Most trees that fall on houses gave warnings first. Walk around your trees a couple of times a year, once with leaves on and once with leaves off, and look for the signs below. If you see more than one, have a crew look at the tree.
Warning signs
- No leaves when the trees around it have leafed out, or leaves that brown early in summer.
- Bark falling off in sheets, or bare, smooth wood showing.
- Mushrooms or conks (shelf-like fungus) on the trunk or at the base. They usually mean rot inside.
- Large cracks running up the trunk, or a split where two main stems meet.
- Hollow spots, or carpenter ants coming out of the trunk.
- Dead branches high in the crown, sometimes called widowmakers.
- Lifted roots or soil heaving on one side.
- Recent construction nearby. Trenching and new driveways cut roots, and trees often decline 2 to 5 years later.
Trees dying around Chattanooga
Ash trees
The emerald ash borer, an invasive beetle, was confirmed in Hamilton County in 2013, near the rail lines in Chattanooga, and has since spread across most of Tennessee. Untreated ash trees usually die within a few years of infestation. Look for thinning at the top of the crown, D-shaped exit holes in the bark, woodpeckers working the trunk, and splitting bark. Dead ash becomes very brittle, so it's safer and cheaper to remove early.
Pines
Loblolly, shortleaf and Virginia pines are common on wooded lots around Chattanooga. A pine that turns yellow-red from the top down, or shows small pitch tubes (popcorn-sized lumps of sap) on the bark, may be under attack by bark beetles. Beetles can move to nearby pines, so a dying pine should come down promptly.
Older water oaks and willow oaks
These fast-growing oaks line many mid-century streets. Older ones often rot from the inside while still looking full and green.
Why hazard removal costs more
A climber can't trust dead limbs to hold weight, so crews often use a bucket truck or crane instead of climbing. That's safer for everyone, but it adds cost. The sooner a dying tree comes down, the more options the crew has. See tree removal costs.
Common questions
How fast does a dead tree become dangerous?
Faster than most people expect. Dead pines can start dropping limbs and snapping within a year or two. Dead oaks and ash get brittle and become dangerous to climb, so removal gets harder and more expensive the longer you wait.
My ash tree still has some leaves. Can it be saved?
Sometimes. If most of the canopy is still alive, insecticide treatments by a certified arborist can protect an ash from emerald ash borer. Once more than about half the canopy is dead, removal is usually the better choice.
Is a leaning tree always dangerous?
No. Many trees grow with a lean and are stable. A lean that's new or getting worse, especially with cracked or lifted soil on the opposite side, needs a look right away.
My neighbor's dead tree hangs over my house. What can I do?
Talk to your neighbor first, then put your concern in writing. If the tree falls, a written warning can matter for insurance. You can usually trim branches that hang over your property line at your own cost, but you can't damage or kill the tree itself.