Most tree service companies will advise you to remove a dead tree from your property. After all, dead trees are hazards. Keeping them around risks property damage and personal injury caused by falling limbs or the entire tree toppling over.
However, in some circumstances, there are benefits to keeping a dead tree in your landscape. Learn the pros and cons of removing dead trees from your yard.
Pros
Safety
The primary reason for removing a dead tree is safety. Dead trees that are close to your home or your neighbor’s house can drop limbs, or the entire tree can fall on the house, causing significant damage. People have lost their lives due to trees that fell on their homes during severe storms. Dead trees are very likely to uproot and fall over, split, or drop limbs.
Even though they’re dead, these branches are still heavy and capable of causing significant property damage and fatal injuries. If you have a dead tree tall enough to reach your roof, or one with branches that extend toward electrical wires, call a tree service to remove the dead plant.
Beauty
Dead trees are unsightly. They stand out as eyesores in otherwise healthy and lush landscapes. Removing a dead tree restores a healthy and robust look to your yard.
Disease
Trees die of old age, but more often, they die due to fungal infections or insect infestations. When the pest or pathogen finishes with one tree, it will move on to the next. Removing a dead tree is a form of pest control that can preserve the health of nearby trees.
Cons
Environmental Impact
Dead trees play host to disease, but they also host birds and mammals as well, providing much-needed shelter for wildlife. Birds eat insects, and nests or dens made in or under dead trees are temporary. As dead trees decay, they return nutrients to the earth. They’re a form of compost, nourishing the ground that nourished them.
Time
If a dead or dying tree doesn’t pose an immediate hazard to people or property, keeping it around until another tree can grow in its place might be an option. Even without leaves, the tree may still provide shade and privacy. It takes a long time to replace a mature tree naturally, and a dead tree can shelter a sapling until it can thrive without protection from wind and storms.
If you have distressed trees on your Arizona property, contact Arborcraft. We provide expert tree removal in Phoenix and surrounding suburbs. Certified arborists supervise all work. We can advise on the pros and cons of removing a tree on your property. We’ll tell you honestly whether you need to remove a tree for safety or if it is safe to keep it as a habitat for wildlife.
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