When to cut down a tree?

Trees are the gift of nature to all the living creatures, humans, and animals alike. If you have lived around trees or had a tree in your backyard growing up, you will have fond memories associated with it. Climbing trees for fun or building tree houses for the hanging out with the buddies shape the entire childhood experience. 

However, once the tree is dead, it not only loses its purpose, it also becomes a danger to all living around it and to the structures that surround it. When the tree dies, you have no other option other than to cut it down. However, there are many other reasons for cutting down trees and not just it’s death.

Is your tree dead or sick beyond recovery?

The answer to this is a maybe if you are not an arborist. Just like a doctor can tell about the condition of a patient, a professional can only tell whether the tree is sick, dead or just dormant.  Many a times only a part of the tree is dead with a portion of the branches getting affected. In most of the cases only a professional can advise on the status of the tree though. Fortunately, there are certain ways to tell that for yourself.

• Fungus near the base – Many a times, green moss grows around the bark which people construe as a sign of sickness or worse death. While moss is never a bad signal, what is a sign of unhealthy or dying tree is fungi or mushroom growing. When there is some sort of inner decay, mushrooms or other fungus start to grow.
• Roots on the ground – It might not be intuitive but when there are roots on the ground around the tree rather than in the ground, chances are your tree is stressed and has a limited root system. This is a sign that the tree is in trouble and can become weak later in its life.
• Shoots near the base – When the tree is stressed or if something is seriously wrong with the tree, it starts developing shoots near the base. These small branches indicate that you need to get an inspection done by a professional.

Cutting down a tree for good

Because there are signs of death and decay, trees aren’t cut or felled. Even if the tree is sick or near death, it could be years before it completely dies. However, in case that has happened, or the tree has become a danger to all, you may go for professional tree fellers or arborist who can get the job done in a safe manner. Some reasons when you have to cut down a tree can be:

• Sick or infectious tree – When the tree has developed a disease or is contaminated with fungus, chances are it will pass it on to others around it.
• Insect or parasites have taken over – Pests like the Emerald Ash Borer and other exotic species of insects need to be quickly eliminated. If your tree is affected by such parasites and insects, you will have to cut it down to prevent their further propagation.
• Structural damage – Due to storms or overgrown branches becoming weak there is no option other than to cut it down because the damage is irreparable.
• Roots causing damage – The roots of the tree can cause damage to a lot of structures around it. Since they grow under the ground, they can’t be controlled hence cutting down the tree is the only option.
• Construction – New structure being built has trees within three meters of it in which case the tree needs to be cut down for everyone’s safety.