Proper yard care and maintenance are crucial for the health and growth of your yard. You may spend hours taking care of your yard and your trees. However, there are times when your plants won’t make it, even when you give them the best care. This is a big issue when it comes to trees, as a dead or dying tree can pose several issues if you leave it alone. There are many benefits to getting rid of a dead tree in your yard.
Potential Benefits of Dead Trees
While you never want your trees to die, there is one benefit of leaving dead trees in your yard: fertilizer. The tree will stop draining nutrients from the ground, and decomposition will add vital nutrients back into the soil. However, the dangers that come with a dead tree in your yard outweigh these benefits.
Potential Dangers
Here’s a better look at some of those dangers to help you understand more about why you should care about a dead tree in your yard.
Falling Trees
Decomposition weakens the trunk of the tree and can lead to it falling over. Even though the tree has died, that doesn’t make it any lighter. The tree can fall on your house or car, causing damage that you can easily avoid if you remove it before that happens.
Dying Branches
When a tree dies, the branches stop growing and start decomposing and drying out. This can cause the branches to fall to the ground. While falling branches are less dangerous than the tree falling, they can still cause serious damage to people and objects beneath them and cause all sorts of problems for anyone around.
Damaging Property
As we mentioned above, both falling trees and falling branches can cause some serious damage to your property. A falling tree can upturn the ground, destroying your yard and possibly hurting any plants it lands on. Additionally, a tree is very heavy, and it can destroy walls and vehicles if it falls on them. A tall dead tree can cause a lot of damage to a building, potentially costing thousands of dollars in damage.
Possible Roadblock
A fallen tree or large branches on the path or road can cause a complete standstill in traffic. This is a major problem with dead trees, as they can cause multiple roadblocks. These roadblocks can cost the city a lot of money as they need to come over to clean up the blockage, and people will lose time as they need to wait for the roads to open up again.
Hurting People
While it’s unusual for a dead tree to fall and hurt someone, it’s possible and extremely dangerous when it does happen. A falling tree can easily cause grievous injuries and possibly lead to death for anyone underneath it. Branches from dead trees can be just as bad since they fall on people, possibly causing injuries. This is why it’s so important to remove dead and dying trees as quickly as possible.
Drawing in Pests
A dead tree is a perfect home for many small animals and insects that you likely don’t want around your home. The decomposing wood can provide a great home and habitat for these pests and will draw them in from all over the place. This can quickly lead to infestations.
Spreading Illnesses
There are a lot of potential causes of death for a tree, but a common one is illness. Diseases can kill a tree, but that doesn’t mean that the illness goes away when the tree succumbs to it. Trees, even dead ones, can spread diseases to other nearby trees. This can cause the death of more trees throughout the neighborhood. Removing dead and dying trees can prevent the spread of these illnesses and keep other trees healthy.
Potential Fire Hazard
A dead tree starts to dry out as it no longer sucks up the water from the ground as it did when it was alive. This makes the tree a potential fire hazard. This is a serious problem, as the wood may catch fire if a lightning strike or a random spark hits it. While you want dry wood for campfires, you don’t want to turn your old dead tree into a bonfire. The fire could spread to the rest of your property, your home, or your neighbor’s home. The risk isn’t worth it.
Decreasing Property Value
A dead tree on your property is a horrible sight, which will affect the selling price of your home. Nobody wants to buy a home with problems like dead trees, and it will affect the first impression of your house. Creating good curb appeal is the most important part of selling your home, and prioritizing your landscape is the top way to do that.
How To Tell if a Tree Is Dead
Sometimes it’s easy to tell if your tree has died, but sometimes, it’s difficult to tell if it has only died recently. Luckily, there are a few symptoms that can indicate tree death. Look for bark coming off the tree in large amounts, any rot or fungus on the tree, dead leaves and branches, and root damage. These are all common signs of a dead or dying tree.
How To Remove a Dead Tree
Once you know a tree is dying, you need to remove it as quickly as possible. That way, you can benefit from all the things that come with removing a dead tree. Your best bet is to call a tree removal company to come in and deal with the tree. Removal is dangerous, so leave it to professionals. They have the proper training and equipment to keep themselves, your home, and your property safe.
A dead tree can be a serious hazard for you and your home. While good care and frequent inspections can offset the likelihood of a tree dying, you need to know how to respond if your tree does die. This guide will help you understand what to look for and how to deal with the situation.
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