LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – As hurricane season is only days away you’ll want to take every measure possible to protect yourself and your property.
That includes any trees and even branches that pose a threat to power and property.
Tree pruning is done by Lafayette Utilities System year-round, but you may see a few more private contractors out doing the same ahead hurricane season.
Sucker (branches), rotten, and even healthy, but threatening limbs are coming down in Acadiana as Hurricane season is now less than a week away.
Billy Broussard of Billy Broussard Tree Service says, “Getting a lot of that weight that doesn’t need to be there and that wind resistance, getting that out of the tree.”
Broussard says the more branches, the more wind resistance a tree has.
When storms and strong winds rip through, unnecessary branches can add stress to the tree.
Limbs too close to homes can whip back and forth, causing damage to shingles, siding, windows, and even fall on power lines.
Simone Sonnier, Lafayette Utilities System says, “Healthy and rotten limbs do pose a safety hazard to the public and our infrastructure. They can interfere with lines and cause outages.”
Sonnier told us LUS crews prune trees year-round to ensure power line safety during severe weather.
“We actually have a four year trim cycle at LUS. It’s kind of one of those things where you complete it after four years and you start back up where you left off.”
If there is a tree around your home or property that looks like it may need attention contact an arborist most of them do perform free inspections.
LUS’s tree trimming supervisor can be contacted at 291-5711.
