Record drought + record rain = toppled trees. How do you know if your tree is in trouble? – WBNews

At Elysian Park near Dodger Stadium last weekend, hikers walked their dogs along the popular hiking trail, unconcerned by a recently toppled tree. But with more winter storms predicted, and news of a 100-year-old pine tree falling on a house and car in Pasadena on Tuesday, it’s hard for homeowners to be equally nonchalant. Extended drought followed by heavy rains are causing root instability. Trees aren’t just failing, they are falling over. “The ground can become like Jell-o once the soil gets to field capacity,” says Daniel Goyette, principal arborist for the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens. “It can no longer hold any more water. That’s where you get movement in the soil. It’s why trees are toppling — the soil does not have the rigidity that it usually does.” The remnants of a fallen tree in Elysian Park on Thursday morning. The tree had fallen on the popular hiking path near Dodger Stadium. Lisa Boone/Los Angeles Times The remnants of a fallen tree in Elysian Park on Thursday morning. The tree had fallen on the popular hiking path near Dodger Stadium. The remnants of a fallen tree in Elysian Park on Thursday morning. The tree had fallen on the popular hiking path near Dodger Stadium. (Lisa Boone/Los Angeles Times) So how do you know if your tree is in danger? Arborist Rebecca Latta recommends looking for changes in the soil near the tree’s roots. “If I see cracking in the soil next to the trunk, then I…more detail