Southwest Virginia is known far and wide for its fall foliage, and the New River Valley is no exception. From Radford to Dublin and everywhere in between, our oaks, maples, and more become a sea of auburn, red, orange, and yellow before shedding to the ground. And in that shedding is an opportunity to learn about dangerous trees on your property.
We hate to rain on everyone’s autumn parade, as it truly is a breathtaking time of the year here in the New River Valley. But in between cruising the parkway to enjoy the forest, we recommend taking a closer look at your trees.
Your shedding leaves can tell you a lot about the healthy and safe or dangerous trees in your yard.
Why Does Fall Give Homeowners a Chance to Diagnose Tree Health?
You may wonder what’s so special about the fall that makes it a good time for tree care specialists like ourselves to diagnose tree health.
The answer is simple.
Bare branches give us a closer look at how strong each tree branch is. They also make for an easier time to trim dangerous tree branches because the leaves aren’t obscuring anything.
How to Recognize Dangerous Trees
Recognizing dangerous trees takes both experience, skill, and situational awareness. A perfectly safe tree in one situation might be dangerous in another.
When you have a question, you always rely on trusted tree professionals. With that said, here are a few things to look for to determine if you might have a dangerous tree.
Near Power Lines or Other Objects
One of the most important things to consider is what the tree is near. A healthy tree can still be dangerous if it begins to grow into power lines. Other times, a tree may not be hazardous, but can become an obstacle because of what surrounds it.
Heavy Branches
Sometimes, branches can grow beyond a healthy amount for a trunk. If your tree’s branches become too heavy in a particular spot, it can lead to breaking.
Often, weaker branches will break off in the winter when the limbs are weighed down with snow. That can be dangerous for structures around it and the health of the tree itself.
The safe choice is to allow us to prune unhealthy or too heavy branches.
Unhealthy Trees Are Dangerous Trees
Finally, dead or unhealthy trees are dangerous trees.
As trees die or get sick, they are more vulnerable to damage from wind and strong weather. Of course, when a tree blows over, it can wreak havoc on the property surrounding it.
While you may get lucky, it’s always safer to remove potentially dangerous trees before they become a problem. Alternatively, if a tree is not dead, but just unhealthy, we may be able to save it if we catch it in time.
Do You Have Dangerous Trees?
While we’ve included a few recommendations for spotting dangerous trees, we don’t recommend you make the assessment on your own. You may end up removing a perfectly healthy one or letting one you think is fine, only to find out later it isn’t.
Get help from the professionals at the NRV Tree Guy to determine safe and dangerous trees. And most importantly, let us handle the removal!
