Many trees on the Central Coast have experienced quite a bit of new growth due to the rainy winter, but according to certified arborist Gil Martinez that could present some issues.
Martinez attributes the most recent failure of a 200-year-old oak tree at the Saucelito Vineyard in East Arroyo Grande to the drought California has experienced for the past couple of years, followed by this past rainy winter... resulting in trees undergoing excessive growth they are not equipped to handle.
""It has actually put off a tremendous amount of growth into the trees... to where the trees are not able to sustain that much weight due to the stress they have experienced during the drought period," said Martinez.
Martinez said residents and business owners can prevent events like this from happening by having their trees inspected and trimmed every three years, especially if they are close to any structures or roads.
"One of the things people can look for is just excessive weight in the tree... make sure that the trees are reduced in and thinned out," said Martinez.
Martinez, who has been in the business for the past 30 years, said the last two years have been the busiest in regards to the most oak tree failures.
