On May 6, 5:26*pm, Nona wrote:
Hi! *We are about to get our roof replaced but are looking into structural changes to make the roof safer in the event of severe weather. *We live in an area that has occasional hurricanes and even small tornadoes.

Our property has hundreds of tall oak trees (approximately 1-2 feet in diameter x 70 feet? tall) that are gorgeous but certainly dangerous should they fall on the house. *It is not a realistic option to remove all the trees

You don't have to remove all the trees. Just enough so that
none can reach the house. Or if you're most worried about
a structural collapse but willing to tolerate some lesser damage,
then you could leave trees where the top 1/4 or so could
reach the house. That load may cause damage, but it's not
likely to cause a major collapse that kills people.


and bracing all of the trees would result in a spiderweb of wires all over the place that is not a safe or realistic option either.

Is there anything we can do to improve our own safety with respect to these trees? *I have seen too many news stories during hurricanes where people were killed when a tree fell on their roof.

We have a two-story gable roof with plywood sheathing and architectural shingles. *Would it help to reinforce the trusses with horizontal or cross metal braces?

No, because it's not just the roof, it's the fact that everything
else, ie what
supports the roof, the two floors, etc is not designed to carry the
additional
weight of a 70ft tree.

*Could we put metal sheathing beneath the plywood? *Our goal is not to
make the roof impervious to trees but rather to give us at least a
small amount of time to escape the house safely should a heavy tree
fall on the roof.

Metal sheathing is just going to crumple and the roof deck
is still going to collapse. And replacing the whole roof deck to
add that isn;t gonna be cheap. Just to replace a sheet of
plywood is $50.




Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Cut back the tree line.

Or get out of there before a hurricane and live with the risk of a
tree
coming down anyhow in an unforecasted more regular storm, eg
a severe thunderstorm, high winds, etc.