Ice Storm Downs Trees, Extends Cleanup Efforts In Md.

BALTIMORE (WJZ)--When Maryland got hit with an ice storm, trees came tumbling down.

Alex DeMetrick has more on the fallout from the ice that's going to take time to clean up.

It's the kind of weather that turns forests fragile.

And a lot of Marylanders found out firsthand just how hard ice can be on trees.

"Lotta trees down," a woman said.

"A tree fell on my car," a man said.

"You could feel it when it hit the ground," a man said.

"I looked out the window, and it wasn't thunder.  It was a limb on my roof," a woman said.

Nature left a natural mess, and across the state tree removal crews were at work.

"Most of the calls we've been getting have come from Reisterstown, Owings Mills, Pikesville and all the way across Baltimore County," said Carmen Caltabiano, Nationwide Tree Service.

It took a crane to lift a tree off the roof of a home in Ellicott City. Fortunately it fell slow enough it caused little damage. It didn't even make that much noise. But it sure was a surprise.

"My wife got up at six o'clock, saw it laying on top of the house and over the front of the door, and got me up and said 'We gotta little problem here,'" said Scott Harbinson, homeowner.

"A thousand pounds of ice out on the end of limbs, and a little bit of a wind, the root structure's not in good shape. Yeah, it definitely takes a toll on trees," said Mike Cotter, Excel Tree Experts.

But it was more than existing damage that sent experts climbing high up into standing trees.

There's still plenty of winter left and conditions mean some trees are still a threat to lives and property.

"Because it's been such a saturated time of year, with all the snow and all the rain we've had previously, the ground's very wet," Caltabiano said.

Trees weakened by Wednesday's ice storm are also being removed on many properties, adding to the workload nature sent crashing to the ground.

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