Is My Tree Dying? Signs to Look For

If you love trees, you may have several in your backyard. Your trees are an essential part of your home because of the aesthetics and the shade they provide. However, your beloved tree can get sick or die, losing all its beauty.

When a tree is dying, its bark may have vertical cracks or fall off. These changes are signs that something is wrong with the tree's health, especially if most of the bark has fallen off. However, since your tree can also peel due to weather stress, you should check for other signs of bad health like dead leaves and dry twigs to confirm your fears.

Leaves say a lot about a tree's health. Most trees have green leaves, but that can change when the tree is in a bad shape. For example, if a tree has brown leaves or no leaves during the growing season, chances are it is dying due to lack of nutrients, sickness, or pests. However, if the tree has not yet dried, you should not conclude that it is dead before calling a qualified arborist.

While your tree may have several dead branches and still be in good health, too many dead branches indicate that your tree is dying. Since dead branches cannot hold themselves up, dying trees have many dry branches at the base. Falling branches are a hazard, as they can injure people or damage your property.

The presence of pests and fungi is another sign that your tree is dying or dead. Pests like bark beetles and ants love dead or dying trees because the decaying trunk is softer. These insects will chew tunnels inside the wood, extending the damage to the healthy part of the tree. Similarly, since fungus feed on decay, you may notice some on decayed areas of the tree.

A tree can lean to one side after intense wind or due to severely damaged roots. Though some trees survive this ordeal, most trees will eventually die. Also, even if such a tree shows no signs of stress, you should eliminate it because it may later fall and damage your property.

If you suspect your tree is dying or dead, you can try peeling off the outer layer of the back and check the condition of the cambium layer beneath. The cambium layer of a dead or dying tree is brown and dry, but a healthy tree has a green cambium layer. Test several parts to assess the extent of the damage before deciding what to do with the tree.