Identifying a Hazardous Tree and the Process of Its Removal

Hazardous trees or hazard trees in the Santa Cruz area can be hard to spot. These trees are given this name because they can do damage to humans, houses, cars, and anything surrounding them. When damage, injuries, or even death occurs, the owner of the tree is usually held responsible for the outcome. Therefore, it is a good idea to know some of the signs of a hazardous tree and the best ways to remove them from your property.

What is a Hazardous Tree?

Hazardous trees have defects that can cause the tree to break or fall easily. These broken limbs, branches, and trunks can cause damage to the surrounding area when they break or fall. For a tree to be identified as a hazard, it has to have a target that is within close distance of the tree and its branches. A tree can be rotting away in the middle of the forest but is not a hazard because it is not located close to a target such as a house, car, street, or busy pedestrian area.

How to Spot a Hazardous Tree

Dead Branches

Dead branches can easily come down in storms or even lightwinds, they may also come down on their own without a cause. If you have dead branches, chances are this is an issue you need to deal with right away.

Dead or Dying

If the whole tree is in bad shape and there is no new growth on the tree, the tree should be removed by an expert. You may also want to look for any internal decay inside the trunk or large holes.

Events Surrounding the Tree

A tree’s history should be taken into consideration as certain events can quickly weaken a tree. Storm damage, brittle weak regrowth, lightning strikes, and repeated ice storms can all weaken the structure of the tree.

The Tree’s Overall Growth

Leaf cover, leaf size, color graphic design, and condition should all be looked at when assessing a tree’s health. Start at the top, have you got a crown without leaves? If so, this can be the first sign that your tree has health issues.

Forked Trunks

Forked trunks can spell weakness in a tree. This is especially true if one side of the fork is growing sideways rather than upwards. Narrow forks can be prone to infections which can quickly produce a hazardous tree.

Root Problems

If you have mushrooms growing around the bottom of your trees’ trunk, this can signal root decay. Root decay can be tricky because it is hard to spot, however, it can quickly cause a tree to weaken and fall.

Hazardous Tree Removal

If you feel you may have a problem with hazardous trees around your home or business, then you need an expert to perform a hazardous tree assessment. This hazardous tree identification will assess the health of the tree on your property and help you avoid costly damage in the future.

When it comes to the question, how much should I pay for tree removal? The answer is simple; the hazardous tree removal cost will vary depending on how large the tree is and how close it is to a property. What you do want to do is be sure to hire a professional. You want to make sure that the tree comes down correctly without any damage to the surrounding area.

Finding a Tree Removal Service Near Me

If you are looking for a reliable team of experts who can perform a hazardous tree assessment in the Santa Cruz area, the team at Christianson Tree Experts can help. We have been performing hazardous tree removal services for decades and have a system to easily identify and remove hazardous trees from your property.

Whether you are in the San Lorenzo Valley, Santa Cruz, Capitola, Aptos, and beyond, our team of tree experts can help keep your property safe through hazardous tree removal.

Our tree removal company is family-owned and all of our tree experts are fully licensed and insured. Contact us today at Christianson Tree Experts for your hazardous tree assessment.