No garden is complete without trees, but ones showing visual signs of defects can be potentially hazardous to the people and property around. In such a case, consulting a professional will be the right thing to do. Arborists can inspect the state of the tree to find out exactly what’s preventing it to thrive properly and come up with the right solution to the problem.
A professional can identify the reason behind the signs of poor health, since there are literally hundreds of different conditions that your tree could have contracted. For instance, evidence of fungal activity including mushrooms, conks, and brackets at the base of the tree means that something isn’t right and the tree requires proper root examination.
Another visual sign of root damage is leaning or imbalanced tree, new and small sprouting branches near the tree trunk, mound or soil lifted near roots – all of which can be properly examined and solved only by pros. The cause of these symptoms can vary, for instance the acidity and quality of the soil could be affecting the tree. In that case arborists will make a soil analysis and give you information on the changes you need to make regarding your fertiliser.
Weakly attached, hanging or broken branches can be associated with advanced decay in trees and may call for pruning- the process of removing dead and weakened brunches. For best results, it’s better for this to also be done properly and professionally since if not, it can cause multiple structural problems and expose the tree to diseases.
Cracks, cavities and deep splits through the bark, leaves falling off more than expected in the wrong time of the year are other symptoms that there’s something wrong. To confirm that and to estimate the level of decay, professionals will use special tools and instruments to perform a testing like a resistograph. With the help of the resistograph, the internal extend of the defect and structural weakness can be detected. Furthermore, internal cracks and cracks that might have progressed to the outer surface, but are not yet visible can be examined to estimate tree’s stability and longevity.
Lastly, in some cases, there may be not a solution that can treat your tree. If it’s beyond help, the professional will recommend removing the tree and replacing it with another one.
