Hurricanes are well known for up rooting trees but this can happen with any storm. Some trees seem to be shallow rooted but some are also planted in hard to grow places where the root systems are limited.
Wet areas are always a problem for trees. Some nurserymen have grown their trees in soils with a shallow water table. This keeps the roots of young trees close to the surface of the soil to make digging easier. If that shallow water table is near a lake or in any wet soil, big tall trees are likely to be up rooted by a storm. Regretfully these trees are usually lost.
Young trees and palms are often up rooted during storms. They may be pot bound and slow to form an established root system that makes them susceptible to even mild summer storms. These small trees and palms can usually be uprighted and expected to survive. As they are pulled into an upright position some roots may need to be cut and new soil added. The supports will likely be needed for a year or more and they should be given new tree care.
Some trees topple due to a poor root system. This is the case with older laurel oaks. For some reason the roots right below the trunk rot in many 40 to 50-year-old trees. This produces an unstable tree that blows over with heavy winds. Some tree and large shrub problems are caused by the planting site. This often occurs when they are planted near a home, sidewalk or drive. The roots near the hard surface are not well established, are cut or cannot penetrate the soil and with high wind the trees or shrubs blow over.
Not all trees or large shrubs are as susceptible to winds. My durable tree list includes live oaks, sweet gums, crape myrtles, magnolias, sycamores, ligustrums, winged elms, bald cypress and most palms. These seem to have a mechanism for resisting hurricanes like allowing the leaves or small limbs to snap off. Yes, some are severely affected by the storms but often there is a site or cultural problems related to the decline.
