'Gravity always wins': How to keep your backyard trees safe during Houston's rainy weather

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- After two very rainy days, we are seeing trees down all over the Houston area.

"I tell my customers, 'Gravity always wins,'" laughed John Longoria, the owner of Highpoint Tree Care.

If your trees are very tall or leaning even slightly, they're at a high risk of going down.

Tree root systems only go about 2 feet below ground.

So, roots can easily become less stable when it rains like this for a couple of days, especially if they are already stressed.

"It's a cascading effect," Longoria explained. "We had a strong heat wave last summer that stressed the trees out. Then, we had the freeze, and now, we're getting our spring rain. The trees are struggling."

SEE ALSO: Zombie trees? Yes, they're real and here's how to prevent them in your neighborhood

Zombie trees are quite the eyesore, and with the summer coming up some Houstonians may want to consider finding an expert to revive their dying timber.

Don't forget to check for dead and diseased trees. If it's dead, you'll probably find the bark coming off and the wood rotting.

"Look up! A lot of people, when we come over, don't even notice that we have a dead tree on their property, and I can point it out for them," he said. "I always try to remember that a tree can still be diseased even with green leaves, and another analogy I like to give them is that people with hair have heart attacks and fall over. Trees are the same way."

He recommends having a trained expert check out your trees at least once a year.

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