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How To Tell If Your Tree Is Dying

If you are lucky enough to have some trees on your property, you know just how beautiful they are in the spring and summer. Even as their leaves turn orange and brown in the fall, they look amazing. 

Trees are also incredible for the wildlife around you. And if you’ve got families of birds landing in the branches regularly, you might be reluctant to have to chop that tree down.

Often when a tree is dying, it can be very obvious the leaves will start turning brown in the spring or the summer, and you might notice that many of the branches have holes or are snapping off.

Sometimes, a tree just needs TLC and has poor health rather than dying. The first thing you’ll need to do is have someone come out and inspect your tree so they can let you know the next steps.

You might be tempted to leave the tree to die slowly. This poses a threat to everyone around. Dying trees can become unpredictable, snapping and losing large branches, and this can cause damage to you and your property.

So how can you tell if it’s time to call in a tree removal service for a dying tree?

Leaves

The most obvious sign of a tree that is dying is the lack of lush green leaves that you are used to. If you’ve been on the property for a while and you’ll notice that the tree seems to have produced fewer green leaves this year than in previous years, it’s time to call in the professional.

Another way to know is that instead of falling to the ground, dead leaves cling on long through the winter months.

It could be a little more difficult to tell with any conifer tree; however, instead of having beautiful green lush needles, you’ll see yellow-brown or red ones.

Leaning

If you notice that your tree has suddenly leaned to one side, this could indicate that it is dying or unwell. Anything you might call an odd growth pattern typically indicates a general weakness or some structural imbalance that could be a root issue.

Typically, you’re looking for more than 15 degrees from vertical as this can indicate root or wind damage. And since we are experiencing more extreme weather patterns, it is good to know that any large trees that have been pushed into this angle due to wind and severe weather don’t typically recover and will often die.

Cambium layer

One of the ways to tell if your tree is dying is that it will not pass the cambium layer test. So long as a tree still has life in it, if you pick away the outer layer of bark, you’ll meet the cambium layer; this cambium layer is green. This cambium layer will be dry and brown in a dying or dead tree.

Clearing dead or dying trees is a good idea ahead of springtime when you will probably want to do some of the things on this list: Start Getting Your Garden Ready For Spring ·. Life Made Easier

 

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