Trees are beneficial to your property, apart from being beautiful and comforting. They preserve oxygen, conserve energy, and are homes for insects, birds, and other animals. Properties landscaped with trees are usually worth more than properties without trees. When you remove a tree from your yard, and from your life, it can sometimes be a difficult experience. People sometimes feel they need to honor their tree before cutting it down.
How Do You Decide When to Remove a Tree?
Dead Tree
A dead or dying tree no longer adds any benefits to your yard or garden, as its structural integrity is compromised, and poses a danger. Branches can fall and hurt a person, or damage power lines and parts of a building structure. Dead trees can spread plant disease to the other trees on your property as well.
Decay or Damage
Unhealthy trees are defenseless against pests and infections. Trees with a disease can also cause property damage because of the instability of their structure. Dying trees or a tree that is leaning can be an eyesore in your beautifully landscaped garden. Removing damaged trees will restore aesthetic appeal to your home.
Storm Damage
High winds and heavy storms can cause tremendous damage to trees. A strong storm can cause root and stem failure, and even a crown twist. Trees that suffer this kind of damage will die and can be blown over easier, posing a risk to your property and safety.
Structure Compromised by Interior Decay
This is a tricky one because interior decay can’t be seen from the outside of a tree. However, interior decay causes the spread of disease and infection and leads to falling branches and tree limbs.
Tree Roots at Risk of Damaging Your Home
Large and aggressive tree roots are a huge risk to the structure of your home which can cost thousands to repair. Removing the tree and its roots is a more affordable option.
View Blocker or Casts Shade
If you have bought a property and the stunning view is blocked by a large tree, the tree may need to be removed. Massive trees producing vast amounts of shaded areas can prevent grass from growing in the summer. Large trees can also make your home dark and cold home in the winter months.
Too Large For Your Landscape
Has a tree outgrown your property and become restricted? When this happens, it will start pressing up against windows, walls, and foundations which can cause a lot of damage as the root systems continue to expand. Professional help will be needed to remove the tree in this instance as the root system may already be embedded in the foundations of your home and will continue growing there.
Overcrowding of Trees
When there is an overcrowding of trees on your property, they compete with one another for the nutrients in the soil. In turn, smaller trees and flowers begin showing signs of nutrient deficiencies and start to die off. Fungal disease is also a result of overcrowding due to the lack of air circulation.
Honoring a Tree Before Cutting it Down
For some people cutting trees is heartbreaking and it isn’t easy to do. There are ways to cut trees, thank them for their part in our lives, and still honor them.
Before cutting down a tree, approach the site where the tree or trees are to be cut down and recite the following prayer “please forgive me, I love you and I let go. These changes must be made for the improvement and protection of our family, home, and property. We thank you for your sacrifice and honor your spirit.”
How to Commemorate a Tree
- Plant another tree in tribute.
- Turn the tree trunk into a bright, beautiful flowerpot.
- Plant a beautiful flowerbed where the tree was.
- Convert the trunk into steppingstones.
- Carve a message into pieces of the trunk and varnish it.
- Take and find comfort in photos.
You may need permission from your local authority to cut or prune a tree in your garden or on your land if it is covered by a tree preservation order. It is best to consult a certified arborist for advice before cutting down a tree.
Additional Reading: New Trees and Shrubs for Spring 2022
Tree Services of Omaha
Tree Services of Omaha, Nebraska is a full-service tree care provider that offers a wide range of arborist services including but not limited to: Tree Removal Services, Tree Trimming, Tree Pruning, Tree and shrubs Shaping, Stump Removal, Stump Grinding, Arborist Consultations, Systemic Tree Injections.
Contact us today for a free estimate!