Disease is commonly blamed for a tree’s failure to thrive, but there are many reasons why trees fail and your failing tree may not be diseased at all.
Before you decide that a tree is diseased and should be removed, talk to a trained arborist. Many symptoms, like the ones described below, are evidence of other types of problems with a tree which may be addressed and corrected.
If there’s a way to save your tree, a trained arborist will find it. Here’s what they’ll be looking for as they assess the damage.
Mechanical damage
We’ve seen trees fatally damaged by tree houses. Tree house supports that cut into the deeper layers of bark in a tree can damage it so severely that the bark is irreparably damaged and the crown of the tree is affected. In fact, sometimes up to half of the total canopy of the tree would need to be removed.
Mechanical damage can be caused by lightning strikes and by soil impaction, too. Heavy machinery driving over the root system, or frequent traffic, even if it’s as light as domestic cars and trucks, can impact soil over time. Soil compaction that is affecting the tree may take years to show up, usually first appearing in poor leaf production and dieback in the tree’s crown.
Weak forks in the trunk
Trees with a fork in their trunk can become weakened over time, affecting the ability of each part of the forked trunk to bear the weight of its branches.
Wind and snow can place extra pressure on the forked trunk, causing it to split. Reducing the load of each trunk (weight reduction) by pruning its branches can help take the pressure off the fork in the trunk, making it less likely to split.
The wrong tree in the wrong place
The healthiest, happiest trees are ones that are grown in a site and soil that they prefer. When trees are planted in the wrong location, they usually endure a weak start and struggle throughout their lifespan.
When you choose a tree, don’t do it on a whim. Think about the site, amount of sun, type of soil, and amount of rain your tree will receive. Then choose a tree that will respond well to its location. That way, your tree will have the best possible chance of thriving.
Pests and disease
Though pests and disease cannot be blamed for every failing tree, they do their fair share of damage. Certain insects can affect the structural integrity of the tree by attacking the lead shoot even years before you notice it.
Other pests affect the tree’s ability to photosynthesize, causing dieback. Still others carry diseases which infect the tree when they tunnel into it. These diseases can be spread to nearby trees via infection from the insects themselves or through their root system.
Squirrels can strip bark on trees to a devastating degree, leaving it open to infection from diseases and causing stress on the tree.
Diagnosing damage from pests and disease is best left to the tree experts, as the symptoms of many common infections appear the same to the untrained eye.
Tree felling with expert knowledge
At Clean Cut Tree Services, when we fell a tree, we do it strategically. Some trees need to be taken down piece by piece down to a low stump height. Others can be felled to open areas, as whole trees or as just main stems. Each situation is different. In many cases impact buffers are placed along the ground where the tree will be felled so that any pipes or septic system pipes buried in the area will not be affected by the impact of the falling tree.
We then rig and cut the trunk precisely so that we control the fell directly into the area we have prepared for it to land.
Once a tree has been felled, we reuse salvageable parts of the tree, as feasible. Logs can be utilized for beautiful slab wood and saw timber, small straight stems can be used for posts. Unusual pieces can be saved for lathe work. Chips can be used for new seedbed preparation, and compost production. Even stump millings can be reused as mulch in flower beds.
If you suspect one of your trees needs to come down, call us for a free tree inspection and quote. Your tree may simply require pruning and support, and we always work to save trees when possible.
And if your tree needs to be removed, you can be sure that we’ll do it with care and attention to safety. Get in touch today.
