Cut Down More Trees

Trees Are Good. Right? So Why Cut One Down?

Most everyone knows that trees are good for the environment in that they take up carbon dioxide and give us oxygen, but sometimes a tree will come to the end of its long road with nowhere to go but down. This is the point where a tree ceases to be a beautiful and beneficial part of our landscape to being a Hazard.

Hazard Trees Can Be Tricky

First let's understand what makes a tree a hazard tree. Peter Gaidula of the California Dept. of Parks and Recreation has a very concise definition: A hazard tree is a standing tree, either live or dead, having defects, singly or combined, in roots, butt, bole, or limb, which predispose it to mechanical failure in whole, or in part, and which is so located that such failure has a probability of injury and damage to persons and property. That's pretty cut and dry, if you have a tree that looks sick or was struck by lightning and it can fall on your house or car or you kids sand box, chances are you have a problem.
The tricky part is if you like the tree and you don't want it gone, can it be saved? Or, how long will it still stay up? When is it no longer safe to park you car in the driveway?
Most of the time if the tree already looks like it's about dead it will only be a matter of time before it will start losing larger and larger branches and become harder to dismantle safely. When it comes time to have it taken down by a professional or start looking for a good roofer is when the fun really starts.

Time=Money

Because all of this takes time and doesn't happen over night the tendency is to keep putting it off. The best plan is to have a plan of action. If there is some question as to whether or not the tree can be saved, you should call an arborist to come take a look at it, a good one will lay out all your options and give you a good idea of how deal with the situation.
If the tree in question is in a tight spot with lots of targets around like your house, your neighbor's house, a garden or fence it will have to be lowered to a landing area piece by piece. When a tree can't be reached with a bucket truck then someone will have to climb up to do all the rigging or use a crane to lift the sections out of the area.
As your tree rots these pieces end up having to be smaller and smaller in order to lower or lift them safely away from your favorite rhododendron or your neighbor's garage.
As you might guess, the harder it is to get the tree out the bigger the check you'll be writing when it's gone. So take a good look around your yard, educate yourself on the net ("How to Recognize Hazardous Defects in Trees" prepared by the Forest Service at the United States Department of Agriculture is a good place to start) and save yourself a big headache and some money.
As someone who makes a living removing hazardous trees I love a challenge, but the tightwad in me hates to see money wasted by not addressing a situation before it becomes a problem.