Winter Tree Care in Galway: Protecting Your Garden from Storm Damage

Ah, the Galway winter. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, isn’t it? One minute it’s a soft day with that mist that soaks you to the bone, and the next, the Atlantic is throwing a proper tantrum, sending gales howling across the Corrib. If you’ve lived around here for any length of time, you know exactly what we mean. We don’t exactly get the crisp, snowy postcards they sell in the shops; it’s more about grey skies, salt spray, and keeping the head down until spring.

But while we’re busy wrapping up in big coats and keeping the fire lit, our gardens are out there facing the brunt of it all. And to be honest, it’s the trees we worry about most. A big old Ash or Sycamore might look sturdy enough, but after a few weeks of being battered by the winds coming off the bay, even the toughest of them can start to struggle.

We’ve been working in property maintenance across Galway, Mayo, and Clare for over 25 years now, and we’ve seen more banjaxed fences and crushed sheds than we care to count, usually caused by a tree that just couldn’t take one last gust. So, let’s have a chat about how you can keep your garden safe and your trees healthy this winter.

The Wild West Weather and Your Trees

Down here in the West, we have a unique set of challenges. It’s not just the cold, it’s the damp and the wind. Trees in Galway, especially closer to the coast, have to deal with salt laden winds that can burn foliage and dry out buds before they even have a chance to open.

Then, there’s the ground. We all know how boggy it can get after a few weeks of rain. When the soil gets that saturated, tree roots can lose their grip. Combine that loose soil with a fierce gale, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. It’s not just about the tree toppling over, but it’s about the heavy limbs snapping off like matchsticks and coming down on whatever, or whoever, is below.

Winter Tree Care Galway: What You Can Do

You don’t need to be a qualified arborist to keep an eye on things, but a bit of “cop on” goes a long way. Here are a few things you should be looking at while the garden is dormant.

1. The Winter Prune (The Haircut) – Winter is actually the best time to look at your trees because the leaves are gone (well, for the deciduous ones anyway). You can see the skeleton of the tree.

• Look for the 3 Ds: Dead, Damaged, or Diseased branches. If a branch looks like it’s rotting or has a big crack in it, it needs to go.
• Crossing Branches: If two branches are rubbing against each other in the wind, they’ll wear away the bark and let infection in. Snip the smaller one away.
• Don’t Go Mad: Don’t just hack away at it. If you take too much off, the tree will go into shock. If it’s a big job, give us a shout because that’s what we’re here for.

2. Mind the Roots – Mulching isn’t just for making the flowerbeds look tidy in summer. Putting a layer of bark mulch or compost around the base of your trees (but not touching the trunk) acts like a duvet. It keeps the roots a bit warmer and, crucially, stops the soil from washing away in the heavy rain.
3. Check for the Widow Makers – That’s an old forestry term for loose branches that are caught high up in the canopy, just waiting for a windy day to fall. If you spot one, don’t try to be a hero with a ladder on a windy Tuesday. It’s not worth the risk.

A Quick Word on Ash Dieback

We have to mention this because it’s becoming a real plague around the county. If you have Ash trees on your land, keep a very close eye on them. Ash Dieback is a disease that makes the timber incredibly brittle. A healthy looking Ash might actually be rotting from the inside out, and when the wind hits it, it doesn’t bend, it shatters. If you’re unsure, give us a ring. We can spot the signs a mile off.

Storm Tree Cutting Newcastle Galway: Keeping It Safe

We want to talk specifically about some of the residential areas like Newcastle. We do a lot of storm tree cutting in Newcastle, Galway, and it’s a specific kind of environment. You’ve got lovely mature gardens there, but you also have houses packed a bit closer together, power lines weaving through back gardens, and cars parked on driveways.

When a storm hits Newcastle, it’s not like a tree falling in a field in Connemara. If a tree goes down here, it’s hitting a roof, a boundary wall, or taking out the broadband for the whole street.

We got a call last year after one of the big storms, we think it was Storm Éowyn, from a lad in Newcastle whose massive Leylandii (a tree’s species) had started to lean dangerously over his neighbour’s conservatory. He was in a right panic, and fair play to him for calling it early. We were able to get in there with the rigging gear, take it down piece by piece, and save the neighbour a hefty glazing bill.

If you’re living in built up areas like Newcastle, Dangan, or Rahoon, you need to be extra vigilant.

• Check your boundaries: Is your tree pushing against a neighbour’s wall?
• Look up: Are branches touching phones or power lines? (Never touch these yourself, call the ESB or a professional).
• The Sway Test: Watch your tree in a high wind. A bit of movement is grand and natural. But, if the ground at the base of the trunk is heaving up and down, that tree is unstable. You need to act fast.

The Cleanup: Dealing with the Green Waste Nightmare

Here is something people often forget until it’s too late. Let’s say a storm knocks down a medium sized tree in your garden. You might think, “Ah, I’ll chop that up for firewood.”

But here’s the reality: a single tree creates an absolute mountain of brash (branches and leaves) that you can’t burn. You’ll be left with a pile of mess that sits there rotting for three years, turning into a hotel for rats. Or, you’ll spend your entire Saturday stuffing wet branches into the boot of your car, doing ten trips to the recycling centre in Galway City, and scratching your paintwork in the process.

When you hire J.B. Property Maintenance, we don’t just cut the tree. We bring the chipper. We mulch the branches down instantly. We take the timber away, or we can cut the logs to size for your stove if you want to keep them. We sweep the driveway. We blow the leaves. When we leave, it looks like nothing ever happened. That convenience alone is worth its weight in gold.

Dealing with Insurance: Don’t Get Caught Out

Another thing we’ve learned over the years is how sticky insurance companies can be. If a tree falls on your shed or your car, the first thing the assessor will ask is, “Was the tree maintained?”

If they see that the tree was dead for two years and you did nothing about it, they might try to wriggle out of paying the claim by calling it negligence. However, if you have a receipt from us showing that you had professional winter tree care in Galway carried out, it proves you were a responsible homeowner. It’s a small bit of paper that can save you a massive headache later on.

Why You Should Give Us a Bell

Look, we know there’s a temptation to pull out the rusty chainsaw you bought in Lidl five years ago and have a go yourself. “Sure, it’ll be grand,” you say. But tree surgery is dangerous work, especially when the timber is unpredictable and damaged by storms.

At J.B. Property Maintenance, we’ve been doing this for 25 years. We’re fully insured, which gives you peace of mind. We have the proper climbers, the chippers, and the stump grinders to do the job right.

We’re local, we’re friendly, and we’ll give you an honest quote and tell you straight out if a tree can be saved or if it needs to go.

Get Your Garden Ready for Winter

Don’t wait until the next Status Red warning is flashing on your phone to think about your trees. Take a walk around the garden with a mug of tea this weekend. If you see something that looks a bit dodgy, or if you just want to clean up the place before the real hard weather sets in, get in touch.

We cover all of Galway City and County, from the Claddagh out to Tuam and everywhere in between. Whether it’s a quick prune or a major emergency removal, we’re ready to help.

Stay warm, keep the kettle boiled, and safe gardening!

Contact J.B. Property Maintenances:

• Phone: 087 002 3533
• Email: info@jbpropertymaintenances.com