Sounds allot like our area from the Ice Storm of late January 2009. Many old, we formed, beautiful trees striped back to only their trunks. Tree will be recovering for a decade or more yet. Winter is still pretty ugly, since without the leaves you can see all the damage that remains. It was the worst ice storm on record for my area.

Here's is something that might help you or someone else that comes here looking for help with their storm damaged trees. I stumbled across is several years ago, and then found it again after our ice storm. Guild lines on restoration pruning that was developed in Florida to deal with hurricane damage. Still applies to other storm damage as well though. Hopefully it will help.

Arktrees

Here is a link that might be useful: Restoration pruning

I'm in north central NJ and our trees got hammered as well. Every minute you could hear CRACK! swissssh BOOM as the branches went. The top 8 feet or so of my sassafras snapped right off - sounded like the wrath of God. The mulberry, my neighbor's dogwood, her maple - I don't think there is a tree in town that didn't lose at least one major branch. This is the most widespread tree damage I've ever seen, and it does look like what an ice storm does. It's just not good when you get heavy snow on fully leafed trees. As arktrees said, it's going to take a long time for the surviving trees to recover.

Minus a few Bradfords, your trees still in good shape, and a blue spruce-with what sounds like root issues-brought down before it got big enough to do real damage...maybe there's at least a little good coming from this storm.

I've read stories on this forum about trees being in the ground for several years without the roots leaving the planting hole. That spruce was the first time I've seen it in person.

The loss of the Bradfords is a mixed bag. If even one major branch remains, many homeowners leave the tree standing. I can't understand it, they look just horrible. I should post some pictures, it's almost comical.

Alex

Alex,
Yes post the pics of the damage you are seeing. The Bradford Pears here were severely reduced in number locally from the 2009 ice storm. It was almost entertaining, but for so much carnage on every other tree species as well. The BP were weight directly down and broken off. As if a giant hand had slow methodically squished them from the top straight down. Ended up almost looking like a giant mushroom, and once the broke limbs were removed, only a stump about 4' high remaining. Guess what though. Yeap, allot of people left them because they re-sprouted. Those things are going to be an even bigger mess than before.

Arktrees

I bet that spruce could be re-planted and staked for a couple of years and be none the worse for wear. A root inspection followed by root pruning would be necessary, though.

Glad to hear you and your property made out pretty well. If your neighbors are like mine, they will let the BP suckers make new trees (which is acutally kinda cool how fast the new ones grow) only to fail again in the next 10 years.

Hmmm... maybe Ark and I have the same neighbors lol

John

We had our Bradford Pear Topped two weeks ago and thankfully it did very well in this past storm here in PA. We were always worried about it splitting so this year had it topped. I know many don't agree with it but this tree was 18 years old and we wanted to get a few more years out of it. Hoping we do.
{{gwi:458088}}

If folks do have to top a tree, then I hope it's only done to Bradford Pears.

I have trouble believing that naturally grown BP's have that ridiculous branching structure, with all branches emerging from a single point. Its no wonder they all split apart when they grow in that form.

Well here it was in spring of last year at 18 years. We have had it thinned over the years and it held up well. We just decided to top it this year thankfully since I have a feeling it may have spit if we didn't. Still even after topping it I really don't mind the new look. Will be interesting to see it this summer and how fast it grows back.
{{gwi:37589}}

Dreadful tree work to that top tree there. May I explain why arborists hate topping so much?

There is a plant hormone called auxin (plant types here know it well) that heals tree wounds. Unfortunately it is only found within a foot or less after a fork. If a branch is cut nowhere near a fork it is likely to die right back to the previous fork.

The lesson is simple: don't topiary prune - God didn't make trees round! Each branch should either be collar cut (cut back to just after it's join to the previous branch) or cut to a stump of less than 9 inches.

"There is a plant hormone called auxin (plant types here know it well) that heals tree wounds. Unfortunately it is only found within a foot or less after a fork."

Sorry, but that's simply pure rubbish and is not even close to a valid reason for the way trees should be trimmed!
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Trees don't "heal". They grow over (cover) their wounds. When terminal/heading cuts are made (as in when a tree is topped), the tree grows to cover over its wounds by growing new branches at or near the cut. At least two problems occur at heading cuts. First, the time it takes for new branches to develop into the size it takes to develop enough growth to cover the relatively large wounds is often longer than it takes for the exposed wood to rot. And second, the branches that do form at these heading cuts are often poorly attached and fail as they grow (rewounding the tree). So the problems are timing (growth not fast enough to prevent rot) and structural quality (poorly attached branches).

Well my kids call it the broccoli tree now. LOL It is smaller and still standing after that bad ice/snow storm so hoping to get a few more years out of this tree and then we will worry about replacing it if need be.

We had a wind storm about a month ago. It broke the top off one of our pine trees. Now it's sort of an weird looking tree but it gives nice shade and blocks sound from the road behind us.