If you have one or more trees on your property that are looking a little frail, you might be wondering: can my trees be saved? Most homeowners don’t recognize some of the warning signs that let them know when a tree is in severe distress, and it’s even harder to know how sick a tree might be. Here are a few signs that it may be time to plant a replacement tree:
Fewer leaves
Does your once healthy tree now seem sparse, with small leaves or lots of bare branches? Has your tree been sprouting fewer and fewer leaves each spring season? Leaves often are the most obvious indicator of a tree’s health and could be a symptom of disease, root problems, pests, or other issues.
Dead branches
Keep an eye out for dead or rotting branches mixed in with healthy branches. Temperature swings in late winter can be hard on trees, but the injury isn’t always noticeable for months. Regular maintenance, including proper pruning, will help your tree stay healthy from season to season and prevent long-term problems.
Decay
Rotting wood on a tree trunk might be due to fungus, pests, mold, or something else entirely. Your tree could still be saved through pruning and other treatment, but it’s important to do this correctly so you don’t make the problem worse.
Lots of insects
If you see leaves with lots of holes or damage combined with a noticeable number of insects on the tree bark or leaves, you might be dealing with one of the many pests that harm a tree’s health. Certainly, lots of trees have insects, many of which are fine, but some bugs can create tree rot and all kinds of other problems.
Major storm damage
Last winter, destructive Nor’easters wreaked havoc on the Eastern seaboard and left severely damaged and toppled trees in their wake. Trees that have not been pruned correctly are targets for big storms. While some trees survive after losing big branches, a large tree that loses much of its crown due to high winds might never recover.
Shoots at the tree base
New growth at the base of the tree trunk (coupled with no or little new growth on the branches) likely means that your tree is partially dead from suffocating tree roots or something else.
If you suspect something is wrong with your tree or are in need of replacement trees, call The Todd Group. Our team of arborists can assess the health of your trees, replace those that are beyond help, and set you up with a preventative, proactive tree maintenance program to extend the life of all of your trees.