Having trees in your own outdoor property absolutely comes with a lot of benefits. However, we’re also usually blind to the dangers that poor trees might cause. Thus, the ability to recognize hazardous trees is vital not to mention having proper corrective strategies to stop injuries and property damage.
Figuring out if the tree has an issue or has a disease is difficult. It make take some professional to completely diagnose the condition of your tree. However, you may also check if your tree seems to be having the signs of damage.
1. Lean. Despite the fact that trees do not always have to grow upright, leaning trees might point to an issue. If you see some exposed roots or cracked soil at the base of the tree, this may be a signal that it has started to lean.
2. Decay - If the is already decaying or its exhibits signs of peeling bark or growth of fungi, then these conditions can indicate some sort of weakness. Peeling bark might be due to disease, mechanical injury, sunburn and lightning and a lot more. You could consult your arborist whether the tree has to be removed, and or be preserved.
3. Multiple trunks. If a tree has multiple trunk or leaders, chances are it will be weaker when compared to a healthy tree. The shape of a trunk or where the union of stem connects indicates whether a tree is potentially dangerous. In case there are excess or more than two leaders, then you must cable all of them.
4. Dead wood. Absolutely nothing much that can be done with a dead tree aside from having it taken out instantly. Dead trees and branches are very unstable that could fall anytime. Dead wood is dry, brittle and easily breaks as it cannot bend once the wind blows just like a living tree.
5. Hanging Branches. They are branches that cracked or broke, or “healed” poorly and are holding by a line. There is a chance it may be still alive or dead already. Arborists call these broken branches as hangers. Most often, they must be removed yet if you are in doubt, you may consult a professional arborist.
6. Cankers. Cankers usually are brought on by wounding or disease. These are hollow spots on the branch or stem where the bark is supposed to be. A canker that grows over half of a tree’s circumference may cause failure even if your exposed wood areas look alright.
7. Weak branch union. This is the area in which the branches are not properly or solidly connected to a tree. When branches with the exact same sizes develop too close with one another, an ingrown bark grows between the branches and within the union. This bark has no enough structural strength and the branch unions are weaker as opposed to those that doesn’t have included barks. The abnormal bark growth also can work as a wedge and cause the branch union to break or split apart.