Protecting your home from falling trees

Protecting Your Home from Falling Trees

With winter just around the corner and the last leaves falling, it’s time to take a good look around your backyard, for trees and tree limbs that may need attention. Falling trees can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage and can even result in loss of life. Taking real time to inspect the trees in your yard can minimize the risk of a potential disaster. While it is always best to seek
professional help here are some signs that you can watch for before bringing in a certified Arborist.We tend to take our trees for granted. They provide us with shade, and color in fall, but paying closer attention to them can reveal potential weaknesses, infestations or disease. Size up each tree from the roots to the highest branches. Are your trees straight or do they appear to be learning? Are there dead branches on the ground following a storm.

Roots

It’s what you see that counts. The roots visible at the bottom of the tree are responsible for holding the tree up. The roots that provide nourishment are under the tree and so not visible. If the structural or anchoring roots appear cracked or you see heaving soil around the roots, your tree may not be structurally sound even it leaves and branches appear perfectly fine. Look for signs of fungus such as moss, ivy or mushrooms around the roots of your trees. This could be an indication that roots may be rotting or may become prone to disease. Look for signs of a sawdust like substance at the base of the tree. This is an indication of carpenter ants. Diseased trees are an easy target for insects.

Trunk

Look closely at the bark of the tree for signs of weakness such as cuts, tearing, cracks or cavities. No bark on part of a tree could indicate that it’s been hit by lightning. Keep an eye on the tree over the next three months or so to be sure it was not permanently damaged. Cracks or cavities in the tree could result in splitting later. A cavity in the tree is not necessarily bad – it depends on where it is and how deep it is for it to cause real structural damage. Many tress divide over time into multiple trunks. Check the points where multiple trunks connect. A weak connection consisting more of bark than real wood could spell danger during high winds.

Canopy

Look for branches without leaves and remove dead wood that is within reach.

If you see any of these signs, it’s well worth your time and the life of a good tree to contact a certified Arborist. An Arborist will provide an honest assessment of the condition of your trees. More invested in savings trees then taking them down, a certified Arborist will work with you to determine what risk, if any, a tree in your yard may have of falling down during a winter storm.