Blog | Tree Care Services

At G&V, our tree removal experts get hundreds of calls every year from residents and business owners in Virginia who find that a tree in their front or back yard is either dead or dying. Infected and unhealthy trees can fall over from strong winds because of their weak root systems. The first question they ask after discovering it is, “Can an uprooted tree be saved, or are we better off starting fresh with a new seedling?”

As professional tree service providers, we understand how complicated tree care and removal can be. In this blog, our experienced arborists will outline the leading factors that can lead to the uprooting of a tree that has been in your yard for generations.

We also detail what you should do to a tree that has fallen over, with exposed roots sticking out of the ground. If you’re wondering can an uprooted tree be saved, get your answer straight from Annandale’s expert tree services providers.

What Causes Trees to Fall Over?

Virginians love trees. According to a recent study from Global Forest Watch, the state is gaining tree cover at a steady rate, and for the years 2001 to 2012 was responsible for over 3.3% of tree growth in the United States. Virginia is home to hundreds of public parks, sidewalks, and suburbs covered in lush greenery, and its residents and business owners wouldn’t have it any other way.

It is never a nice feeling to discover that a tree has fallen in your private land, and thousands of environmental factors can cause it to happen.

Many people want answers to questions like “Can an uprooted tree be saved,” but don’t want to learn about the various causes that lead to them falling over in the first place. Here are a few of the leading reasons why trees fall over in Virginia.

Thunderstorms and Adverse Weather Events

Torrential rains can produce soggy soil quality and compromise the roots of even the most well-appointed trees. Virginia experiences the highest amount of rainfall during springtime, where sap and other tree fluids saturate the canopy of most trees, making them structurally imbalanced and top-heavy. If you combine these two factors with 60 mile-an-hour winds, you have a recipe for disaster.

Structural Damage

Many new tree enthusiasts don’t think about the potential changes in the environment when they plant their first seedlings. Rapidly urbanizing areas like Tysons get considerably less tree cover than Falls Church or South Run, making the few trees that line its streets absorb heavier blows from storms and a higher amount of pollution.

Trees in an environment that has been rapidly for the past ten years are more prone to:

1. Drainage issues
2. Bark and branch decay
3. Shallow soil with numerous air pockets
4. Gradation changes and compacted soil

Can an Uprooted Tree be Saved?

When a tree falls, arborists follow a rule of thumb. The larger the tree is, the less likely you can save it. Trees like oaks and pines have massive root systems that won’t anchor them again when they get uprooted because of the damage they sustain from falling over.

Replanting large trees can require thousands of dollars as you need heavy equipment for relocation and professionals to help put them in the ground again. Apple, Dogwood, and almond trees have smaller root systems, making them more cost-efficient to replant.

Uprooted trees with no leaves are less likely to experience transplant shock, especially if they exhibit damage to their roots. Single-stem species like palm trees must have their trunks intact, or they will not survive replanting.

You will not know if your replanting was successful until you see baby leaves emerging from the branches six months later.

Do You Need Help with a Fallen Tree?

So, can an uprooted tree be saved? It depends.

Contact the leading tree removal service in Virginia by calling G&V at 703-337-3080 today, and we’ll answer that question for your specific use case. We’ll give a free quote for our services after a short consultation.