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East Bay trees holding up as atmospheric river storm batters region

East Bay trees mostly holding up so far amid series of storms, expert says
East Bay trees mostly holding up so far amid series of storms, expert says 03:10

The East Bay didn't see as much storm damage from Tuesday's atmospheric river as other parts of the Bay Area where tree limbs fell down and power was out for thousands of customers. 

One arborist said the East Bay was spared major tree damage because the trees are healthier than they've been in years.

Trex Donovan owns Buena Vista Tree Service in Livermore and has been working on trees in the East Bay for more than 20 years. He knows through experience that on windy, rainy days like these, emergency calls are much more likely.

"We would expect to get some storm-related calls. We do trees for a number of different school districts and parks departments and haven't had any calls for anything coming down as of late," said Donovan. 

He said part of that is due to the trees simply being healthier with more rain.

"I think a lot of the trees that were stressed or compromised have come down over the last couple of years, and the ones that are left are in better shape," said Donovan. 

He also said it's due to the time of year when trees are more dormant.

"They haven't really started pushing a lot of water toward the end of the foliage yet, so they have less wind resistance, and they don't have a lot of weight out at the ends of the canopies," said Donovan. 

Since the crews aren't busy with emergencies, they can take care of routine services like cutting these trees back away from a house in Livermore. On these windy days, even the most experienced of the crew members say they can feel the trees moving in the wind. 

"You feel the whole tree move. Even though it's like super big, you feel the whole tree moving. It's crazy," said one of the Buena Vista tree trimmers. 

Donovan said the longer it rains and the more the ground gets saturated. That's when root systems fail and trees fall over, simply because the ground was too wet to hold them. 

He said in areas like the North Bay that's much more likely since they've gotten more rain out of this storm.

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