With summer in full swing, trees everywhere are bursting with new growth and lush greenery. However, warm weather can bring heavy winds and rain that can damage your trees making them a serious threat to people and nearby structures. At Westcoast Tree Care, we offer a variety of preventative tree care services to keep you and your property safe from summer storms. That’s why we’d like to provide you with the following list of hazardous tree signs to help you know when it’s time to call in a professional.
Hazardous Tree Signs
Weak or Fractured Limbs
Hazardous tree limbs are usually the result of prior storm damage or improper pruning. Aside from being blown off during a storm, they can weaken a tree and leave it susceptible to disease or infection that can later cause the whole tree to fail.
Dead Wood
As one of the most common causes of tree failure, deadwood (parts of a tree that are no longer living) can easily break free during a storm, creating a safety hazard for you and your property. Signs to look out for include dry branches without any leaves, peeling bark, hollowed areas, decay or fungus.
Waterlogged Roots
The accumulation of summer rain can saturate your property causing the roots of a tree to become waterlogged. Increased rainfall can not only erode the soil but compromise the root system of an entire tree, causing it to fail. This, in turn, can increase the dangerous risk of it falling and causing harm or property damage.
Forked or Split Trunks
Trees with multiple trunks are highly susceptible to splitting and falling over during a summer storm. This deformity can be especially dangerous when a weak union breaks creating an unpredictable, and unsafe situation that must be assessed by a certified arborist before any parts of a tree are removed.
Leaning Trees
Leaning or lopsided trees naturally present more of a hazard than those that grow vertically. Leaning trees should be a cause for alarm and immediate action. While it’s not uncommon for a tree to grow off center, any sudden lean may indicate breakage or a weakening of supporting roots.
Preventative Tree Care
If you spot any of the signs above, it’s important to contact a tree care professional. While there is no guarantee against tree damage caused by a summer storm, a certified arborist can help assess your trees and recommend the best course of action to prevent a dangerous situation from happening.
Keep in mind, however, that even healthy trees can lose branches in high winds. Lightning strikes can also split or topple trees. If damage does occur due to a summer storm, it’s important to contact the certified arborist at Westcoast Tree Care as soon as possible at 1.800.767.8733 to eliminate any unwanted safety risks.
