UPDATED!!! - How do I know if my tree should be cut down?

We have a big, old tree in our backyard. It is close to the house (the trunk is about 10 feet away). I love the tree bc it gives our yard great shade, we have bird houses with lots of birds, and well, I just like it.

We have lived here almost 3 years and in that time we have lost several branches during storms (one slightly damaged a window), including some large ones. We also had to have a huge branch cut down bc it cracked. But, we were told the tree was healthy.

The previous owners wrapped Christmas lights around the tree and we were told this "choked" the tree as certain limbs are skinny and just couldn't grow/expand to become their normal thickness. We removed as many lights as possible but the rest we just can't reach.

DH believes the tree is weak and unhealthy. He found some pieces of a branch and he was able to just snap the branch. The inside wasn't hard like wood, it seemed more porous, like foam (don't know how else to describe it).

DH is now convinced that the tree must come down. We have a DS who plays in our yard and he said he could never forgive himself if DS got hurt or killed (he brought up the central park incident.

How can I find out if my tree is really sick/weak? I feel like a tree company will say it's weak bc they'll want the business of cutting it down.

ETA: I am so sad that I literally felt like crying. The arborist just left my house and he said the tree (a sassafrass) needs to come down. He saw a 2-4ft crack in one of the bigger upper limbs and he said that sealed the deal. So now I have to find someone to come and kill my tree.

Message edited 3/22/2012 2:46:20 PM.

Re: How do I know if my tree should be cut down?

Have a certified Arborist come & look at the tree. They'll let you know whether the entire tree needs to come down or just be pruned.

We have a LOT of trees on our property & did this the first year we moved in. Some trees came down & many were just pruned, but boy there were a lot of dead branches. We've been in the house 5 years & just had them back a couple of years ago to remove a couple of dead trees & do more pruning.
The pruning really brings the tree back to life. It's just like dead heading flowers off your plants.

Re: How do I know if my tree should be cut down?

This was happening to us with 3 huge oaks that were on our backyard. with every storm, huge branches were coming down. i told DH that i wanted those trees to come down bc I was afraid that a hurricane would come and the trees would fall on our heads. Good thing the were removed as all three were hollow on the inside when they cut them down!!!!

Re: How do I know if my tree should be cut down?

bumping

DH is ready to call the tree people and I'm trying to save our tree.

Can someone recommend an arborist? Is it expensive? I know DH won't want to spend on getting the tree assessed if he thinks it needs to be cut down.

Re: How do I know if my tree should be cut down?

we just had two huge tree's cut down & removed today. too close to the house.

bargain tree service 516-322-1879 adam is the owner's name. free estimates. he did a great job too.

Re: How do I know if my tree should be cut down?

Message edited 3/22/2012 1:09:22 PM.

Re: How do I know if my tree should be cut down?

An arborist will be able to come and do an assessment for free. Keep in mind, if you go with a tree removal company for the estimate, they may be more likely to cut down rather than fix the problem.
We used Bartlett http://www.bartlett.com/locations/Southampton-NY.cfm?a they were awesome! He gave us a ton of information regarding our trees, and helped us identify a few trees we have but weren't sure what they are.

Re: UPDATED!!! - How do I know if my tree should be cut down?

Message edited 5/8/2012 1:28:58 PM.

Re: UPDATED!!! - How do I know if my tree should be cut down?

Posted by pnbplus1


ETA: I am so sad that I literally felt like crying. The arborist just left my house and he said the tree (a sassafrass) needs to come down. He saw a 2-4ft crack in one of the bigger upper limbs and he said that sealed the deal. So now I have to find someone to come and kill my tree.