What to Do When You Have a Tree That Is Sick or Dying on Your Property

Posted on: 25 March 2022

Trees are wonderful to have around your home and property and can provide many benefits. However, if you have a tree that is dying or already dead, it may present more problems than benefits, and tree removal is often the only solution to the situation.

Evaluating Your Trees

If you suspect a tree or several on your property are dying or beyond saving, having a tree removal service look at the trees for you is often a good starting point. Many tree services have an arborist on staff who can look at the tree's condition and tell you if you can save it or not.

If a tree is beyond saving, it may stand for a while after it is dead, but the inside of the truck can begin to rot, making the structure unstable. Once the inside of the tree becomes weak, its potential to fall and damage something or hurt someone increases exponentially.

It is best to take the tree down before it becomes so weak that it could fall in a winter storm or if you have high winds moving through the area. The tree removal process is very straightforward, and the service doing the work will ensure nothing is damaged when the tree is taken down.

Cutting The Tree

When the tree service arrives to cut the damaged tree, they will look closely at how it is positioned and what is nearby that could be problematic. Power lines, structures like a garage or house, and other trees can all make the process more challenging, but the tree removal will go smoothly with the right equipment and planning. 

It is very common for a person cutting the tree to start at the top and cut it in sections. A crane can be used to support the sections, so once they are cut free, each piece can be lifted and moved to a safe spot for groundworkers to cut the section up.

Keeping the cut sections from falling to the ground is often necessary for areas without much room around the tree. If there are no hazards, the tree can be topped and cut in sections that are allowed to fall to the ground and then cleaned up after the tree is entirely down.

Keeping the wood from the tree for firewood or to use in some other way is a good option. Discuss your use of the wood with the tree removal service before they cut the tree because if you are going to cut it into boards or lumber, leaving the sections long is essential. However, if the tree becomes firewood, you can have the tree trimming service cut the sections down to manageable pieces that you can split and age for burning later.  

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