ARTICLES ABOUT "HURRICANE CUTTING" PALM TREES

Articles by experts from the University of Florida, many Florida counties (Broward, Collier, Hernando, Flagler, Pinellas and Brevard) and elsewhere all report "Hurricane Cutting" is a bad practice that injures, deforms and weakens palm trees.  Hurricane Cutting is illegal in Broward County.


Palm Tree Pruning - Broward County
Hurricane cutting is illegal in Broward County because it is so harmful to palm trees.


Palms:  Not Just For The Tropics.
International Society of Arboriculture explains the damage that hurricane cutting causes.


Pruning Cabbage Palms
Photos of healthy and overpruned cabbage palms.

 

Palm Over Pruning - Collier County
Removing green fronds, or above the midline, weakens and deforms palm trees and may kill them.

 
Hurricane Cuts Compromise Palm Structure In High Winds

In Hurricane Wilma, trimmed palms suffered damage - but untrimmed palms did not.  3 Photos.

 
Death by Pruning - Hernando County  by Jim Moll

Do not remove green fronds, or more than 1/3 of the foliage, and do not cut higher than 9-3 cut.

 

With fronds like us, palms need no enemies by Mary Irish (Arizona Republic)
No hurricanes in Arizona, but "hurricane cutting" is just as bad there as in Florida.

 

June Gardening Guide by Patricia Porchey
(Our Town 50 - Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Siesta Key and Longboat Key)
Sarasota horticulturalist says - Do not "hurricane cut" because it weakens the tree.
source: http://www.ourtown50.com/gardening.html

 

Flagler Horticulture - Flagler County (reprints of newspaper column) by Chuck Lippi
Removing old foliage below the midline is OK but taking more weakens the tree.


In The Face Of A Hurricane What About Your Palms?
by Jim Watson (Palm Beach Master Gardeners)
Palms are strong and don't need severe trims, but some tree cutters are motivated by money.

 
No Harsh Pruning of the Sabal Palm

A plea from a tree lover to stop harming our State Tree and depriving the animals that depend on it.
source:  http://home.earthlink.net/~walterx9/Env/PalmPruning.html


Are We Starving Our Palm Trees?
- Pinellas County
How the "Hurricane Cut" starves palm trees and deforms them.

 
Help Get The Message Out - Brevard County
(also very similar Sabal Palms - Brevard County )
It is tragic that palm trees are being starved and weakened by harmful over-pruning.
source:  http://www.netpamj.com/palmtrimming.htm

 
USDA Cabbage Palm Fact Sheet

Detailed information about the Florida State Tree. "The Cabbage Palm is about as hurricane-proof as a tree can be. They stand after many hurricanes have blown over the oaks and snapped the pines in two."
source: http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/SABPALA.pdf