Introduction
Trees are living organisms that will die someday. Irrespective of how many benefits a tree has provided you or how many memories it is attached to, a dying tree or a tree that endangers the surroundings needs to go. Removing trees is a dangerous affair and that’s why you may want to look up “tree service near me” and hire professionals to do the job. Let’s check out a few signs that warn you to remove your tree:
The Signs
- Lack of foliage – Trees shed their leaves and most people know that. Deciduous trees shed their leaves during the fall season and remain with barren branches to get through the harsh winter season. The leaves come back in full swing during the spring season. However, if you notice that the leaves on a tree are growing differently compared to a few years back, you may have a problem.
Slowing regrowth is one of the first signs of a slowly but steadily dying tree. If the tree is devoid of leaves or has very few leaves in one area, it may be due to an illness that could be fixed. However, if the tree has sparse foliage or is lacking leaves overall, then it is dying and should be inspected by an arborist or a landscaping company to figure out if it should be removed.
- Dead branches – Inspect the branches of your tree. If there are rotting or dead branches, it’s a big warning sign. You should also check the ground near a tree with dead branches. The number of dead branches beside the tree tells you about the severity of the problem. A tree that is diseased or dying will shed branches and try to get smaller to optimally use its resources. Moreover, the dead branches that fall from the tree may spread diseases to other healthy trees, plants, and shrubs.
Falling branches are a great risk to the surroundings. It can injure someone in your home or destroy your property. The problem gets amped up if a falling branch from your tree destroys someone else’s property or injures someone else. You may have a fat lawsuit on your hands. It’s best to remove the tree in such situations.
- Mushrooms at the base – Mushrooms and fungus are a common sight in any forest. They grow naturally on the forest floor, and some make great soup or medicine. However, if you find mushrooms at the base of your tree, it’s bad news. When a mushroom or fungus colony grows on your tree, they infect the trunk and the roots. It causes serious damage and instability and poses severe health risks to the tree.
The problem is of a greater degree if the mushroom growth is progressive. Such trees and plants can’t be salvaged. Those fungal varieties are so invasive that you can’t remove them with a fungicide. The only solution is to chop down or uproot the tree.
- No buds on some branches – While dead branches are dangerous, you may be able to stop them from falling even before the branches die and rot. Careful observation of tree branches can tell you a lot about the tree’s health. If you spot a limb that used to have buds but doesn’t anymore, it may be dying. Check the branches closely and see if they are flimsy, brittle, and snap with minimal force. It’s a sign of the tree’s poor health.
If you can spot such warning signs early, you can remove the diseased and dying limbs and prevent them from infecting the rest of the tree. Otherwise, you may have to chop down the tree. Add inspecting tree limbs into your landscape maintenance routine.
- Bark health – The bark is the skin of the tree. It often acts as a visual indicator of the tree’s overall health. If you find large parts of the bark fallen off the tree, check for gouges and cracks it left behind on the tree. If they are too deep, your tree may need to be removed. Deep cracks or cankers usually become spots where the tree would split or break in the future. It’s a serious hazard that shouldn’t be ignored.
Conducting a scratch test is also a great way of inspecting the tree’s health. Get a sharp object and simple scratch and peel away a small section of the bark on the trunk. A healthy tree would show green flesh underneath. If the flesh has dried and turned brown, it’s a sign of decay and rot.
Make sure that you conduct the scratch test on multiple limbs along with the trunk. Even a dying tree may have a few healthy branches with green underlying flesh.
- Trunk health – If the trunk is leaning heavily towards one side, it may be a sign of weak roots and requires tree removal. You don’t want your giant tree to fall without warning. Similarly, don’t be pleased if there is an “owl hole” or a large cavity in the tree trunk. It seems charming and has been romanticized in popular culture, but it’s bad news for the tree.
The holes are remnants of a cavity left behind by a fallen branch. The cavities get large over time if the tree decays and starts dying. You need to get your tree inspected as soon as you see such cavities. It makes the tree very unstable and may warrant tree removal.
- Longitudinal cracks – Longitudinal cracks on the tree are always a bad sign, especially if they are in between two opposite facing branches. When a strong storm hits your area, those cracks are deepened, and your tree won’t be able to tolerate it. In such cases, get the tree removed to avoid serious injury and damage.
Conclusion
Now that you know all about these warning signs, you should assess all the trees on your property and check if they show some. If a tree needs to be removed, search for “tree service near me” and hire professionals to get the dangerous job done.
The tools and equipment required for giant tree moving would be used for removal of trees or other available stuff. It could prove fatal if you mishandle the tools. The best way to avoid the situation would be to call in an experienced and certified arborist. They would have the requisite knowledge and understanding of handling these tasks effectively and efficiently.
Comments are closed.