Calm Before the Storm by pheαnix
TheGardenLady’s heart goes out to all the people who lost so much in the wake of the massive storm Sandy. I cannot fathom how people are coping with all the devastation.
For those who were lucky to just lose trees or branches, I offer a little advice.
If there are broken branches, don’t hesitate to have them cut off. This is not real pruning- you can cut off dead or damaged branches any time of the year.
If a tree pulled out of the soil and is intact and looks healthy, try to keep the root moist; then one can always try to pull the tree, especially if it is not too large, to an upright position and replant it in the spot it was in. Stake and tie the tree to prevent other strong winds from blowing it down again. The tree may survive; there is no guarantee. Sometimes a tree will look like it is alive after being pulled up, but a few years later you will find it is dead. Trees don’t always look dead immediately, especially evergreen trees. Then when you see it is dead you might wonder what happened to your tree, not thinking that it just looked alive before.
Of course, it if is a huge tree that is uprooted, know that most huge trees cannot be re-rooted because the roots dry out or too much of the root is shorn off. Or the tree might be just too difficult to pull to a standing position or it might be just too expensive to hoist such a big tree up. It is your decision. You can also consult a good arborist for a recommendation on whether to try to save a tree.
If you want to try to replant an uprooted tree yourself read this.
A good website to read about assessing your storm damaged tree is this.