Recognizing Various Tree Hazards

Trees do provide many benefits to your homes and business. Obviously when trees fall and injure people or when they damage property, they can be major liabilities. By taking care of tree hazards, you can make your property safer and it will prolong the life of the tree. In addition, it increases the value of your property.

Trees are a very important part of the world we live in. They offer numerous benefits to the environment and constantly provide a tremendous beauty. Trees however, may be dangerous. Parts of trees, or trees themselves may fall and cause injury to people, pets or case damage to property. While every tree, no matter how it looks has the potential to fall, only a small number would actually hit something or someone.

It is an owner’s responsibility to provide for the safety of trees on their property. Regular and professional tree maintenance will help identify problems of hazardous trees. Once the problem is recognized, steps must be taken to reduce the likelihood of the tree falling and causing damage or injuring someone. If you are aware of a tree hazard and do not take steps to correct it, you may have potential liability.

Trees or limbs that fall into utility lines can have additional consequences. Not only can they injure people and property, but hitting a power line may cause sever power outages, electrical spikes or surges, fires, and other types of damage. Downed electrical lines are still conducting electricity can be especially dangerous. A tree with a potential to fall into a utility line is a certainly very serious situation and should be corrected immediately.

Consider these questions regarding potential hazardous trees:

• Does the tree have large dead branches?
• Are there broken limbs hanging in the tree?
• Does the tree have rotten wood along the trunk or along major branches?
• Are mushrooms growing at the base of the tree?
• Are there cracks or splits in the trunk or on branches that are attached?
• Have any branches fallen down from the tree?
• Have nearby trees fallen over or died?
• Has the trunk started to have a severe lean?
• Do many of the major branches arise from one side of the trunk?
• Have the roots been injured, or damaged by installing pavement, repairing sidewalks, or digging trenches?
• Has the tree been topped or otherwise heavily pruned?

We can help you manage the trees on your property and can provide a treatment that may help make your property and trees safer, reducing the risk associated with hazardous trees. Recognizing and reducing tree hazards not only increases the safety of your property and that of your neighbors but also improve the tree’s health and may increase its longevity!