Why Should You Care If Your Tree Has Dead Branches?

If one or more of the trees on your property has branches that are dead or dying, it's important to get those branches trimmed. However, some homeowners don't fully realize the harm that dead branches can cause. Learn why you should care and act quickly if a tree on your property has dead branches. 

Safety

One of the biggest problems that trees with dead branches cause is a threat to safety. Dead branches are weak and they can break off any time. It's more common for a branch to break during a storm or after heavy snow, but they can break on a calm summer day. If you have children playing in the yard, a falling branch can cause serious injury. If the branch overhangs into a neighbor's yard, people on their property are also at risk. 

Dead branches also put your property or the property of your neighbors in jeopardy. A branch might land on your roof, fall through a window, land on top of a car, or smash your fence or garden shed. 

Tree trimming is much less costly than insurance deductibles for property damage or medical bills. If you notice a dead branch, have it trimmed right away.

Tree Health

Dead branches also affect the overall health of your tree. The branch is literally dead weight that takes resources away from the tree. The presence of the dead or dying branch can cause the tree to go into a stressful state, sending out suckers near the base of the tree in an effort to extend its life. The dead branch is also an open door for pests. Termites, wood-eating ants, and other beetles can more easily penetrate the bark of a dead branch and use it as a point of access to the living tree structure. 

When a dead branch is trimmed away, the tree is able to return to a more balanced state, focusing on root development and healthy new growth, instead of frenzied growth cycles that cripple the tree. 

Damage Prevention

Finally, dead branches can weaken a tree structurally and make further damage to the tree more likely. In a storm, the dead branch might break off, but it might strip away healthy wood and bark as it splits off, leaving deep gouges in the tree's leader or main trunk that cannot be repaired. Then, the whole tree is compromised and must be removed. 

For more information, contact a tree trimming company near you.