Importance of Early Detection and Prompt Removal of Dead Trees in the Urban Landscape
Back in December of 2015, I gave an estimate to a client for removing a sweetgum tree that had been dead for at least six months and it was evident that it was hollow at the base. The tree itself was not very large, but did stand about 80 feet tall with a 16 inch base and could still pose a threat to people and property due to the fact that. It was located within 5 feet of the driveway and 15 feet of the home.
Some time had passed and I figured that the homeowner had found someone else to do the job for them. To my surprise, I received an email in April asking if my price would still be honored for removing the tree. I replied to the email stating that I would indeed honor the price given during the estimate as long as there were no distinct changes in the tree or job details.
On May 4th, 2016, I arrived to remove the sweetgum tree. After evaluating the tree again, I decided that I could still remove the tree for the agreed upon price. Below are some picture of the tree before removal and during removal. I will discuss the photos in detail to better describe the process of removal and describe the importance of removing dead trees as soon as they are noticed.
In short, It is of the utmost importance for safety of people, pets and property to remove dead trees as soon as they are identified. Even though we took precautions to account for the tree breaking as we removed it, sometimes accidents still happen. It is hard to predict what might happen as compounding forces act on a dead tree. If this tree had been taken out even a few months later, or not at all, it could have caused major harm to person or property. On the contrary, if the tree had been taken down in December, it might not have broken at all during removal.
If you have identified dead or dying trees on your property, please have a certified arborist give you an estimate for removal and schedule the removal in due time. It's safer for you and the workers removing the tree and it could also save you money!
