Most trees live a long time with little maintenance. However, trees do need attention on occasion. Regular maintenance can help trees flourish and develop in a healthy manner, and there’s another benefit to keeping up with tree maintenance. It allows you to identify problems before they turn into costly and potentially dangerous situations.

Is There Evidence of Decay or Disease?

When you’re inspecting your trees and pruning them as needed, you’ll have a great opportunity to check for decay or disease. Many signs could indicate that a tree is experiencing problems. Those include peeling or cracking bark, fungal growth, discolored leaves or premature leaf drop, and leafless branches. In addition, there could be numerous entry holes where insects have found their way into a tree. Sometimes, trees can bounce back from setbacks, but unfortunately, they could die because of an infestation or disease. In this case, they’d be likely to topple over at any point. Keep an eye on trees with mild damage to see if the situation gets worse. Consider having a professional team remove trees with major damage to make sure they don’t harm anything if they come down on their own.

Are Your Trees Structurally Sound?

While maintaining your trees, check to see if they’re leaning or unbalanced. Healthy trees generally grow straight up and have evenly spaced branches. If a tree is leaning too far, especially in the direction of a power line, driveway, or structure, it may need to get removed. Also, take a look at how branches are attached. It’s best when branches are attached to trunks with a U-shaped union. If there’s a V-shaped union, the joint may be vulnerable and the branch may come down unexpectedly. You might want to have those branches pruned.

Is there an Issue With Roots?

Sometimes, roots can get in the way of various structures. They can cause issues with driveways, patios, and landscaping, and they can disturb your home’s foundation or underground piping. When you’re taking care of your trees, see if the roots are going in a direction that may be undesirable. Unfortunately, you may have to remove certain trees for this reason.

Also, roots can get damaged in various ways. If the soil is compacted too much, if roots have been harmed by heavy machinery, or if there’s an issue with water, trees might experience stunted growth and display wilting foliage. If this happens, add some tasks to your tree maintenance activities. You may need to mulch the area around the tree, install root barriers, and be more careful when operating equipment around a tree. This way, your tree can thrive.

Ready to Help

Tree maintenance gives you an opportunity to uncover lurking issues. Hopefully, you identify problems before it’s too late. Contact us at Five Star Professional Services for any type of emergency tree service or other assistance you require.