Wasatch Front residents who experienced harsh winds this week should check their trees for damage and think about hiring an arborist if they find snapped limbs or roots, according to a forestry extension agent.

It's common in extreme windstorms for homeowners to miss some major hazards overhead when inspecting their grounds, said Mike Kuhns, extension forester at Utah State University. People with large elms, cottonwoods or ashes, among others, may have large broken limbs hung up on other limbs or hanging by their own remaining fibers.

"Probably a lot of them already came down," Kuhns said Friday, "but there are certainly some still up there."

Kuhns advises tree owners to:

• Knock down small dangling limbs that can be reached with a pole.

• Rope off the area under any larger or out-of-reach dangling limbs and consider hiring an arborist to remove them.

• Look for International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborists, who generally have more training. Pruning even a major limb can leave a tree in condition to regain its crown over time.

• Stay away from downed trees or limbs that are touching power lines or potential power lines; call the power company to handle them.

• Look for signs that the wind dislodged the roots — uplifting on the windward side and hinging on the leeward side — without knocking over the tree. If the trunk is larger than 6 inches in diameter and shows such root damage, it's probably a goner and should be removed. Roots for smaller trees can regrow and may be stabilized by steel rods or other means.

• Don't give up on spruces. Windstorms in Utah often topple the conifers, Kuhns said, but it's usually because they're vulnerable due to poor site selection or root damage from such things as sprinkler or sidewalk work. It doesn't mean spruces are a bad choice for the region.