the hurricane on August 24, 1992. The tree canopy was replaced by a landscape of broken, uprooted, defoliated and severely damaged trees. To assist communities in reforestation efforts, a homeowner survey was conducted to determine how different tree species had responded to the strong winds. Native tree species, such as box leaf stopper (Eugenia foetida), sabal palm (Sabal palmetto), gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba) and live oak (Quercus virginiana) survived the winds the best. Other palms such as areca (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens), cabada (C. cabadae), and Alexander palm (Ptychosperma elegans) were also highly wind resistant. In general, fruit trees such as navel orange (Citrus sinensis), mango (Mangifera indica), avocado (Persea americana) and grapefruit (C. paradisi) were severely damaged. Black olive (Bucida buceras), live oak, and gumbo limbo trees that were pruned survived the hurricane better than unpruned trees. Only 18% of all trees that fell caused property damage. Hurricane-susceptible communities should consider wind resistance as one criterion in the selection of tree species.