Deadwood is something that will occur for every tree. Every autumn, you can see dried leaves and dead branches fall from trees. As such, it is worth considering if you could use the services of an Arborist to make sure deadwood is taken care of quickly and that your trees are safe.

What is Deadwood?

Deadwood refers to any dead or dying parts of a tree. This includes the lifeless portions of the trunk and root system. However, removal services mainly focus on removing decaying branches.

A dead branch looks dry and brittle. In summer and spring, it may stand out for not having any growth while the rest are thriving. But during autumn, it may still have some leaves even when the others have already fallen.

A hollowed part is another sign to watch out for. This one exposes the possible causes of the wood’s death.

It’s worth noting that deadwood appears on all trees. So even if you take good care of your River Red Gum or any other native tree, it will develop deadwood as it ages.

Aside from old age, you can’t control lightning and heavy winds and rain that may hit your tree. These can injure the branches or any other part. Depending on the gravity of the destruction, the affected parts may suffer irreparable damage.

Tree-dwelling creatures such as birds and possums may also cause damage. These are more manageable though compared to insects like termites and wood borers. The latter is harder to deal with because the cause is tiny and hard to detect until it is too late. By the time you see a sign of their infestation it is quite likely that the problem is already severe, however it is uncommon for a healthy tree to be killed by boring insects. Stressed trees are much more prone to insect attack, healthy trees can defend themselves more effectively.

Tree diseases make some parts more susceptible to damage and death. One common cause of disease is fungal growth. Phytophthora and Ganoderma are two examples of fungal diseases that hollow out and rot branches.

Having thick foliage and many branches indicates that your tree is in good condition. However, the thickness may block the sunlight to the lower and inner branches. While not a common cause in many species, some such as Cupressus species – Cypress Trees, the lack of sunlight leading to deadwood is very common.

Reasons to Manage Deadwood

Don’t wait for dead branches to drop. Deadwood can be a serious issue depending on where the tree is situated, and depending on the reason for the deadwood, the overall health of your tree may be at risk as well.

1. Avoid property damage and injuries. Deadwood may fall during storms due to heavy rain, strong winds or lightning. The falling branch may strike and ruin your roof, walls and other properties nearby. In addition to property damage, it may injure people and animals in the area.During the bushfire season, your tree is more likely to get burned easily when there are too many dead parts. Worse, it spreads fire more quickly as well. Managing the deadwood means reducing the risks of such dangers. You also avoid the costs and stresses of dealing with the accident’s impact.
2. Help ensure the tree’s health. Cutting deadwood means getting rid of parts that block sunlight for the foliage in the lower parts. In a way, the procedure helps in maintaining the tree’s health.More than that, the process prevents diseases and infestation from spreading into the healthy branches.
3. Lessen the risk of pest infestation. Decaying wood further attracts various pests. If you just let the infested branch fall, the pests may simply transfer to the neighbouring trees. They may even go into your home.Professional deadwood removal can stop this from happening. You can depend on an arborist when it comes to collecting the infested parts.
4. Get rid of unsightly parts. A dying stem sticks out in a houseplant. It’s tempting to pull it out, isn’t it? Now imagine if it’s a tree branch.Deadwood can be an eyesore. If your trees have many of them, onlookers may deem that your yard is poorly maintained. On the other hand, eliminating or reducing deadwood preserves your yard’s aesthetics.

Have the deadwood assessed for habitat potential.

Hollow deadwood provides habitat for many species of native birds and wildlife. Adelaide Hills Tree Services are focussed on achieving the right balance between the safety and aesthetics of your tree and providing homes for our feathered and furry friends. We may advise the deadwood is reduced so it is safe, but still retains the hollows for habitat.  

Get your tree’s health checked.

Before cutting, we will examine the overall condition of the tree. This way, we can spot all deadwood and at risk areas.

Then, we will find out the underlying causes behind them. After identifying the cause, we can treat them to prevent other branches from getting affected.

We can also tell you the factors that increase the risk for tree diseases and damages. This enables you to manage those risk factors before they can hurt your tree.

Ensure the tree’s balance and beauty.

If one big branch is cut, there’s the possibility that the tree may become unstable. The lopsidedness isn’t just bad to look at, it’s also unsafe.

Arborists understand this possible danger. To avoid it, we don’t saw the deadwood at once. They also prune healthy branches on the other side. With these strategies, we’re able to protect the tree’s balance.

Moreover, the cut they make is still pleasant to the eyes. The same can’t be said about trimming done by non-professionals.

Lower risk of accidents related to tree maintenance.

Removing branches, trunk and stump involves the use of heavy equipment and large cutting tools. If you don’t know how to operate these, it’s better to hire expert arborists. Otherwise, you may damage your yard or injure yourself.

With their training and years of experiences, our specialists know how to avoid accidents. Our arborists survey the surroundings before they remove deadwood. Then, we clear and guard the area where we will work.

We also make sure that our heavy equipment and cutting tools are in good shape. We don proper safety equipment as well.

Save time, money and effort.

Hiring offers convenience. Our arborists can take care of the entire maintenance procedure.

Without our help, some of these process can take days. That excludes the time for learning how to use the right equipment. With the equipment, staff and experience we have, a lot of the time, we can do the job within a day.

Our services indeed require a fee. However, hiring is still a money-saver you don’t need to rent or buy the equipment yourself. If ever, you also don’t have a liability if an accident happens.

Don’t worry about the disposal.

Cutting parts of the tree is already challenging on its own. Imagine if you also have to collect and deliver the waste to the landfill. When you work with us, you can entrust the disposal to our experts.

Maintaining your trees doesn’t have to be hard. Call Adelaide Hills Tree Services now to get your free quote for deadwood removal in the Adelaide Hills.