7 Warning Signs a Tree Near Your Home Needs an Arborist Before Hurricane Season

Most trees ride out a storm. The ones that do not usually gave warning signs months earlier. The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) publishes a tree risk checklist for homeowners; here are seven signs from it worth a walk around your yard before hurricane season, starting with the trees closest to the house, the driveway and the power drop.

1. Large dead branches

ISA calls dead branches in the canopy “probably the most obvious potential hazards,” and says the risk “depends on the size of the dead branch and distance from any potential targets.” A dead limb over the roof is a different problem from one over the back fence.

2. Hanging or broken branches

ISA’s checklist asks: “Are there detached, hanging branches?” and “Have any branches fallen from the tree?” A limb already broken and lodged in the canopy can come down in the next gust.

3. Cracks or splits in the trunk or branch unions

ISA says to “watch for longitudinal cracks or splits on the trunk, major branches, or branch unions.” A split trunk, where two main stems grow from one point, “can often be failure points.”

4. Soil cracking or heaving at the base, or a new lean

“Cracks or separations in the soil may indicate soil heaving from excessive movement of the roots,” ISA says. “This can be a warning sign for failure, especially if the tree is leaning.” A lean that was not there last year deserves a professional look.

5. Mushrooms at the base

ISA’s checklist asks: “Are mushrooms present at the base of or under the tree?” Fungal growth is one of the “more obvious signs of decay.”

6. Cavities or rotten wood

“Are there cavities or rotten wood along the trunk or in major branches?” is on the same checklist. Decay inside a trunk is hard to judge from the outside, which is why ISA says evaluating defects “is best done by a professional arborist.”

7. Recent construction, grading or a topped crown

ISA’s checklist asks: “Has the area recently been altered by construction, changes in soil level, or installations of lawns or pavement?” and “Has the tree been topped or heavily pruned?” Root loss and soil compaction weaken trees. Topping, ISA says elsewhere, “will increase risk in the long term.”

And one sign to leave alone: wires

If a tree or limb is touching power lines, ISA says: “Never attempt to remove branches or any tree part from or near power lines, and never go near downed power lines!” Call your electricity provider.

What happens after you spot a sign

ISA lists four ways an arborist can manage a risky tree: prune out the defective branches, cable and brace weak stems (it notes that “such supports are not guarantees against failure”), provide routine care, or remove the tree. Not every warning sign means removal.

Zeigler’s risk assessment turns your walk-around into a written, prioritized list: what to remove now, what to monitor, and what to leave alone. Sometimes the answer is that the tree is fine.

Check before the storm

The trees you are worried about are easier to deal with now than after a storm, when every crew is booked. Text a photo to 985-893-0991 or call. Zeigler holds Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry License #2168 and serves all of St. Tammany Parish, the Northshore, the Southshore and Baton Rouge from yards in Madisonville and Covington.