How To Check If A Tree Is Dangerous

While trees can provide incredible benefits to your yard or land they need to be taken care of properly, and can sometimes be even downright dangerous to you or your property if neglected. Here are some of the signs to look for to make sure your tree stays in proper health.

Broken Or Damaged Limbs

Broken or damaged limbs can be not only harmful to your tree but also can be a dead giveaway to a non-healthy tree. Though not all damages are so easy to spot with the eye. A Friendly Tree professional can often see cracks in a branch or a split in a limb where others cannot. A pro can also let you know how big of a problem this can be for the tree as well. By using magnification as well as potentially a crane we can get where you may not be able to. Assessing risk of falling branches, bad growth, and even other types of sickness.

Bark Discoloration

Just like a rash on our skin bark is a way for a tree to show that there may be underlying issues going on. While not as commonly checked, bark plays a critical role in the health of a tree and its overall growth. You may see bark starting to split where it otherwise shouldn’t (it shouldn’t anywhere). You may also notice bark that has begun to peel away or is missing entirely. If caught early on the issue can often be fixed, but once a fungus or insect has taken hold it can sometimes be impossible to remove. By keeping an eye on the bark of the tree we can make sure your tree will be around for years to come.

A Tree That Isn’t Foundationally Solid

The leaning tower in Italy may be famous but a leaning tree is something to look out for. Besides the obvious that it may fall onto your car or even home there are other worries as well. A professional will ask very important questions like, how long has the tree been leaning, has its lean gotten worse, and is the area that it is leaning a safe place for it to currently land?

While a leaning tree doesn’t mean a falling tree, especially with well-established trees often in windy areas. It does have the chance to damage property or cause injury and should be looked at by a professional.

Clear Damage To Root System

While oftentimes there can be root damage without you knowing through a host of issues. Underground water movement, chemical leaching into the soil, disease, insects, etc. There are some obvious signs to look for when checking out your tree.

  • Your tree starting to die on certain sides
    • This could be caused by construction that happened weeks or even years ago.
  • A drooping or wilting tree
    • Just like your indoor plants, without proper nutrition and care, they begin to droop and eventually die.
    • Making sure your tree is getting the nutrients it needs is critical, a droop is a telltale sign.
  • Fewer leaves
    • A drop in foliage means that something has often gone on at the root system. Smaller, less vibrant, and a smaller quantity of leaves on your favorite tree should be looked into.

Dead limbs

Dead limbs can be as simple as an ice storm or an extra windy day that has caused a condition for the limb to go dead. This may be a lack of nutrients coming from the main tree and can be removed safely. Other times, dead limbs can be a much larger risk than just a falling branch. Your tree may be dying and this could be your only warning. It is important to remove all dead limbs from a tree as they can cause issues with the healthy parts of the tree. This can spread slowly over years or much quicker depending on the tree, the issue, and where the problem is located. Always properly remove dead limbs or call in an expert to help.

Regardless of your tree’s condition Friendly Tree is here to help. Reach out to us today to see how we can help your home look its best, and your trees feel their best!