By DARLENE PRINCE

prince@crescent-news.com

Driving through northwest Ohio after the last round of severe storms was a sad experience.

Thankfully, there were no serious injuries although several Continental firefighters barely escaped being seriously hurt when a huge tree branch fell and crushed their truck.

The news was not so good for many large trees in the area. They either were blown over and uprooted or lost large limbs to the high winds.

Jon DeMuth, landscape division manager at Nature's Way Landscaping, said many of the damaged or destroyed trees were silver maples prone to storm damage.

"Silver maples have narrow crotches that make the branches especially vulnerable to storms," DeMuth said. "There are many trees that people can plant that are not so easily damaged in storms.

"We have not replaced too many trees yet in the Defiance area," he said. "People may decide to come out in the fall to buy trees to plant. After the storms, some people may have reservations about planting any trees.

"If planting a tree, consider that a large maple grows 60 feet tall with branches 45 feet wide," he explained. "Such trees should be planted 25 feet from a house to prevent damage if the tree falls in a storm and to keep tree debris and leaves from getting in the gutters."

DeMuth also noted that a homeowner should know what kind of soil he or she is planting the tree in so the tree will grow well.

"Many hybrids have been developed that can grow well in Defiance's poor soils," he said. "When choosing a tree, consider its eventual size. We have a whole list of smaller trees that grow about 30 feet high that do well in Defiance." He said, at 30 feet, these trees are short enough not to get into power lines or cause problems with towers or satellite dishes.

"Smaller trees are less costly to maintain, too," he noted. "Some of these trees include serviceberry; ivory silk lilac, which is a tree, not a bush; and the Cleveland pear tree, which is a very strong tree.

"We have elms that have been bred to be resistant to Dutch elm disease. They are a beautiful tree with high arching branches and that are very tolerant of poor soils. We have Frontier and Homestead elms."

In Defiance, Rob Cereghin, director of the city's streets, parks and cemeteries, said if a resident is planting a tree along a street, then it is in the city's right of way.

"That makes it our tree," he said, "and we will want to look at it and see what kind of tree it is. We just want to make sure it is fairly easy to maintain and doesn't get too big."

DeMuth advised homeowners to know what they want a tree to be used for, such as a larger tree for birds to nest in, an ornamental tree for beauty and shade, or trees to be planted for a privacy screen.

"If you are planting a tree along a street, go for a tree with a shape like a column," he said. That way, the tree is easier to take care of and does not have large branches that stretch out over the road.

"The best size of tree for homeowners to buy and plant is one with about a 11/4 or 11/2 inch diameter (called caliper)," he said. "They are usually in 20-gallon containers and are easy to take home in a truck. Two people can easily carry them. That is the best-size tree to plant and they will take off and grow right away.

"That size tree is about 10 feet tall and is what is recommended by Tree City USA," he added.

Nature's Way Landscaping serves the northwest Ohio area. DeMuth can be contacted at 419-784-4323.

Tree City USA is a tree-planting program in U.S. cities sponsored by the Arbor Day Foundation, USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.