Learning how
to protect your property from hazardous deciduous trees saves you time and
money in the future. While deciduous trees like maples and oaks are popular for
providing shade around a home, these same trees can also cause a lot of damage
when they fall.
Deciduous
trees have a dense wood grain, so they can put up with some abuse and still be
a sound standing tree. However, eventually even the strongest oak succumbs to
disease, damage, or sheer age. The following are four warning signs that a
deciduous tree poses a threat to your property and needs prompt removal.
1.
Proximity to Utilities
Unlike the
compact and mostly upright growth pattern favored by many evergreens, most
deciduous trees spread out many yards wide. This means that a tree planted 15
feet away from a hanging power line easily reaches the utility, eventually
interrupting your home's electrical supply.
Falling
limbs from a healthy but wide-spreading deciduous tree can severely damage your
home, vehicle, or utility lines. Another utility-related problem involves the
wide-spreading roots of a deciduous tree growing down into your septic system.
The roots of
a deciduous tree 20 to 30 feet away can clog the field line or even crack the
septic tank itself, creating a health hazard as sewage leaks out. Trees that
grow on or near the field line need to be removed before they can cause any
lasting damage.
2.
Dieback in Crown
One good way
to check the health of your favorite deciduous is to look at the spring and
summer leaf growth. Does the crown or top of the tree have a thick and
continuous set of leaves? Does the tree lose leaves unusually early or never
grow them at all in certain spots?
Since
deciduous trees don't keep their leaves year round like evergreens, leaf loss
in the middle of spring or summer is a sign of failing health. Look for
branches and limbs in the center of the crown dying out, especially main leader
branches. Healthy trees lose a few branches here and there from the bottom up,
but damage spreading outward from the crown indicates more serious disease or
damage.
3.
Hollow in Center
Deciduous trees
become hollow due to fungus or rot, not as a natural part of the growing
process. Loss of a tree's core causes instability, even if the rest of the tree
is still alive. The safety of a hollow tree depends on the thickness of the
remaining live wood and the diameter of the tree.
If the tree
flesh from bark to hollow is too thin, the tree needs to be removed. A
professional tree service technician brings along the right tools to gauge the
thickness and determine if removal is best.
4.
Spread
of Roots
Some
deciduous trees have fast-growing and wide-spreading roots. Even when the reach
of the branches is far from your home, the roots may threaten your home's
foundation or buried plumbing. Identifying the actual spread of a tree's roots
from above the surface takes a professional's skill and experience.
Invasive
trees that reproduce and fill your landscape with new saplings by root or seed
also deserve removal. Planting these invasive trees far from your home or
utilities still backfires when new saplings pop up in all the wrong places and
crack your driveway, foundation, and more.
If you notice any of these signs in the trees around your home, don't
delay in calling us here at
Kaily's Tree Service
. Hire our team to take out
potentially dangerous trees before they get a chance to damage your home or
cause an injury.
