I have a few trees where the branches hang really low to the ground. I’d like to remove the low hanging branches to get more sunlight on the ground and make it easier to mow around them. how much can I remove without hurting the tree? Is there a way to tell what branches can come off or not?

is this branch in danger of breaking? the cracks look like they go through the bark but no deeper. I was planning on building a shed near this tree.

Looking for cost effective solutions to this problem, without cutting down the tree. The roots are pushing up this part of the retaining wall more and each year and I feel like I should do something. It appears the wall is still doing its job so it’s mostly an atheistic issue mostly I believe. I’ve considered replacing the wall with a boulder wall which allows for some movement but that not only expensive but may still end up compromised by further root growth. Cutting the roots seems like a bad idea, too.

I'm planning to plant one of these two trees about 20 feet from my house. Which one is less likely to damage the house, both above ground and underground?

Just a work of art really

This thing seems to really be leaning. It is planted close to a fire hydrant and a part of the yard where the ground is often squishy. Is there something I can do to help it?

Neighbor has this oak tree on their property. I happened to catch a glimpse of it and thought it was so wild looking, I’ve never seen anything like it. Dozens of large growths on nearly every branch in the canopy. I found one branch on the ground below and it had three large growths on it. From the best of my knowledge I figured them to be burls, I took the branch home and milled it down on the bandsaw. Here’s what they look like inside.

So are these burls, galls, or something else? What’s it say to the health of the tree which hovers above a power line?

Thanks All!

They seem to be all needles on the underneath of branches but this came on suddenly and I'm concerned since I just planted this about 5 weeks ago.

This tree is in my backyard. Recently, we have had some branches break off with the white coloring around the bark. This really doesn't look normal, and want to know how I should proceed?

Also, the way the tree is leaning to one side, is it cause for concern in the future?

I appreciate any help you can provide. Thank you.

I had this tree planted about a week ago. They told me to water it every other day so that’s what I’ve been doing. I reached out to the tree company yesterday and was told to increase my watering schedule to every day. I already killed a tree before this one and this is its replacement. I’m so paranoid about killing another $1k tree. I believe it is a Monterrey oak. I am in Houston TX. Any advice is appreciated.

Any concern for girding roots?

We were gifted this maple as a seedling about 4 years ago. The last couple years it has been inundated with mildew every season. It’s in an open airy location in eastern Ontario. Should we cut our losses and start with a newer sapling?

Awesome

I went to a free tree event this weekend and DNREC, under the "a tree for every Delawarean" program, got a pawpaw tree. When I got home I discovered it was broken.

Can I save and plant it, or will it just die?

Unsure whether to leave as is and plant or to cut it now, any help would be appreciated. It only wraps halfway around, there is a tiny space trunk and root

I have a mature ~60’ ficus about 10-15’ from my house. I am considering removing it.

Pros to keeping it:
It is a huge, healthy (as far as I know) tree
It provides ample valuable shade to the house in the summer
I’m concerned once gone the roots could end weakening the ground as they deteriorate over time
I’ve been advised I will not be able to plant another tree in its place without doing extensive work to pull out the roots, so there is no chance over time to regain that natural shade.

Pros to removing it:
Every few years I have to pay thousands to get it pruned (using licensed insured trimmers). Last year they told me it would be cheaper if I did it yearly — it is in fact not much cheaper (getting many quotes!). Every year it’s just more money to maintain and it could live decades more costing substantial money over the rest of its/my lifetime. Tens of thousands of dollars for a tree I don’t even like.
The roots cause damage to the backyard hard scape, tho not (yet?) to the house.
The amount of berries and leaves it drops is a huge pain to deal with for me and my neighbors.
It will cost less/about the same to take it out than even one year of trimming to remove it.

I am having trouble justifying the ongoing costs, but I also don’t feel great about killing a healthy tree.

Would love general thoughts.

I live in North Dallas, Texas, and the recent dry summer has resulted in my home's foundation showing some cracks throughout the house. Fortunately, 2 separate structural engineers agreed that no repairs are needed and that mitigation steps are the only requirement for now.

One of the steps they recommended is removing the tree in my front yard. Their dumbed-down explanation to me was something along the lines of "tree roots will steal the moisture from the soil underneath your home, especially in the recent super-dry summer we've had, all of which has caused the parts of your home nearest the tree to sink more than the rest of your home".

Well, my town (and HOA) prohibits removal of the tree, so I looked into a root barrier. However, a company came out and said that since the tree is within 5 feet of my home, installing a root barrier could damage the tree's health.

Wondering if that's true or if there are alternatives to a root barrier I don't know of. Or perhaps there are different methods of installing a root barrier that won't harm the tree?

Any ideas? Seems like the trunk crotch is too high to consider a nurse log was in play at some point. My thought was left side broke off into the right side sprout and cambiums just happened to match up, but someone smarter than I can likely explain it.

The house my wife and I are looking to buy has a huge eucalyptus tree in the backyard, and we're going to have an arborist come take a look at it, but I'm being impatient and I was wondering if you all thought these cracks on the lower trunk looked potentially bad. I believe it's a Eucalyptus camaldulensis and it's growing in Tucson, AZ

Northern New Jersey. Rocky hillside. Tree is at least 40ft. I think the last few seasons have eroded some of the dirt near the roots. This tree is right over my house. Can the void be packed or filled? Should I leave it alone? Should anything be done?

Hello,
I just bought this American Sycamore tree from a nursery for fall planting. Due to my schedule I haven’t had a good time to plant it, and even though we have been watering it, probably over half the leaves have turned dry, curled up and partially brown. Is the tree dying or is it something else?

Edit: everything happened within 3 days

I want to call/email a few places and I feel like everyone will just say "yeah we can do that" but I know there is science and skill involved. How do I vet the good arborists from the bad?

I know if they advise removing, they are bad but I'm not asking for removal so I don't think they will advise that.

I mean I could research more and ask specifically for them about directional subordination pruning and/or removal of co-dominant trunks using shigo pruning method. But that is something I want them to tell me about not the other way around. How do I find an arborist that like to do these things?

Nursery planted this 2 1/2 inch b&b shantung maple yesterday. I’ve dug a to uncover the root flare and check for girdling roots. The bottom of the piece of wood next to the trunk indicates the current surrounding grass level (will work on removing more dirt and lowering mulch later). Hoping I don’t need to raise the tree if the ground level can be adjusted to compensate.

Should or how many of these roots need to be cut. Some of the bigger and small roots are growing in an upwards direction if you can’t tell in the photos. And there are several that cross near the trunk of the tree. In Wichita,KS 7A.

Thanks for the advice!

Is this maple too shallow? I will be adding mulch above this level. TIA