• Fertilize trees and plants to stimulate root growth. A healthy root system acts as an anchor to protect against tipping or toppling. A good fertilizer that promotes deeper root growth is mycorrhizae — specialized soil fungi (mycorrhizal fungi) that enable plant roots to take in water and nutrients. Myocorrhizal fungi are available at specialized plant product companies and nurseries, including Driftwood Nursery and Forestry Resources stores in Collier and Lee counties.

Mycorrhizae is said to reduces transplant shock, including the stress of returning overturned or tipped trees to their upright positions.

• Don't stake and brace larger trees before a storm; flexibility will help the tree bend with the winds. In the news release, Joyce cites one exception to that rule: Staking of young, immature trees in a low-velocity storm with maximum winds of 40 to 50 mph may be a better choice, because wind resistance could pose less risk of injury than letting them tip over. But if the property is facing a high-wind hurricane, he said to let trees and plants lie down.

The decision to stake or not should be based on the strength of the gusts, not sustained winds, according to John Cauthen, president of Forestry Resources Inc