5 Reasons To Remove A Drought-Stressed Tree
Drought can kill landscape trees, but it can be hard to know if the situation is one that warrants the removal of the tree. The following are situations when drought concerns or damages may require tree removal.
1. Water Needs
Removal is likely the best option if you live in a drought-prone area and the tree is one that requires a lot of soil moisture. For example, most cottonwood varieties require a lot of water, which simply may not be realistic in a dry climate. It's probably a better idea to stop fighting the drought conditions and instead replace the tree with a variety that is better able to thrive in the drier soil.
2. Insects or Disease
A healthy tree can usually recover from a single drought season with minimal intervention, but a tree that is already suffering from a pest infestation or a disease will only become weaker. Consulting with a tree service is needed. In some cases, the pest or disease may be treatable. In others, the combination of pest or disease stress on top of the drought may be too much for the tree, which means removal is necessary.
3. Existing Damage
Damage to the tree also weakens it and makes it more prone to a premature death from drought stress. Examples of damage include everything from the recent loss of a major branch to a tree that has survived a lightning strike in the not-too-distant past. Trying to recover from damage while suffering a lack of soil moisture is often too much for the tree. You may need to remove the tree if you aren't able to give it the necessary water to help it through this tough time.
4. Foliage Die-Off
Non-lethal drought situations may cause some drying of the leaves, usually around the leaf margins. Minor die-off isn't a concern, the problem is when the leaves begin to wither and die en masse. A tree will often recover if drought leaf loss occurs near the end of the summer season since the tree would be losing those leaves soon in autumn. Removal may be needed when the foliage dies off early or mid-way through summer before the tree collects sufficient nutrition for the year.
5. Root Death
As a drought progresses, the tree may try to send out deeper roots to seek out a water source. If this gambit fails, then the roots may begin to die off. Root death usually doesn't occur until other signs of severe stress are present, such as foliage die-off. Major root loss can be impossible to recover from so the tree is usually removed. Signs of root death include a tree developing a lean, or the soil around the base of the tree becoming churned up following windy weather.
Contact a tree removal service if it is time to take down a drought-stressed tree on your property.