Signs That You Are Dealing With A Weak Tree

Weak trees are dangerous and difficult to remove because they can fall unexpectedly, splinter or fall in the wrong direction and cause damage or injury. That's why you need to know the stability of a tree before attempting to cut it down. Here are four situations that point to a weak tree that needs to be removed with care:

The Tree Has Survived a Fire

The fact that a tree has survived a fire doesn't mean that it is strong enough. The fire might have burned enough sections of its bark to make it weak. This is possible if some parts of the trunk were dryer than others. In fact, it's possible for upper parts of the trunk or branches to suffer more damage than the tree's lower parts, which makes it even more dangerous since you may not notice the damage easily.

There Was a Recent Construction near the Tree

Construction causes various damages to a tree, but the one to worry about is a damaged root system. Roots are responsible for anchoring trees strongly into the soil, and a tree can easily topple over if most of its roots are cut. Therefore, any construction that involves digging the soils around a tree has the potential of weakening it.

Rotten Trees

Rotten trunks have soft fiber that cannot support the tree. In most cases, the bark is the only thing that is keeping the tree standing, which means the tree is likely to fall once you cut through the bark. Trees dry and rot for different reasons such as diseases, lack of water and damages. You should suspect that a tree is rotten if there are holes in its trunk, has missing barks, and has cracks on the bark, among other signs.

The Tree Is Diseased

A diseased tree may be weak even if the trunk hasn't dried and rotten yet. The damage occurs when a disease causes a wound in the trunk or bark, weakens the tree's fibers or damages its root system. Fungal diseases are particularly notorious for weakening tree trunks or roots. Symptoms of diseases tree include smaller than normal leaves, dead branches, a premature leaf falls, discolored leaves, wounds on the bark, and slowed growth, among others.

If you don't have the skills and equipment to remove a weak tree, leave it up to experts like ISA Texas Chapter. A mistake may result in you damaging your house, your neighbor's hour or causing severe injury to yourself.


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