All trees will eventually die from time to time. It’s normal on healthy trees, but you do need to take action to make sure they do not become a health hazard to the tree.
Cutting off dead branches from a tree on a routine basis will be very helpful to the health and vitality of the tree.
Dead branches that are still attached to a tree can be detrimental as they render the tree unable to heal properly, allowing all sorts of pests and diseases to enter the tree.
The bark on a tree is a little bit like the skin on a person; when there is one wound, foreign pathogens can make their way in, having a massively adverse effect on the health of the trees.
By removing dead branches, you can give the tree a chance to heal itself and close out those pathways for pests to enter.
This isn’t a great way to go about trimming a tree. The reaction by the tree will depend on its age and species.
In most cases, the tree will react by sending out sucker shoots from where the cuts were made to form new branches. However, these are not real branches and are only attached to the tree by the bark. They will eventually grow too big to support their weight and break off.
By cutting all the branches of a tree, you are essentially ruining the tree and compromising its structural integrity and future health and longevity.
Why do trees have dead branches?
Scientists still don’t know everything there is to know about trees and the way they react to changing environmental conditions as they grow.
One of these mysteries is why one branch will die, and a branch right next to it will be perfectly healthy and flourish.
The death of a branch is most likely a reaction of the tree to divert resources to other branches.
Often dead branches are in the inner canopy and no longer receive light, serving a purpose for the tree.
For this reason, we think the tree cuts off resources to these unessential appendages, allowing them to die while diverting the rest of the resources to larger healthy branches.
Can a dead tree branches come back to life?
Once a branch has fully died, it’s impossible for her to come back to life. The living part of a tree and its branches are actually the outside of the tree, the bark, which contains the xylem and phloem used to transport nutrients and energy back and forth between the roots in the leaves.
Once the branches reach a certain point, there is no way that the trees are able to begin sending nutrients to it again to revive it.
How can you tell if a branch has fully died?
The best way to check is to snap a twig off the very end of the branch and look at the inner timber. A live tree branch will flex and be difficult to break off. You will have to twist and pull to sever the bark that is stringy.
The inside of the branch will be a greenish color and it will be moist.
A dead branch will snap off easily with no flexibility and will be brown and dry inside.
Do dead branches hurt a tree?
Although dead branches are completely normal and the tree will eventually shed them, dead branches left on the tree for longer than they need to be is detrimental to the health of the tree and will hurt the tree over the long run.
The best thing you can do for the tree is to have dead branches removed on a routine basis by a certified arborist. There’s a certain way in which the dead branch needs to be cut to allow the tree the best chance of healing its wound quickly.
How can you tell if a tree is dying?
There are a few ways to tell if a tree is sick and or dying. One of the most common ways is what is referred to as crown die-back or crown thinning.
Basically, most of the new growth and energy of the trees are directed to the very top so we can grow new branches and taller.
If the tree begins to restrict resources to the top it will start to thin out and eventually die. This is a tell-tale sign that the tree is in poor health and all dying.
How much does it cost to get dead branches trimmed?
Often referred to as “dead wooding”, the removal of dead branches from the tree can cost as little as $85, but can range right up to $879 depending on the size of the tree, the number of dead branches to be removed, and the difficulty of the job.
There are a few other variables that govern the cost of tree trimming which we cover in our tree trimming cost guide, but to get an accurate price you really are best getting a few local tree-cutting services out to view your tree and to give you a firm price on the job.
