There are many reasons to justify felling trees in your garden or outdoor spaces, including overgrown root systems and crowns, but what if the trees are highly decayed? In these instances, a complete tree removal is often required, but there are several methods of doing this.
Let’s find out more.
Signs of tree decay
Keeping an eye on the health of your trees is vital if you want to maintain them all year round. This includes spotting the signs of decay (or rot) that affect the wood of the tree. It’s often the result of fungi getting in through an exposed area caused by a storm, tools (e.g. while pruning) or a woodpecker. The fungi will damage the protective bark, rotting other components essential for the tree’s health.
Signs your trees are decaying include discolouration or spotting of the leaves, holes in the bark, cracks forming, soft or weeping areas and visible fungi or mushrooms around the base. The tree may even start to fall down if it’s weak, struggling to remain upright under its own weight.
However, much of the decay is going on internally, so it can be hard to see that a tree is decaying until it’s too late.
Why remove a decayed tree?
Whenever you’re considering tree felling, always consult the services of a professional tree surgeon, who can assess whether the removal is necessary. If tree decay is caught early, it can often be stopped in its tracks and prevented from spreading, helping the tree to become healthy once again.
However, sometimes homeowners only notice the decay once it’s advanced, leaving the tree vulnerable. This means its damaged structure and weak branches may pose a danger to anyone nearby, and the entire tree may fall down in stormy weather. The safest option is to have the decaying tree professionally removed.
How can you safely remove decaying trees from your garden?
Decay can affect lots of different tree species, just like these elm, beech and sycamore trees we removed from a property in Reigate. While straight felling is often a fast, easy option for lots of tree removals, if the structure is highly unstable, it may be safer to choose section felling.
During section felling, your tree surgeon can use a MEWP (mobile elevated work platform) to reach the tree safely without having to climb its structure. This gives them access to the highest sections of the tree so that each piece can be cut down and removed in stages, carefully lowering them to the ground.
Maintain your trees
If you’d like to maintain your trees, book an inspection with one of our tree surgeons to keep them healthy all year round. We offer a wide variety of tree care services, including pruning and crown thinning.
We work across South West London and Surrey, coming out to Dorking, Crawley and Horley. To get expert advice about the health of your trees, call DH Tree Services now on 01737 215 718 or 07872 615 504.
