When there is no goal there is no danger.
Consider a tree dangerous if a target can be hit by falling. A target can be a building, a vehicle, or a person within range of a sinking tree or one of its parts. When no target is present, it is best to leave the tree intact. If necessary, cut only a few branches so you don’t break the nearby tree ecosystem.
How to inspect your trees
We are going to look at the tree from top to bottom reviewing its three main parts.
The crown
A dangerous tree will show these characteristics in its crown:
- Dieback: when the branches of the upper crown die from the top down. Stress from prolonged periods of drought, insects, or root diseases causes dieback. Opportunistic pests, insects and fungi invade stressed trees.
- V-shaped forks: Extreme weather conditions often cause these weak spots to fail. Trees most likely to break due to V-shaped forks are oak, maple, willow, and elm.
- Crooked Crowns – Trees often end up with crooked crowns when surrounded by other trees.
- Leaning: Trees that have grown leaning are less dangerous than those that have leaned due to wind or root problems. An indicator of a dangerous tilt problem is when the raised ground shows in front of the tilt.
The trunk
One of the main causes of tree failure is when they are weakened by fungal decay. Healthy trees bend and sway. But if they are breaking down, their tissues are not flexible and they crack and break easily.
Decay fungi need an opening in the tree bark to enter the tree, such as wounds caused by lightning, fire, insects, birds, and other animals. Wind can cause branches to rub together and remove bark. Avoid human activities such as carving initials into the bark.
The roots
They are very important because they absorb water and essential elements and anchor the tree to the ground. If 50% of the roots are compromised, you should remove the tree.
Here are soil clues of poor root conditions:
- Slender crowns with dwarf discolored yellowish leaves
- Stunted growth
- soil compaction
- Erosion
- construction activities
- soil fill
- root rot fungi
What should you do?
You should inspect each tree that may have problems. To prevent accidents, these periodic and thorough inspections must be carried out. At least once a year, but we recommend two (summer and winter).
deals
To keep the tree in the landscape, on rare occasions, you can prune it, wire it, and brace it. But most of the time, tree removal is the only solution for a dangerous tree.
Prevention
Prevention is the best action, you should start a health program as soon as possible. If you want to avoid many problems in the future, always make a proper choice and location of trees. Homeowners often create hazards when they purchase and plant a tree without planning.
During construction, be especially careful with your trees. Be vigilant when installing a driveway and digging utility lines. Don’t let construction equipment scrape bark off trees. Signs of construction stress in trees appear immediately or years later.
Bail: There is no replacement for hiring an expert. The goal of this article is to help you spot signs that are not always visible to homeowners. But in no case does it replace the need for a professional tree service.