Trees and DFW Real Estate

 A mature tree on your property can account for as much as 10% of its assessed value.  With that much at stake you want to sure your trees remain healthy.

Annual Inspecting Your Trees

No one knows your trees better than you do. Just after they leaf out in the early spring walk around and look at your trees from top to bottom and see if you notice any changes in foliage, branches, roots, or the  bark. Inspect all sides of the tree and check for peeling bark.

Leaning Trees

Trees growing around DFW homes usually don’t grow straight as an arrow and a little bit of a lean is normal. When your tree starts leaning more and more it is dues to poor weight distribution or root damage. This would be a good time to call an arborist. Lookout for these danger signs:

• Exposed roots around the base of the tree.

• Cracked soil, especially on the side opposite the lean.

Cures:

• Prune branches on the leaning side to distribute weight better.

• Brace the tree trunk with cables attached to stakes on the opposite side of the lean. Make sure you pad the tree before placing cables around the bark. 

Trees With Multiple Trunks

A tree with multiple trunks, or with splits in one trunk, can be tough to stabilize. Danger signs:

• U-shaped or V-shaped multiple trunks are weak the points for mature trees. The connective wood where the trunks come together may lose strength and be more likely to split. 

• Cracks that extend deeply into or through the trunk.

Cures:

If you plan on selling your Plano real estate before you list it you may want to hire a professional arborist can stabilize split trunks by attaching cables between trunks and branches high in the tree. Cables won’t repair existing damage, but they will increase its strength and extend the life of your tree. This is dangerous work best left to experts. Arborist generally charge between $500 and $1,800 for this service.

Tress Damage - Construction Destruction

Building construction is tough on trees. Renovating foreclosures by installing a driveway or building on an addition, digging up utility lines puts trees under a lot of stress. Construction can damage shallow feeder roots which can starve and destabilizing trees. Construction equipment can damage tree bark, which can set a tree for disease and infestation.

Danger signs of construction stress:

• Damaged bark

• Reduced, smaller, or no foliage

• Premature fall color

Cures:

Prevention is always your best option. Before beginning construction make sure to set up a barricade around your trees.  A good rule of thumb is for each inch in diameter of the tree’s trunk, add a foot of protection. If the tree is damaged by construction:

• Prune to reduce weight and remove damaged limbs.

• Install cables or bracing rods.

• Water and aerate compacted soil around the roots.

An Arborist to the Rescue?

If you think your trees are sick they are likely to fall and destroy what’s near them including  your house.  This is a good time to call an arborist. An arborist can help save your tree, or let you know if it’s beyond their help. If bacteria or bugs are harming your tree an  arborist’s inspection can diagnose which disease, trauma, or fungus is the cause. Also, an arborist can determine if your tree is decaying internally, something that may not yet be obvious.  Arborists can either fix the problem, or calculate the risk of the tree falling and the likely objects it could damage. Such a calculation will help you decide if it’s worth spending money to keep the tree alive and upright, remove the tree, or just let nature take its course let the tree fall on its own. 

What About Lightning Risks to Your Trees?

If you live on high ground in your community it will increases your chances of a lightning strike to your trees.  If lightning strikes one side of a tree, your tree might close the wound  on its own. But if a bolt travels through the trunk, exploding wood and bark and damaging roots, it might be the end of your trees life.  To protect you trees from lightning, an arborist can ground a tree with a copper cable system that extends from near the top of major trunks down to copper ground rods.