People usually ring after something happens. A limb comes down, or a neighbour says something, or the tree drops a load of leaves and looks sick. The instinct is to take it out. Often that is the wrong call, and sometimes it is not nearly urgent enough.
A dropped limb is not a verdict
Healthy trees shed limbs. Some species do it as a matter of course, particularly under stress or after a big wet. One branch on the lawn tells you something happened. It does not tell you the tree is failing, and it certainly does not mean it has to come out.
What we are actually looking at
- The root plate. Soil lifting, cracking or moving on one side is one of the few things that genuinely means urgent.
- Unions and forks. A tight fork with bark growing into it is a split waiting to happen, and it does not need a cyclone to do it.
- Decay. Fungal brackets, cavities and soft wood. How much is left matters more than how much is gone.
- The lean, and whether it is new. An old lean the tree has grown into is usually fine. A new one is not.
- The target. A hollow tree in a back paddock is wildlife habitat. The same tree over a bedroom is a different conversation entirely.
Risk is tree plus target
This is the part most people miss. Risk is not just how likely the tree is to fail. It is that, multiplied by what happens if it does. A big old tree with some decay in a spot where nothing would be hurt might be worth keeping and monitoring. A structurally sound tree in the wrong place can still be the one that has to go.
Ask for the reason
If someone quotes you for a removal, ask them why. Not what it costs, why. If the answer is vague, get another opinion. A tree that took 40 years to grow deserves better than a guess, and it is a lot cheaper to prune one than to replace it.
Not sure about a tree on your place? Send a photo. There is no charge for an opinion. Anthony, TreeX
