Experts weigh in on what types of tree are more prone to falling

There’s an excellent article about what types of trees are more prone to fall in storms that was published in yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle.

Click link to read the full article but here are some excerpts:

Taller trees with denser crowns tend to be more prone to collapse, UC Berkeley Professor Emeritus Joe McBride said. In urban areas, trees that have been planted without enough space to grow a root system, such as at the edge of a street, also fall more easily.

In the Bay Area, the trees that most commonly fall are oaks, eucalyptus, cypress and Monterey pines, said consulting arborist Kevin Hostert. Coast live oaks and Monterey pines are prone to fungal infection and root rot, and certain types of eucalyptus trees have “pretty shallow” roots

Redwoods, which often grow in a grove where they can interlace their roots and protect each other, also fall less, Scott Wheeler of Urban Arborist said, but some — especially those that stand alone — have fallen in recent storms.

Photo of fallen tree in Menlo Park by Linda Hubbard (c) 2023