Most trees stand for decades without trouble. But when a tree does fail, it usually gave warning signs first. Here is what to look for when you walk your yard, especially before storm season and right after a big storm.
10 Warning Signs
- Large dead branches. Dead limbs eventually fall, and anything over about two inches thick can do real damage when it does.
- Hanging or broken limbs. A limb snapped in a storm and caught in the canopy can drop at any time.
- Cracks and splits. Look for cracks in the trunk or where big limbs meet it. A crack can open further in the next wind.
- Cavities and soft or rotten wood. Hollow spots and crumbly wood mean decay inside the tree.
- Mushrooms or shelf-like growths at the base. These are often a sign of decay in the roots or lower trunk.
- A new lean. Many trees grow with a lean. A lean that is new, or soil lifting on one side of the base, is a warning.
- Root damage. Trenching, new driveways, construction and heavy equipment over the roots can weaken a tree for years.
- Tight, V-shaped joints. Two trunks or big limbs joined at a narrow angle, often with bark pinched between them, are prone to splitting.
- Loose or missing bark. Bark falling away from large areas of the trunk can mean the wood underneath is dead.
- A thinning or dead crown. Bare branches at the top while nearby trees are in full leaf can mean the tree is in decline.
Think About What It Could Hit
A defect matters most when there is something to hit. A dead limb over the woods is a different problem from the same limb over your bedroom, your driveway or a play set. When you look at a tree, look at what is underneath it and within reach if it fell.
What to Do Next
Not every warning sign means a tree has to come down. Sometimes removing a dead limb or reducing a heavy one solves the problem, and sometimes a tree is fine and needs nothing. We will give you an honest read on which is which. As part of our tree care and maintenance visits, we walk your trees and explain what we see in plain words.
A check from the ground cannot predict every failure, and trees can still drop limbs or fall without warning. But catching problems early gives you time to plan instead of reacting after a storm.
Call Right Away If
- A limb is cracked or hanging over your house, driveway or a place people walk
- A tree started leaning after wind or rain, or the soil at its base is heaving
- A tree is touching or leaning toward a power line. Call your power company first
Tree Checks in Asheboro and Randolph County
Call or text our main phone at (336) 523-8278 or our alternate phone at (336) 479-4339. Estimates are free, and we will tell you plainly whether a tree needs trimming, removal or nothing at all.