When a Tree Has to Come Down — and When It Doesn't

The question people usually ask is whether a tree is dangerous. The more useful question is what is actually wrong with it, because a tree can look alarming and be fine, or look fine and be hollow.

The things that genuinely decide it are structural. A split where two main stems meet, especially one that has started to open. Big dead limbs over a roof, a drive or somewhere people stand. A trunk that has begun to lean recently — recently is the word, an old lean the tree has already grown to compensate for is a different matter. Fungal brackets around the base, which usually mean decay has been at work inside for a while. Roots cut through on one side by a trench or a new driveway.

What does not decide it, on its own: a tree being large, a tree dropping leaves or seed, or a few dead twigs in the crown. Deadwood in the canopy is normal and it is a pruning job, not a removal. The same goes for limbs over a roof — clearance work handles that, and you keep the shade.

Where it tips the other way is when the defect is in the trunk or the roots. You can take weight out of a crown; you cannot rebuild a rotten stem. At that point removal is the cheaper option, because the alternative is paying for a trim now and a removal later, plus whatever the tree lands on in between.

Not sure which one you are looking at? Call Phillip Tree Service & Landscaping at (678) 663-8845 and we will come and look at it. The estimate is free, and if the answer is that it only needs pruning, that is what we will tell you.