Is My Tree Dangerous? A 10-Point Checklist

Walk around each large tree near your house, driveway, play area or fence. Look from a distance first, then up close. Use this list each spring and fall, and after every big storm.

The checklist

1. Dead branches. Bare, leafless limbs during the growing season, or branches with no buds in winter. Large dead limbs high in the crown can drop without any wind at all.
2. Hangers. Broken branches caught in the crown after a storm. Arborists call them widowmakers for a reason. Stay out from under them.
3. Cracks and splits. Deep cracks in the trunk or major limbs, especially ones that go all the way into the wood or show on both sides.
4. Weak forks. Two or more trunks of similar size growing from a tight V, often with bark pinched in between. These unions split, especially in ice.
5. Fungus and mushrooms. Mushrooms around the base, or shelf-like conks on the trunk, usually point to decay inside.
6. Cavities and decay. Hollows, soft or crumbly wood, carpenter ants, or woodpeckers working one spot.
7. A new or worsening lean. A tree that has always leaned is often fine. A tree that started leaning recently, with cracked, heaving or lifted soil on the side away from the lean, is an emergency.
8. Root damage. Trenching, a new driveway, a pool or heavy equipment within the spread of the branches in the last few years. Roots die slowly, and trees often decline two to five years after the damage.
9. A thinning or dying crown. Smaller leaves, early fall color, or dieback at the top. Combined with peeling or missing bark, it can mean the tree is dying.
10. What it would hit. A tree with defects in the middle of the woods is a low priority. The same tree over your bedroom, driveway or a neighbor's house is not.

How to read your results

• Nothing on the list: recheck after big storms and once a year.
• One or two minor items, like a few dead branches: plan pruning or a professional look in the next few months. Winter is a good time. See tree trimming.
• A crack, fungus at the base, a new lean, or anything over the house: get it looked at now. Our dead and hazard tree page covers what happens next.

Local trees to watch

Around Chattanooga, a few kinds of trees show up in storm cleanups again and again: older water oaks with decay, tall tulip poplars, Bradford pears splitting at the fork, pines stressed by drought or beetles, and ash trees killed by the emerald ash borer. If you have any of these near the house, give them extra attention.

Put it in writing

If the risky tree is on your neighbor's side, share what you found in writing and keep a copy. In both Tennessee and Georgia, what an owner knew about a tree before it fell can decide who pays afterward. See who pays when a neighbor's tree falls and what insurance covers.

When to call a pro

For a definite answer on a big tree, an ISA Certified Arborist can do a formal risk assessment. If you already know the tree has to come down, request a quote below and we'll connect you with a local, insured crew.