Tree inspections are a crucial aspect of keeping your trees healthy and strong. But unless you’re an arborist, it’s challenging to understand what these inspections entail and how they help these beautiful features of your landscape. Luckily, we put together a comprehensive guide to answer your questions.
Why Are Tree Inspections Performed?
Before we delve into what is involved in a complete tree inspection, it’s best to understand their purpose. Tree inspections are used to evaluate a tree’s condition. When you can call an arborist to perform these assessments, it’s typically because noticeable symptoms of structural weakness or disease are present on the tree. Thus, arborists perform these inspections to evaluate:
- Specific issues with your tree
- Treatments that might help
- Whether the tree requires removal
Armed with this information, arborists can develop an effective strategy for treating your tree. Plus, they’ll be able to give you a better idea of the cost of services and tree maintenance.
How Is a Complete Inspection Performed?
So, how exactly is a complete inspection performed? Typically, a comprehensive tree inspection involves a systematic and precise evaluation that’s broken up into the following three parts.
#1. Soil and Root Collar
An arborist will start by investigating the soil and root collar (where roots poke out of the ground) around your tree. During this part of the process, they’ll be looking for indicators of a bigger issue, such as:
- Fungal growth
- Trunk girdling
- Discoloration
These things all point to structural weakness in the tree, so they’re always the first symptoms an arborist will look for.
#2. Trunk Sections
From there, an arborist will begin moving their eyes up toward the trunk. They do this by evaluating each section of the trunk. Specifically, they are looking for:
- Loose bark
- Large cracks
- Hollow areas
These are more indicators that your tree might be suffering from structural weakness, disease, or even an infestation of bugs or other pests.
#3. Tree Limbs and Branches
Arborists will start evaluating a tree’s structural limbs and branches as they continue upward. In this stage, they’ll be looking at how the dominant limbs of your tree connect to the trunk. Additionally, arborists will examine the smaller branches out to their tips. Doing this helps them identify any reasons for concern.
Indeed this is all evaluated from ground level. However, it’s worth noting that certified arborists like ours in Austin, Texas, will know exactly what to look for. This is because they understand the nuances of what is involved in a complete tree inspection. Plus, they can identify issues by observing minute details that a novice might miss.
Once the inspection is complete, they’ll be able to share details about any issues they found. Moreover, an excellent arborist will also tell you how to treat these problems and what future maintenance entails.
How Often Should I Have an Inspection Done?
Ideally, you’d want to have your trees inspected annually, regardless of whether you suspect a problem or not. Most of the time, people don’t notice their trees are suffering until it’s too late.
Thus, performing inspections regularly can help you catch issues early enough to fix them. Please don’t wait until it’s too late to save your tree. Instead, call SID Mourning Trees to ensure that your tall, green friends are healthy, happy, and structurally sound.