By late springtime, your trees should be leafed out, growing, and healthy looking. If that’s not the case, it may be time to consider removing any that look like their best years may be behind them, pose safety risks, lack room to grow, or are an undesirable species or “volunteer” tree that’s messy or weak.
Here are some things to look for, starting from the ground up.
- Heaving soil and cracked pavement
- Trees that lean noticeably to one side
- Mushrooms or other fungi on the roots or trunk
- Peeling bark or cracks in the trunk
- Hollow or rotting spots in the trunk
- Fine twigs or branches that don’t have live buds
- Dead branches on one side of the tree
- Dead branches in the top of the tree
Since trees are living organisms, they have life cycles that range from a few decades to over 100 years. Apart from regular aging patterns, things like severe root damage from nearby excavation, poor management practices, and changes in the tree’s environment can contribute to its early demise.
Some damaged or diseased trees can’t be saved, but many can with proper assessment. Only a skilled arborist can determine the true health of a tree and suggest whether it’s worth the time and money to invest in saving a distressed tree.
Need Help?
Properly chosen and maintained trees are an important investment that can add considerable value to both residential and commercial property. If you need a helping hand, Donovan Arborists offers planting, pruning, and shearing services as well as a complete landscape maintenance package for property in the Denver area that includes care of trees, shrubs and turf.
We’re committed to maintaining and protecting Colorado’s natural beauty in accordance with the best practices of urban landscaping. We use environmentally friendly practices and a holistic approach, focusing on the greater picture of the plants, their surroundings, soil, water, climate and light exposure to create optimal outdoor environments for your landscape to thrive.
We’re always happy to give free estimates to homeowners and property managers for any services they may need.
