Hazardous Tree Removal: 5 Warning Signs Your Tree Needs Removal

Blog | Tree Removal Service

Trees become safety risks when they have the potential to cause damage to your property or hurt people standing under them. You may need to remove trees because they developed bad growth habits and diseases or took too much damage in the last storm. Either way, you don’t want to go into a hazardous tree removal blind or ill-equipped. Hazardous trees should always be handled by an experienced Alexandria tree service with proper equipment and arborist training.

If you need a trusted tree service in Alexandria, VA, to handle removals, you can rely on experienced service providers like G&V Tree Service, Inc. Watch for the classic tree removal indicators below so that you know when to get in touch.

1. The Trunk and Branches Are Weak

Any trees with weak branches or compromised trunks are in dire need of an arborist’s structural assessment. If the assessment says they can stay where they are, weakened trees might do well with stabilizing cables or braces. If not, you’re likely looking at a hazardous tree removal, which shouldn’t wait.

Always call a local emergency response tree service if you see the following:

• Bad leaning: Trees can lean for several reasons, including storm damage, heavy winds, or lopsided growth patterns. However, leaning trees are more likely to fall in adverse weather conditions, so removal is often safer.
• Multiple trunks: Trees that have developed two or more small trunks (instead of one healthy leader) risk splitting, leaning, and falling in stormy conditions.
• Cracks or splits: Cracked or split branches or trunks may become infected with disease or invaded by pests. If the damage seems to be worsening, call for help.

Any one of these structural defects may warrant professional tree removal — don’t wait for a storm to make the decision for you.

2. Part of the Tree Has Dead or Dying Wood

Deadwood can collapse easily and without warning. Dead branches and trunks are sometimes noticeable against living wood, but you can’t always tell by looking at it. If something seems off, call an arborist to assess the tree’s health. In some cases, expert care can focus on saving a half dead tree, ensuring that the living parts are preserved while addressing the dead or dying sections.

Remember, dying wood often starts ailing from the inside. Lightning strikes can kill trees or branches instantly. Rotting and disease may take years to become apparent enough for hazardous tree removal.

3. The Tree Has Growth Defects or Damage

Trees may develop several growth defects throughout their lives. Some defects result in serious safety hazards, including:

• Included bark: Included bark is essentially ingrown bark. Branches grow too close together.
• Holes: inclement weather, animals, or damage cause holes, which then become hotel rooms for pests, disease, or decay.
• Cankers: Cankers happen with damage or disease. It’s evident by a growth pattern resembling a bubble or boil and weakens the tree.

Trees with any of these symptoms require a thorough health evaluation from a certified arborist like G&V Tree Service, Inc.

4. Roots Are Damaged or Unhealthy

Trees depend on a thriving root system, so it’s a good idea to hire a local arborist for a root inspection periodically. Roots become damaged or diseased with heavy storms, lawn tools, or pest infestations. Without intervention, the tree will face a serious health decline or fall.

5. The Tree Is Structurally Unsound or Poorly Maintained

Trees need their leaves for photosynthesis; that’s one of the elementary science class facts about trees you might already know. However, leaves can also become a reason you end up scheduling tree with uneven branch growth if they’re out of control, thickening the canopy, reducing airflow, or blocking sunlight. If you’d like to avoid poor tree growth habits and dangerous leans due to top-heavy canopies, tree maintenance is absolutely essential.

G&V Tree Service, Inc. Can Handle Hazardous Tree Removal

Whether you need tree pruning, planting, or remove a dangerous tree in Virginia, you can call G&V Tree Service, Inc. A tree ordinance in your area could get you in trouble if you try removals yourself, so let our professionals handle them. Call (703) 569-2570!