Storm Proofing Your Property: Tree Cutting Tips for Galway’s Coastal Weather
If you’ve lived in Galway for more than five minutes, you know that the weather here is a character in its own right. It’s not just weather, it’s a mood. One minute you’re looking at a sky so blue it’d make your heart sing, and the next, the Atlantic is throwing a tantrum, and the wind is howling like a banshee around the eaves of your house.
We’ve been in the tree maintenance game for over 20 years now, right here in the West of Ireland. We’ve seen what our storms can do. We’ve stood in gardens in Newcastle, Salthill, and out towards Connemara, looking at the aftermath of a “bit of a breeze” that turned a majestic 50 years old Sycamore into a liability.
There’s a saying we have: “You’re better looking at it than looking for it.” That applies to your dinner, your savings, and definitely your trees. Storm proofing isn’t about fighting nature, you’ll never win that one. It’s about working with it. So, grab a cup of tea, and let’s have a chat about how to keep your property safe and your trees standing when the next big one rolls in from the bay.
The Wild West Wind: Understanding Our Environment
Living on the coast, especially around Newcastle and Galway city, means our trees face a double whammy: the sheer force of the wind and the salt spray.
People often ask us, “Why did that tree come down? It looked grand.” But here’s the thing: salt is a silent killer. It dries out the buds and burns the foliage, stressing the tree. A stressed tree is a weak tree. Add to that the fact that our ground is often sodden with rain. When the soil is waterlogged, the roots lose their friction grip. It doesn’t take hurricane-force winds to tip a shallow rooted tree over when the ground is like soup.
We remember a job a few years back near the university. A lovely big Beech tree looked solid as a rock. But the salt had been getting at it for years, and the rot had set in from the top down. One bad night in November, and it was resting on the bonnet of a Toyota Corolla. That’s the kind of morning you want to avoid.
Signs Your Tree Might Be in Trouble
Now, we’re not saying you need to be a certified arborist to spot a problem (though if you’re unsure, give us a shout). There are tell-tale signs that your tree might struggle to withstand the Galway storm.
- The Lean of Life: Trees naturally grow towards the light, so a bit of a list is normal. But if you see a tree that has suddenly developed a lean, or the ground around the base looks heaved or cracked (we call this the root plate lifting), that tree is telling you it’s losing its grip. It’s waving a white flag, and you need to listen.
- Dead Wood and Hangers: Look up. Do you see branches that have no leaves when everything else is green? Those are dead limbs, or “widow makers” as they used to be grimly called. In a storm, these are the first to snap. They become missiles. If you’re in Newcastle, where houses are often close together, a flying branch doesn’t just land on the grass, it goes through a conservatory roof.
- The V Shaped Fork: If a tree trunk splits into two stems that look like a tight ‘V’, that connection can be weak. As the tree sways in high winds, those two stems can rub against each other or pull apart. It’s a common failure point for Ash and Sycamore trees around here.
The Art of Coastal Tree Cutting: It’s Not Just Lopping
This is where the expertise comes in. We’ve seen fellas go out with a chainsaw they bought on a Saturday offer and just hack the top off a tree. They think they’re making it safer by making it smaller. In the trade, we call that “topping,” and it’s about the worst thing you can do.
When you top a tree, three things happen:
- You leave big, open wounds that let the rot in (and in our damp Galway climate, rot travels fast).
- The tree panics and shoots up water sprouts, weak, fast-growing branches that are poorly attached to the trunk.
- You make the tree look like a hat rack.
For proper coastal tree cutting, Newcastle residents need to think about aerodynamics.
Crown Thinning: Imagine your tree is a sail. If the sail is solid, the wind pushes hard against it. If the sail has holes, the wind passes through. Crown thinning involves selectively removing branches from the inside of the canopy. We’re not changing the shape of the tree much, but we’re letting the wind filter through it rather than pushing it over. It reduces the wind load significantly.
Crown Reduction: This is different from topping. We gently reduce the overall size of the tree by cutting branches back to a growth point. It keeps the natural shape but makes the lever arm shorter. Think of holding a sledgehammer close to the head versus at the end of the handle. The shorter the handle (the branch), the less force is exerted on the shoulder (the trunk/roots).
The Right Tree in the Right Place
Sometimes, the hard truth, and we’ve had to break this to many homeowners over a mug of tea, is that the wrong tree was planted in the wrong spot 30 years ago.
If you have a massive Horse Chestnut growing three feet from your gable wall facing the Atlantic, you’re asking for trouble. Chestnuts have brittle wood. In a Galway gale, they snap.
If you are thinking of planting, or replacing a tree we’ve had to remove, look at what grows wild in the hedgerows. Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Holly, and even the humble Sycamore (though keep an eye on its size) are built for this weather. They are the tough, wiry boxers of the tree world, not the delicate bodybuilders. They can take a punch from the wind and keep standing.
The “Irish Mammy” Approach to Tree Care
You know how your Mam would make you wear a vest in winter “just in case”? You need to treat your trees the same way. Prevention.
Don’t wait until Met Éireann puts out a Status Red warning to think about your trees. By then, it’s too late. No reputable tree surgeon will climb a 40 foot Oak in 100km/h gusts. It’s suicide. The work needs to be done on those calm, dry days when we can see what we’re doing and rig things down safely.
Regular Maintenance saves money. It’s cheaper to pay for a day of pruning and shaping than it is to pay for a new roof, a new car, or an insurance excess. Plus, keeping your trees well-maintained adds value to your property. A wild, overgrown garden looks neglected, a managed one looks like an estate.
A Word on the Law (Because We Have To)
Now, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the legal side of things. We take this seriously at J.B. Property Maintenance.
In Ireland, we have the Wildlife Act. From March 1st to August 31st, it is generally illegal to cut, burn, or destroy vegetation on uncultivated land to protect nesting birds. Now, gardens are often exempt, but as nature lovers, we always check. If there’s a nest, the tree stays until the chicks have flown the coop. The only exception is if the tree is an immediate danger to the public or property. Safety first, but nature a close second.
Also, if you live in an estate in Newcastle or anywhere in the city, check if there’s a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on your big trees. The council can get very crabbit if you fell a protected tree without asking. We can help you check that paperwork if you’re bothered by it.
Why You Should Never DIY a Storm Damaged Tree
After a storm, the chainsaw sales go up. We see it all the time. A lad sees a branch hanging off his tree and thinks, “Sure, I’ll just get the ladder.”
Please, for the love of God, don’t.
Storm damaged trees are under immense tension. That branch looking like it’s just resting there? It could be loaded like a giant spring. You cut it, and it could whip back with enough force to break a leg or worse. We use ropes, winches, and specific cutting techniques (like step cuts) to release that tension safely. We know where the wood will go before the saw even touches the bark.
And let’s be honest, cleaning up the mess is half the battle. You cut down a decent sized branch, and suddenly your entire back garden is full of brash and leaves. It looks like a bomb went off. When we do a job, we chip a lot and take it away. We leave the place tidier than we found it.
Local Knowledge Matters
Every area has its quirks. In Newcastle, the soil can be quite deep but sandy in parts, meaning roots travel far but maybe don’t anchor as deeply as in the heavy clay of East Galway. Knowing the soil conditions helps us decide how much we can safely take off a tree without destabilizing it.
We’ve been serving Galway, Mayo, and Clare for over two decades. We’re local. We know the weather, we know the trees, and likely enough, we know your neighbours.
Summary: Your Storm Proof Checklist
So, before the winter really sets in, take a walk around your garden.
- Look for the lean. Is the tree standing straight?
- Check the roots. Any lifting or cracking?
- Inspect the branches. Any dead wood or crossing branches rubbing together?
- Check the target. If it falls, what does it hit?
- Call the pros. If you’re worried, get an expert opinion.
At J.B. Property Maintenance, we’re about saving trees when we can, and removing them safely when we must. We want your garden to be a safe haven, not a hazard zone.
We offer everything from emergency tree removal (for when the worst happens) to regular pruning and crown thinning to stop the worst from happening in the first place. We’re fully insured, fully licensed, and we have enough experience to know that no two trees are the same.
If you want to talk about storm proof trees Galway homeowners trust, or you need some specific coastal tree cutting advice, give us a bell. We’re always happy to have a chat and give you a free quote.
Stay safe out there, and mind yourself when the wind blows.
J.B. Property Maintenance Serving Galway, Mayo & Clare
Phone: 0870023533
Email: info@jbpropertymaintenances.com
