Tree Losses and Hurricane Irma – Lessons Learned

On September 11, Hurricane Irma made landfall on Marco Island at around 3:30 PM as a Category three hurricane with winds measuring up to 130 mph. We were sheltering at a neighbor’s house and when the winds calmed down during the eye of the hurricane, we stepped outside to assess the damage in the neighborhood. My husband and I ran downhill to check our house – was it still standing? 

Our house survived but the yard was covered with fallen trees and the damage was devastating. We lost two mature mahogany trees, three mango trees, one avocado tree, four grapefruit trees and a 70 feet rainbow eucalyptus straddled the driveway. Our majestic century old Live Oak was standing tall but totally defoliated. The scene of tree losses alone in Marco was extensive and cleanup was going to be costly.

It took almost a year to get the landscape cleared and years for the trees and shrubs to get back to normal. Many of the beautiful blooming specimen trees in the neighborhood did not get back to their blooming schedule for three to four years. All of them suffered extensive limb losses and total defoliation and I did not see full bloom from the Royal Poincianas and Queen Myrtles for at least three to four years. My neighbor’s magnificent mature Jacaranda has not bloomed since 2017, and this year it showed spotty flower clusters.

We’ve not replaced the trees we’ve lost and in assessing the situation several factors contributed to most of our tree losses such as age of the trees. The mahogany, rainbow eucalyptus, avocados, mangos and grapefruits were all older trees.

After a year with my landscape all cleared up and most of the shrubs returning to normal, it was tempting to plant one of my favorite tropical trees - the Royal Poinciana (Delonix regia) a non-native. It will require a large space away from sidewalks and buildings to accommodate its expansive root system. I have three-quarters of an acre of backyard and room for a fully grown 40 to 50 feet high tree with a spreading canopy of 40 to 70 feet wide when fully mature. 

Or I could plant its purple counterpart – equally as stunning – the Jacaranda. When fully grown it will be 25 to 50 feet tall and 15 to 40 feet wide. If I planted them in 2018, I might see its first bloom in 2028!

There are a series of educational materials from the Urban Forest Hurricane Recovery Program in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation and the University of Florida Institute of Agricultural Services (UF/IFAS). Called “Lessons Learned from Hurricanes” authors Mary Duryea and Eliana Kampf’s research shows that native trees survived better than exotics in South Florida hurricanes.

My personal observations from the tree losses on Marco Island from the aftermath of Hurricane Irma confirmed some of these findings. All seven of my native sabal palms survived along with the shorter palms such as Fox Tail, Christmas Palms, Bismarck Palms and Canary Island Palm. Royal Palms took a beating during Hurricane Irma. My neighbor’s beautiful southern magnolia also survived. 

My friend Sue had two mature Jacarandas both planted in the swale. Both were toppled and uprooted by Hurricane Irma. They did not have adequate root space to extend out in all directions to provide stabilization from the hurricane winds. On one side of the tree was the asphalt from the road and the other side was the concrete sidewalk. 

All over the island, trees without deep roots fell over in Irma’s strong winds. My next-door neighbor’s Royal Poinciana, though pruned each year to prepare for hurricane season, got all mangled and twisted from the strong winds. It was only this year that it came back to its magnificent full canopy bloom.

Research conducted by University of Florida scientists showed that one of the best things you can do in your landscape is to plant trees that can withstand hurricane force winds. They showed that live oaks are the most resistant to wind damage. Other good choices include sabal palms, southern magnolia and crape myrtle.