As a Consulting Arborist and lover of all things tree. One may wonder, “Have I ever met a tree I didn’t like?”


And the answer is yes, yes I have..


I know it’s not the tree’s fault. At the heartwood of them, they’re good treeple. Tey can’t help where they were planted, what en-


vironment they’re exposed to, or what hides under their roots.


To live around trees is to in- herently assume risk. Trees are living and dynamic, even the smartest of Arborists cannot as- sure you a tree will never fail.


Yet, there are indicators and char- acteristics of a tree that can point


to a higher level of risk or hazard.


So when a tree goes bad. Who’s fault is it? And how can we save our leafy friends from attacking?


Before we get into the blame game. Let’s looks at 4 things that could indicate a higher risk of fail- ure, and what you can do about it.


By Sarah Gaskin


1. FRACTURES AND CRACKS


Some fractures are superficial or even a characteristic of their species. Te ones to look out for are those along attachments or appear to penetrate deep into the wood and compromise the strength of the tree or the limb.


Non-Structural Cracks vs Structural Cracks


2. LEANS


One of the biggest concerns we get from a tree owner is, “My tree is leaning! Help!” Most of these alarms are false, and the tree has been growing that way. (Tis is called “Phototropism, where it grows toward the sunlight”). On few occasions, the tree was actually slowly falling. So, how can you tell the difference?


Growing Toward Sunlight vs Disturbed Soil Around Roots


What should you do?


If it’s a major crack down the center of a tree or large limb, hit up your Tree Care Provider and have them take a look and make the call.


Otherwise, be sure your trees are on a regular maintenance schedule- roughly every 3 years per tree, unless pruned for clearance. You should also have annual assessments. Now that we’re entering winter months, it’s good to have them assessed in the fall to prevent failures. Many of these issues can be mitigated by proper pruning.


What can you do?


If the tree is leaning and appears to have been growing in that direction it’s whole life, likely the roots have also developed in a way to account for the lean. With that said, a lean does inherit a bit more risk. It will never be as strong as a straight trunk. Te best ways to mitigate is to prune to keep weight off the direction of the lean.


If the tree is leaning and you DO see disturbed soil or lifting roots around the trunk, this often indicates root slippage and it’s a major red flag. You should call your Tree Care Provider to take care of that bad boy before it takes care of itself.


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