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A hazardous tree is not simply an unhealthy one. Risk in arboriculture is a combination of a defect that makes failure likely and something valuable positioned where the failure would land. Understanding both halves lets you tell the difference between a tree that needs attention this month and one you can watch for another season. Here is what to look for and how to weigh it.
Professional tree risk assessment considers three things together: the likelihood that a part of the tree fails, the likelihood that the failing part strikes something, and the consequences if it does.
That framing explains outcomes that seem inconsistent from the outside. A badly decayed tree in the middle of an empty field may be left standing because nothing is beneath it. A tree with a modest defect directly over a child’s bedroom gets addressed immediately. The defect alone does not decide the answer. What sits underneath matters just as much, and Big Easy Tree Cutting assesses both when walking a property.
Start every inspection here, because root problems are the most serious and the most easily missed.
Root damage from construction is a slow-motion problem. A tree whose roots were cut during a driveway replacement can look normal for several seasons before it declines or fails. If work was done near a tree in the last few years, note it and mention it during any assessment.
Vertical cracks running for a distance along the stem indicate separation. A crack that opens and closes as the tree moves in wind is more concerning than a long-healed seam. Cracks that pass through a union between stems are among the more serious defects.
A hollow trunk is not automatically a hazard, since trees compartmentalize decay and much of a trunk’s strength lies in its outer wood. The questions are how much sound wood remains around the cavity, where the cavity sits relative to the load, and what is beneath the tree. This is a judgment that benefits from professional assessment rather than guesswork.
Fruiting bodies on the trunk or a main limb indicate that internal decay has advanced far enough for the fungus to reproduce. By the time they are visible on the outside, wood loss inside is typically well established. Our guide on how to spot tree disease covers what different symptoms suggest.
Swellings and raised ribs often mark where a tree has added wood in response to an internal defect. Patches of dead or missing bark with no callus forming around the edge indicate the tissue behind them has died.
Look for included bark, meaning two stems joined at a narrow angle with bark trapped between them rather than wood grown together. These unions are weak and are a frequent failure point in high wind, particularly on trees with codominant stems.
Dead wood distributed through the upper canopy suggests the tree cannot supply its outermost tips, which is a decline indicator rather than a normal shedding pattern. Our post on dead branches on a tree covers how to tell the difference. Broken limbs still lodged in the canopy after a storm are an immediate hazard regardless of the tree’s overall health.
Also compare the tree with others of the same species nearby. Leaves noticeably smaller, paler, or sparser than the neighborhood norm point to a tree working under stress.
An established lean that a tree has grown to support is usually less concerning than a new one. What matters is change. A lean that appeared after a storm, a lean that has increased, or a lean combined with lifted soil on the opposite side all suggest the root plate is compromised.
Because gradual change is invisible day to day, photograph mature trees once a year from the same position. A side-by-side comparison shows movement that no amount of standing in the yard will reveal.
Once you have catalogued the defects, look at what is beneath and around each tree.
By Admin 
Sep 19, 2026