Date palm tree leaning on the house

5 years ago

Hi everyone, I have this date palm tree very close to the house. We are thinking to remove it as we are in South Florida and we have hurricane season coming. I just read that it's called Phoenix canariensis according to some information online it can withstand strong winds. Does anyone have this tree? How does it withstand hurricanes? I am new to Florida. Tree looks nice in front of our house and only reason we want to remove it is that it can fall on the house. Should we remove this tree? Appreciate any advice. Thanks

Featured Answer

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

5 years ago

Just an FYI but palms are NOT trees and I am not sure how many arborist are qualified

==>> that crossed my mind as i was tooling around town..

anyway.. you need an onsite inspection by the appropriate certified specialist.. and not rely on a bunch of strangers who can not see much of anything in this single picture provided ...

and any guy with a chainsaw is not necessarily a certified specialist ...

the knowledge you gain is often based on what you pay for it ... and is usually money well spent ...

ken

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Comments (6)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
Are there other mature palms in the area? Palms are very resilient in strong winds and typically survive hurricane forces well. Because palms do not develop a woody trunk like trees do, they bend easily rather than fall or break.

But only you can decide how much risk that close to your house poses for you.
Zhanat Iskhakova thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
based on what little i can see of the house.. i would hazard a guess that it is more valuable than some tree.. LEANING TOWARD THE HOUSE ..

if it were mine.. it would be gone.. asap ... and i bet if you call your home insurace guy.. he would agree .. who really wants to find out ... but then .. there are peeps who enjoy gambling ...

the best idea.. is to have a certified arborist come and give you an onsite inspection.. and then you can make decisions based on knowledge ... rather than random peeps on teh web ....

and when its gone ... replace it with a nice young.. properly planted tree ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=isa+certified+arborist+florida&t=ffcm&ia=web

btw: it looks like its out of proportion to what little i can see of the house .. its probably not a prime specimen ...
Zhanat Iskhakova thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
5 years ago
Just an FYI but palms are NOT trees and I am not sure how many arborist are qualified to assess them. so their knowledge base can be a little skimpy in this regard :-)

As frequently as Florida and the Gulf Coast experience hurricanes, if palms were not very tolerant of these sorts of weather conditions, there wouldn't be many left!! And they are ALL OVER!
Zhanat Iskhakova thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
bengz6westmd
5 years ago
Typically palms subjected to a hurricane can get their foliage stripped, but the trunk will survive.
Zhanat Iskhakova thanked bengz6westmd
cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
5 years ago
Doesn't appear to be Phoenix canariensis to me- way too tall and skinny. If we might see the entire tree top to bottom?

If it seems precarious to you then have it removed. I had more than one garden destroyed by hurricanes during my decades in SoFla and removing iffy trees is always a good idea.

Any reputable "tree guy" in SoFla should be familiar with palms or have someone on staff who is. Failing that get out there and start talking to your neighbors and learning what it is, how long it has been there, if it would make them nervous etc. You can learn a lot from your neighbors.
Zhanat Iskhakova thanked cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)