Keeping Your Trees HealthyKeeping Your Trees Healthy


About Me

Keeping Your Trees Healthy

After we moved into a new home, I realized that the trees out front needed some serious attention. They were overgrown, tired-looking, and a little dangerous, so I started working with professional arborists to have them trimmed. It was a lot of work, but before we knew it, things had really improved. By the time they were finished pruning the branches, the trees didn't block the view of our home and we really felt like they would bloom better in the spring. Check out this blog for more information that could help you to keep your trees happy and healthy.

Latest Posts

The Benefits of Healthy Trees for Businesses: Investing in Professional Tree Care
14 October 2024

For commercial properties, trees are more than jus

The Importance of Tree Removal Services for Daycare Centers
19 August 2024

When it comes to ensuring a safe and nurturing env

The Benefits of Hiring Home Tree Trimming Services
10 July 2024

As a homeowner, maintaining the trees on your prop

Your Guide to Fertilizing Trees for Optimal Growth
13 May 2024

Trees are a beautiful and essential part of the en

The Art of Tree Branch Trimming: Tips and Techniques for Healthy Trees
22 March 2024

Pruning tree branches is a vital component of tree

3 Signs An Older Tree On Your Property Has A Rotting Trunk

If you have an older tree in your yard with large cracks in the trunk, you may wonder whether or not water is entering these open spaces and making the tree rot from the inside. If so, look for the following signs that the tree on your property has a rotting trunk and may need to be removed:

Fungal Growth on the Trunk

Even if your tree does not have any overt signs of rotting, you can look around on the outside for this first sign. If you see fungi that resemble mushrooms growing on the side of your tree, there is a good possibility that the wood underneath is rotting.

Because fungi only grow in decomposing materials, the growth is most likely there because spores were able to take root under the bark where they could feed on the rotting wood. However, there is a possibility that the bark itself is rotting and feeding the growth. Go on to the next sections to find further evidence that the trunk is their food source.

Bark Falls When Barely Touched

Whether or not your find fungal growth, you can also tell from the outside of your tree's trunk whether or not it is rotting by touching the bark. If the wood beneath the bark has started to decompose, the bark will be loose because the wood is no longer able to support it.

To test the bark, run your hand along the trunk of the tree. If there is fungal growth, start with the area around it. If the bark comes off when you barely touch it, further investigation is needed.

Wood Under the Bark Is Spongy

After discovering that the bark of your tree is barely hanging on, it is time to test the wood to see if it is rotting. You can do this by checking to see if it has become soft and spongy.

This test can be done with your finger. On the areas where the bark fell off, press into the wood. If you are able to make an indentation, or the wood flakes when you touch it, it is likely rotten.

After finding the above signs, your confirmed suspicions may lead you to decide that the tree needs to be taken down. If so, contact a tree service so they can have someone verify that the tree is no longer safe and discuss your options for cutting it down and removing it from your property before it falls and either hurts someone or causes damage.

Contact a company like Pete & Ron's Tree Service, Inc. for more information and assistance.