Tree Trimming and Dead Tree Removal Can Save Your Home

Trees are a wonderful addition to your home’s landscape. They add beauty and privacy, plus they provide shade. However, while trees offer many benefits, when they are dead, they can cause a host of problems. Whether you have one or many trees on your property, it’s important to consider how tree trimming or removal can benefit you.

Whether a tree on your property is dying because it has been struck by lightning or it has died as a result of age, having the tree removed is extremely important. While lush trees add to your property, dead ones come with great risks. Read on to see why professional tree trimming and dead tree removal are such vital services!

The Risks

Pests

A dead tree is like a free buffet for pests. Termites, carpenter ants, and other wood-boring insects will seek out the tree and set up shop in it. These bugs can multiply quickly, which means that other trees or even your house are next in line for possible infestation.

Additionally, animals may seek out the tree and nest in it, as well. Rats will nest in dead trees, and when rats are in your dead tree, they’ll eventually invade your home. So make sure there’s “no vacancy” on your property by getting rid of the rat hotel, AKA the dead tree!

The same goes for many other creepy critters. Therefore, removing a dead tree could be the equivalent of demolishing hundreds of roach motels, termite inns, and cicada condominiums. Whatever the case may be, you do not want these on your property!

Much like vultures are drawn to dead animal carcasses, other scavenging animals are drawn to dead trees. Rats and termites can move from a decomposing tree into the foundation of your house. Don’t give them the chance!

It’s important to understand that pests and insects love dead trees. Some of them use it as a dwelling place, while others graze off the bacteria and fungi feeding on the wood itself or growing inside the tunnels.

Typical deadwood dwellers are:

Bees
Beetles
Wasps
Fly larva
Mosquitoes
Hymenoptera

These creatures are usually not a major concern for homeowners. However, if the pest-infested dead tree is near your windows or doors, then the chances of such creepy crawlies making their way inside your home are higher.

Falling Tree Damage

A dead tree isn’t strong, which means that there is more of a possibility that it will fall over. There’s no telling when a dead tree will topple over, but it’s a pretty safe bet that it will happen eventually. When it does fall, it could land on your house, your neighbor’s house, your fence, or on any other piece of property. This could result in costly emergency tree services and repairs.

Additionally, there’s a possibility that your dead tree could fall on a person, causing serious injury. If the dead tree does fall and do damage, you are liable for the repairs or the medical care that may be needed as a result. And if your insurance company deems you negligent for leaving a dead tree on your property, you might be on the hook for all those expenses without the support of your homeowner’s insurance policy.

Another safety consideration to make is for the power lines that may stand outside around your property. If a dead branch were to get caught in the wires or your tree fell on top of them, this could pose a serious risk to your home and others in your neighborhood. This is most likely to occur when bad weather hits, whether in the winter with strong winds or in the summer with heavy rainstorms.

Tree Disease

If a disease killed your tree, the rest of the trees in your yard could be impacted. Tree disease is contagious. For instance, if mildew or mold develops on the tree, it could spread to the other trees and plants in your yard. As a result, your entire landscape could be destroyed by that one single dead tree in your yard. Don’t let the issue snowball. Instead, remove any diseased or dead trees right away.

The Benefits

Save Money

When a tree is dead, its structural integrity is compromised. A gust of wind could blow and as a result, those dead branches could fall off. When a branch does fall, it could land on top of a car, a fence, a roof, or even a person or an animal. The damage or injury that may result could be catastrophic. Having a tree removed before it falls could save you a ton of money.

Improve Aesthetics

Dead trees just aren’t attractive. You want your yard to look as visually appealing as possible. When you have a tree that doesn’t have leaves, has branches falling off of it, and bark is peeling off, the aesthetic appeal of your yard is automatically impacted. When the curb appeal of your home is impacted, your property could lose value.

Whether or not you may be trying to sell your house, you want to property to look its best. Having a rotting tree in your yard can hurt your curb appeal and property value significantly. Do your neighbors a favor and beautify your lawn by removing that dead vegetation. Evicting a dead tree could be precisely the aesthetic lift your lawn needs.

Safety

When you have tree trimming done throughout the year, you’re working towards keeping those trees standing strong and healthy. This can mean preventing a branch from falling on your home or even your car. Additionally, professionally trimmed trees will maintain their health and longevity for longer, which means they are less likely to fall as a whole. With the amount of damage an entire tree can cause to your home or vehicle, it’s easy to see why this small task is so important to take advantage of.

Dead trees can fall

As a tree decays and decomposes, the roots can pull up. A falling tree could damage your house, kill other trees, or injure your family. No matter which way the tree goes down, it could cause damage or injury. As a concern for safety, it is best to act quickly. Removing a dead tree before it falls is “offense as the best defense.”

Branches can fall

The same goes for the branches themselves. Not only is this dangerous as a tree decomposes, but they are a liability if they land on your neighbor’s property. Identifying the most vulnerable branches, and removing them cleanly, is the wise step. A professional will be well equipped to help you out! It is much better to be active in the upkeep of those branches, rather than simply waiting for them to cause destruction.