Lawn and Landscape Recovery After Storm Damage: 5 Important Steps to Follow

Navigating the aftermath of a storm can be incredibly stressful for property managers and HOA boards alike. The challenging task of restoring your landscape and ensuring safety can be both overwhelming and complex, demanding careful planning and expert execution to return your commercial landscape to its former state.

The good news is that with the right approach, you can effectively recover and restore your landscape. 

Let’s look at five important steps you can follow to help your commercial property recover after storm damage:

• Post-Storm Safety Assessments
• Debris Cleanup Procedures 
• Restoring Soil and Lawn Health
• Caring for Your Trees and Shrubs Post-Storm
• Preventative Measures
  

Conduct a Post-Storm Safety Assessment Immediately

After a hurricane or severe storm, the immediate priority for any commercial landscape maintenance company is to ensure safety of the property. A thorough post-storm assessment is crucial to address any damage and prevent further hazards. Here’s what we recommend to ensure a swift and effective response to storm damage:

1. Timing of Property Inspections:

Property inspections should begin as soon as weather conditions allow and it is safe to do so. Safety is paramount, so the storm must pass and any hazardous conditions may subside before teams are deployed. Once it’s safe, managers should head out to assess your job site. Utilizing Branch, Account, and Production managers is important because their combined expertise ensures that every aspect of the landscape is thoroughly evaluated.

2. Tagging and Managing Damage:

Your landscape partner should carefully count and tag damaged trees and plant materials. A specific tagging process should be employed to ensure we protect your investment.

3. Documentation:

Photos play a crucial role in documenting the damage. Images should be taken of all affected areas and can be used for detailed reporting, insurance claims, and planning for the necessary recovery work.

Landscape Repair After a Storm: Debris Cleanup Procedures

The task of cleaning up debris is crucial to restoring the safety and functionality of your commercial property. Let’s explore a few tips to help you manage the debris clean-up process:

4. Begin Immediate Cleanup of Pre-Approved Work:

For debris removal tasks that fall within the scope of normal maintenance or have been pre-approved, regular maintenance crews should be deployed as soon as possible. These kinds of tasks include clearing smaller debris and fallen branches that can be managed with standard equipment. This immediate clean up should happen swiftly to prevent any further inconvenience or hazards at your business or HOA.

5. Handle Larger Cleanup Tasks:

Even though it is important to care for larger clean-up tasks quickly, be sure your landscaping contractor provides detailed proposals so that you know exactly what is being completed. This work should be prioritized based on urgency and severity. Once proposals are approved, specialized teams should be deployed to address more significant cleanup needs.

6. Ensure Proper Safety Procedures:

Safety must be the top priority during both inspections and cleanups. Be sure your landscaping partner implements these safety measures to protect everyone involved:

• Check for downed power lines
• Assess jobsite hazards like unstable structures or hazardous materials
• Work within safe limits by calling in specialized subcontractors for tasks like aerial tree work
• Ensure your landscaper has trained personnel

7. Monitor Debris Management

The cleanup procedure involves assessing the type and volume of debris to determine the appropriate removal methods. Smaller debris can be handled and removed using normal trucks and trailers. The focus should be clearing debris efficiently to restore your property as quickly as possible. For larger debris, a designated location may need to be decided upon for pickup by the City at a later date. This ensures that large items are managed properly and in accordance with local regulations.

Storm Damage Lawn Recovery: Restoring Soil and Lawn Health

After a hurricane or severe storm, restoring the health of your lawn and soil is crucial for returning your commercial property to its former beauty. The recovery process involves evaluation of damage, prioritizing replacements, and implementing necessary soil and lawn care treatments. Here is a general process you should follow for lawn care after a hurricane:

8. Evaluate Damage and Review Proposals:

The first step to restoring your lawn and soil health is to conduct a thorough evaluation of the damage. Based on this assessment, detailed proposals should be created that cover the necessary replacement and recovery work. This could include replanting damaged vegetation, reseeding or sodding lawns, and addressing any other issues that may have arisen from the storm.

9. Address Long-Term Water Damage:

In cases where plants and turf have been sitting underwater for an extended period, additional measures are needed to restore soil health. Prolonged exposure to standing water can lead to soil compaction, erosion, and the loss of essential nutrients, making it crucial to implement soil testing and mitigation strategies.

Soil testing helps to identify any deficiencies or imbalances that need to be addressed. Soil mitigation uses these test results to take action. This might include soil aeration to relieve compaction, the addition of organic matter to replenish nutrients, and other treatments designed to improve soil structure and health.

Caring for Your Trees and Shrubs Post-Storm

After a hurricane or severe storm, trees and shrubs often bear the brunt of the damage, making their care and recovery crucial to restoring the overall health of your landscape. Use these tips for landscape repair after a storm:

10. Assessing Damage:

Just like with lawn care, your trees and shrubs need a thorough damage assessment. These damages can include broken branches, split trunks, and uprooted plants. Experts should look for signs of stress, disease, or pest infestations that may have been exacerbated by the storm.

11. Pruning and Removal:

Proper pruning is essential for the recovery of damaged trees and shrubs. Broken or damaged branches should be carefully trimmed to prevent further injury and encourage healthy growth. For trees with significant structural damage or those that pose safety hazards, removal may be necessary.

12. Supporting and Staking:

Trees and shrubs that have been displaced or weakened by the storm may require additional support to ensure they remain upright and stable. Staking techniques can provide necessary support for young or damaged trees, helping them reestablish their root systems and grow upright. Proper staking also prevents future leaning or instability issues.

13. Post-Storm Care:

Storms can impact the soil and root systems of your trees and shrubs. The soil condition around the base of plants should be inspected for erosion or compaction. Ensuring roots are adequately covered and protected is also vital for the long-term recovery of your plants. Post-storm, trees and shrubs may require extra nutrients to recover from the stress of the storm. This may include fertilization and proper watering to help them receive adequate moisture without being overwatered. Ongoing monitoring is key to be sure your trees continue to recover well.

Prepare for Future Storms with These Preventative Measures

Preparation is key to minimizing damage and ensuring a swift recovery when a storm strikes. By implementing proactive measures and having a plan in place, you can significantly reduce the impact of future storms on your commercial landscape.

14. Establish a Pre-Storm Agreement:

Before a storm hits, it’s beneficial to have a set agreement in place with your landscape management provider. This agreement should outline the scope of work, including cleanup and removal services, with pre-approved dollar amounts to avoid delays during the recovery process. Having this agreement ensures that necessary actions can be taken promptly and efficiently without needing additional approvals, which can be crucial in the aftermath of a storm. This would typically apply to removal of safety hazards such as trees down across roadways blocking traffic.

15. Regular Landscape Maintenance:

One of the most effective preventative measures is regular landscape maintenance. Keeping your landscape well-maintained reduces the likelihood of severe damage during a storm. Regularly removing dead or weak branches can prevent them from becoming hazardous during high winds. Routine inspections and maintenance of trees and shrubs allows any issues to be addressed before they become serious problems.

16. Irrigation System Management:

Turn off irrigation systems during severe weather events to avoid water logging and further stress on plants. Properly managing irrigation systems before a storm can prevent additional complications and ensure that your landscape is better-prepared to handle heavy rain.

Partnering with a Professional Team for Commercial Landscape Maintenance in Houston, TX

As a property manager or HOA board member, the challenges posed by severe weather and landscape damage can be overwhelming. Having a reliable and experienced landscape management partner is essential to navigating these challenges effectively.

Our team at Monarch Landscape Management offers expert advice and comprehensive solutions tailored to your needs, ensuring that you’re prepared before, during, and after a storm. We understand the importance of recovering quickly from any weather event. 

Ready to partner with a landscape professional you can trust? Contact us today to discuss your landscape and disaster preparedness plan and learn how we can support your property year-round. Get started by filling out our contact form.