Cleanup in Deer River following a storm and tornado on Memorial Day.

This Memorial day left many without power, heat, and with an unfortunate amount of snapped trees damaging their property in some way or other. If you or someone you know is dealing with storm-damaged trees, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has a few tips on how to deal with the ongoing damage.

The DNR is asking homeowners to be overly cautious when approaching downed trees and to stay away from all wires. If the tree is unnaturally leaning, they’re asked to carefully inspect it for damage and address hazardous trees first. If it has damaged roots, trees should be removed if more than 50% of the trunk or live branches in the crown are damaged. This could injure people and damaged property.

Due to last year’s drought, trees are already stressed. It is asked that your pruning should be done properly by cutting just outside the branch collar. Damaged trees should get about an inch of water per week.

More tips on the do’s and do not’s of handling tree damage are available on the DNR website.

By — Hanky Hazelton