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Summer Limb Failure: Why a Branch Fails in Summer Weather

It’s expected that branches may fall during a summer thunderstorm or wind storm, but what happens if a branch breaks during calm summer conditions? This is known as summer limb failure, and it can happen in warm and hot weather.

What is this phenomenon, and what does it mean for your tree?

What Is Summer Limb Failure?

Sometimes, a tree withstands strong conditions during winter, spring and summer storms. Then, all of a sudden, a long branch breaks on a warm, still summer’s day. Summer limb failure is also known as summer limb drop or sudden limb drop.

Typically, this happens when a large horizontal branch breaks for no obvious reason. Sometimes, it happens on upright branches. Breaks are frequently clean breaks, as though the branch was already brittle.

When Sudden Limb Drop Happens

Sudden limb drop happens during hot, or sometimes warm weather. Both deciduous and coniferous trees can be affected. This sort of breakage is found in some types of oak, pines, beeches, elms, poplars, cedars and silver maple, among other species.

This can happen day or night in summer weather, both in dry and moist soil conditions.

Why Summer Limb Drop Occurs

Unfortunately, arborists aren’t entirely in agreement what causes this phenomenon. Some hypothesize that it’s caused by dry wood. High temperatures can also dry wood fibers, causing them to lose elasticity and make breakage more likely. Others suggest that the combination of high temperatures and increased wood weight can lead to the breakage. Some trees such as the Siberian Elm are known to be relatively weak with heavy wood, making them prone to failure.

What to Do If a Branch Fails

If you need assistance clearing a hazardous branch, call an arborist right away for an urgent job. If the branch has fallen in a safe location, you’re not likely to be at risk from immediate further branch failures. If feasible and safe, you can clear the branch away yourself, or contact an arborist for assistance with cutting and removing a large broken limb.

After a summer limb failure, it’s best to have your tree evaluated by an arborist. They can assess whether there’s a larger issue with your tree, such as an infestation or a large amount of dead wood inside. They’ll evaluate the whole tree’s health, and see if there are any other branches at risk of failure.

You can then plan any next steps, like pruning or clearance of any broken branches.

How to Protect Against Summer Limb Failure

The best way to protect your tree against summer limb failure is to keep it in good health and conduct regular preventative maintenance. Regular pruning helps keep your tree healthy. An arborist can help reduce crown and branch size if any branches become too unwieldy. They can remove any branches that are already broken, cracked, or have deadwood.

Branches with old wounds from previous pruning, storm damage, infections or animal damage can also be removed.

Keeping your tree hydrated in dry summer weather also keeps it healthy and protected against damage. During hot dry weather, deep watering 1-2 times a week will make sure your tree gets enough water. Frequent, short waterings are not as helpful to trees and can promote rot in some circumstances.

Need assistance clearing or checking a tree after a summer storm, or summer calm? Check out Vista Tree’s pruning and storm and hazard clearance services.

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Cheryl Cooke
09/05/2023
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17/04/2023
James and Michael have been the best arborists I’ve ever dealt with. First off, they were friendly and professional. They didn’t just throw out a number, they went through the job and what needed to be done and what didn’t and gave me a reasonable price. On the day, the crew came and did a fantastic job. It was a hard one but they made it look easy. And the clean up was perfect, my yard looked better than it did before they came. They’re my go to from now on.
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15/04/2023
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13/04/2023
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04/04/2023
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28/03/2023
Vista Tree Management came to our house and did a wonderful job helping to protect the roof from squirrel damage. James walked around the perimeter of the house with me and pointed out every tree branch that might possibly be the instrument of a squirrel finding its way to the roof. He then set up a time, came over promptly, and in short time cut down many tree limbs and branches. He consulted with me about whether anything else needed to be done, and when I pointed out one last branch, he cut it down. I feel I have finally found a tree service which has the knowledge and expertise to help with my property. My husband and I are more than satisfied! The staff at Vista Tree Management were so very helpful.
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15/02/2023
We had the pleasure of working with Vista recently and we could not have asked for better service. We have a small apple tree and hedge in our front yard that we wanted pruned. As part of the quote, we had also requested that some time be spent with us as the pruning occurred so that we could learn how to properly care for our garden going forward. James was prompt, responsive and incredibly thorough. He completed the tasks exactly as we had discussed and as was quoted. He was patient and spent lots of time teaching us the various pruning methods that he was utilizing. Not only does he have excellent attention to detail while pruning, but he also takes great care in cleaning up all the plant debris once he was finished the job. We can’t thank him enough for the excellent service provided. We will be sure to reach out to Vista for all of our future pruning/landscaping needs. Thanks James.
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