High winds can cause significant damage to trees, but they can also be a factor to consider when trimming and maintaining trees. Proper tree trimming and preparation can help minimize the risk of wind damage. Here's what you should know about how high winds affect trees and how to address them:

Winter tree trimming and maintenance are important for the overall health of your trees. While the cold months may seem like a time to let them be, winter can actually be the ideal time to trim trees.  Temperature changes during winter months can significantly contribute to high winds and storms. These temperature fluctuations often create conditions that lead to extreme weather events like strong winds, snowstorms, and even blizzards. While these types of weather events can still wreak havoc on healthy trees, they can cause significant damage to trees that have not been properly maintatined. 

The best time to cut down trees depends on the purpose of the removal and the type of tree. Approaching seasonal weather should also be considered so you can prevent or minimize the potential for damage as much as possible to be prepared for times that Highwinds, Heavy Rains, Ice and snow are key factors, here are some other items you need to consider:

Uprooted trees, debris littered parts of Carroll County day after storms

SYKESVILLE, Md. —

Some Carroll County residents woke up to damage and homeowners started assessing and cleaning up Thursday after tornado warnings blanketed the area Wednesday night.

Neighbors in Sykesville and Eldersburg came together to help each other with the task after many watched the storm roll in.

"You could just see everything, like all the different type clouds coming together, getting the energy, and then the next thing you know, it just happened, and I told everybody to get downstairs," said Dave Dudek, a Sykesville resident.

"It sounded like a roar, kind of, and then the sky rumbled. I felt like our house shake maybe," said 8-year-old Gavin, Dudek's son.

A lot of trees were uprooted, debris scattered about, and Bartholow Road remained closed until late Thursday afternoon as crews worked to remove downed wires and trees.

"Just destruction," said Andrew Fitzgerald, a Finksburg resident. "It happened just like that. It was very quick."

The Fitzgeralds hurried to the basement with their four kids as the storm closed in.
They suffered tree damage as well, one into their backyard pool. Their home has siding damage, missing shutters, and part of their porch roof is destroyed.

"It seemed like the noise subsided, so I came back up and I couldn't believe what I was looking at," Fitzgerald said.

The family had never seen anything like Wednesday's storm before, but they consider themselves lucky that they heeded the tornado warning and no one was harmed.

"If you get the alert, don't ignore it. It's for a reason, and even if it comes out to be nothing, at least you're safe. Because you don't want to take that chance on your life," Tricia Fitzgerald said.

The National Weather Service will determine whether it was, in fact, a tornado that touched down in Carroll County.