Sharing your world with trees enriches life on so many levels. Trees supply natural beauty, shade, and ecosystem diversity. Since life is ever-changing, however, you find that some specimens also succumb to issues like tree rot over the years, which brings property risks.
Tree Care Inc.’s stellar tree service in Houston, TX, understands the nuances between sickly trees that can or cannot survive. Below, our team has listed some common identifiers to help you recognize a rotting tree before it falls on your building or, worse, hurts a passerby.
What Signs Indicate Tree Rot?
Wood decay occurs when living tree tissues die. Like other once-living organisms, nature finds a way to recycle the tree’s leftovers. The decay process serves that function by breaking down the dead tissues for reuse in the soil and the redistribution of vital nutrients.
While decay is a perfectly natural consequence of tissue death, it can also make standing trees incredibly dangerous. Could a rotting specimen near your building crack and fall onto your roof? One dead branch over a power line could plunge the whole neighborhood into darkness when the next storm comes around, so you can’t ignore it.
How can you identify rotting wood on various specimens? Look for the following common symptoms of tree rot:
Dry, Crumbling Areas
Dry rot is among the most common types of wood rot, occurring when a disease or injury cuts the nutritive supply or hydration to a specific section. The isolated tissue in that branch or a trunk portion dies and dries out, so you can recognize dry tree rot by touching the wood.
Rotting wood may crumble with the gentlest pressure. It feels powdery and dehydrated. Living wood feels moist and resists immediate breakage.
Mushy, Soft Spots
Tree decay might also manifest as damp rot. Many plants die when they stay too wet for too long because the dampness attracts fungi and bacteria, which attack the roots and lower tissues. Look for the following:
- Location. Damp rot sits around the base of the tree’s trunk or its roots.
- Smell. Damp rot stinks. You will probably smell the tree’s decay before you see it.
- Dark spots. Visually, the dead tissues may manifest as darker spots compared to the surrounding bark and trunk growth.
When you touch the rotting area, it will feel wet and mushy, so it gives in to pressure easily.
Noticeable Wounds
Untreated open wounds on trees are portals for infection. Some species are hardier than others and can heal quickly by themselves. Others get sicker over time.
The opened wound exposes internal tissues that have no defense against external elements. As bugs, fungi, and other opportunists consume the tree’s weakened tissue, they cause structural damage. You might recognize tree wounds as:
- Cavities in the trunk
- Poorly healed openings where branches once grew
- Bifurcated trunks that show clear scarring around the split
- Damaged, exposed roots or obvious root rot
Not all tree wounds threaten the specimen’s life. If a solid scar that resembles the rest of the bark covers the wound, the tree has successfully healed. Odd growth patterns and soft or dry wood show the specimen is struggling.
Odd Growths
What do we mean by odd growths? Tree rot can take many forms, including:
- Fungal growth: Common fungal species in Houston, Texas, include turkey tails, powdery mildew, and cankers.
- Knobby warts: Some trees might have abnormal bulges or tumor-like formations that feel rough and uniform compared to the rest of the bark.
- Exposed heartwood: Ideally, the bark grows back over the heartwood to protect it. If not, you’ll notice a patch of smooth, light-colored wood beneath the protective bark.
- Jelly-like substances: Some trees, especially fruit-bearing species, defend themselves against diseases by releasing a translucent red, yellow, or orange substance (a sticky, squishy gel-like sap).
- Runny sap: Many trees may also release sap to scab a wound. A specimen continuously releasing sap might have tree rot or a condition.
An arborist inspects each symptom to determine whether your tree needs additional care.
Peeling Bark
If you see bark peeling off the trunk, you might have a stressed specimen. Some species naturally shed their bark, but a great many others only do so as a stress response.
Peeling bark might be a response to an internal injury you can’t see yet or indicate a disease that will lead to tree rot if it hasn’t already. Keep an eye on excessive bark loss. It requires professional tree care.
Leaf and Branch Fall
Many trees respond to disease and environmental stressors by cutting off nutritive supplies to those limbs and leaves. Most trees lose their leaves each fall, but unseasonal leaf fall and branch dieback always warrant a second glance. Some irregularities unrelated to seasonal leaf loss include:
- Dead leaves that still cling to the twigs
- Noticeably thinning crowns
- Leaves that turn their colors from the top down
- Limbs with no foliage at all
What Can Tree Rot Do to Your Trees?
Rotting wood makes for hazardous trees. At best, a large limb might suddenly crack and fall. At worst, the trunk itself will be damaged, and the tree will break at the rot line, so who knows where it may land?
In other words, tree rot kills trees. It can also damage buildings, crush other property structures, and even injure or kill people. Your safest bet is to schedule an appointment with a tree service in Houston, Texas, pronto.
How Can a Professional Tree Service Remedy the Situation?
Sometimes, a professional tree service can save the specimen. For example, your tree care provider might recommend tree health measures like:
- Pruning dead or damaged limbs
- Fertilizing the surrounding soil for additional nutrients
- Treating the affected specimens with fungicides or pesticides
- Bracing and cabling the trunk for additional support
For a tree that’s too far gone, your arborist will plan for a tree removal service.
Contact Tree Care Inc. About Pruning or Removing Rotted Wood in Houston, Texas
If you’re facing tree rot or a half-dead tree on your property, call Tree Care Inc. at 713-234-0914 for services in Houston, Texas! Don’t wait.