# Home Landscape Experts Share Tree Warning Signs Homeowners Should Not Ignore - Published: 2026-11-02 - Author: [Best of Home & Garden](https://bestofhomeandgarden.com/author/bestofhomeandgarden-com.md) - Topics: [Q&A](https://bestofhomeandgarden.com/qa.md) - Source: https://bestofhomeandgarden.com/qa/home-landscape-experts-share-tree-warning-signs-homeowners-should-not-ignore/ - Publication: Best of Home & Garden - Publisher: Connectively (Terkel, Inc.) - Editorial policy: https://bestofhomeandgarden.com/editorial-policy/ - AI use: The perspectives in this article were written by the named contributors and submitted through Connectively. Connectively's automated system selected them and used AI to write the headline, introduction, section headings, summary sections, and illustration, and to make minor edits for clarity. Articles are assembled and published automatically. Report errors to corrections@connectively.us. ### Inspect Soil Upheaval and Fresh Bark Splits When a tree near a home has dead or deformed branches, I do not automatically recommend cutting down the tree. Many older trees have dead branches, and other pruning techniques can be used to address deformed trees with otherwise healthy trunks and major branches. Factors to consider include the size and location of dead branches, crown shape differences, signs of decay, and evidence of instability, such as lean. Signs that a tree might be unstable and dangerous include new bark splits at the bottom of the trunk and where major branches attach, especially with other evidence of instability, such as soil disturbances around the roots. Other treatments besides pruning may be needed. Small amounts of dead wood on otherwise healthy trees may need only maintenance and monitoring. Older trees with significant structural problems near homes should be evaluated by an arborist. I have learned to appreciate the benefits of older trees while also recognizing the need to protect public safety. Understanding the causes of tree problems can help people decide how to deal with those problems. --- ### Trust Your Instincts and Document Change 1\. I wait a full season to begin to examine a tree. An old rain tree in the front of our house is my main subject. A few years ago a number of branches died in a severe drought but by the following spring the tree had regained all of its foliage. Today a few dying branches at the edges of the tree require annual pruning before they drop in a storm. Some lopsided growth in the upper half of the tree is also under annual observation. In general, a tree that needs removal has problems at the trunk or at the roots, not in the branches. Cracks, hollow sound when knocked, peeling bark in great sheets, and signs of decay at the base of the tree in the form of mushrooms are some of the things that indicate problems at the trunk or roots. An arborist is called in to deal with these problems. I take photographs from the same vantage point of the tree every three months or so. Slow change is so much easier to observe from photographs than from memory. 2\. What changed for me after that one severe storm was my behavior. I started parking my car on the opposite side of the driveway, and I would take a long route to avoid the tree with the bench, etc. Only after the storm had passed did the soil on one side of the tree rise slightly and the tree was now leaning to one side. My gut had sensed something was wrong before my head could grasp it. To this day, I am my best warning sign. If I find myself avoiding a tree, it needs to be inspected by a tree care professional. It will cost you peace of mind before it takes your roof. --- ### Call an Arborist for Basal Fungus A dead branch hanging over the roof gets pruned right away. A lean, or cracking near the base, gets an arborist and usually means removal. We renovate older houses around Cleveland, and a lot of them have maples and oaks planted 60 or 70 years ago. When we walk a property, a few dead limbs on one side don't worry me much by themselves. We have a tree crew prune those before roofing work starts, usually for $400 to $900 depending on height. If the growth is uneven but the canopy is full and healthy, we just watch it. The sign that changed how I look at trees was mushrooms at the base. On a colonial we bought in South Euclid, there was a big silver maple about 15 feet from the house. It looked mostly fine, but shelf mushrooms were growing on the trunk near the ground. I almost ignored them. The arborist we called tapped the trunk and found it hollow on one side. Removal cost us $2,800. If it had come down in a storm onto the new roof we'd just paid $14,000 for, that would have been a much worse week. Now any fungus at the base, cracks in the trunk, or soil heaving up on one side means we call an arborist before anything else. My advice: look down at the base and the trunk, not just up at the branches. Dead limbs are easy to fix. The rot you can't see is what brings a tree down onto a house. --- ### Treat Ground Heave as an Urgent Hazard I always start with what can hurt the house, and worry about how the tree looks after that. Ten years buying places across New Jersey, enough yards walked in Essex, Union, Morris, and Monmouth counties, and I've learned a mature tree can look perfectly fine from the kitchen window and still be a problem waiting to happen. Small dead branches up high, scattered through a canopy that's otherwise green? That's usually just a pruning job. I tell people to get a licensed tree company or an arborist out before storm season rolls in, especially when limbs hang over the roof, the gutters, the service line, the driveway, or the neighbor's fence. Nobody loves a $900 pruning bill. It stops feeling annoying the second you stack it up against a punctured roof, water running down the inside walls, and your insurance deductible. Now if the tree's growing lopsided but the leaves are full, the bark's solid, and the ground around it isn't moving, I'd leave it alone and keep an eye on it. Snap photos every few months. A lot of trees grow heavy on one side because they're chasing sunlight, which happens all the time on tight North Jersey lots where the houses and fences and garages are stacked right up against each other. That's not an automatic removal. But it's also not something you ignore for three years and then act shocked when a heavy wet snow finds the weak side. Removal jumps to the top of the list when the trouble is structural. A dead main leader. A hollow trunk, big cavities, fungus at the base, serious root damage, or a lean toward the house that keeps getting worse. I looked at a place in Union County last winter where the seller figured the whole issue was one dead limb hanging over the roof. The real problem was the soil lifting on the far side of the trunk. That flipped the whole thing from a pruning talk to a removal talk in about five minutes. The sign that really changed how I approach this is root plate movement. Dead limbs matter, sure, but once the ground starts cracking or lifting around the base, the tree's already losing its grip on the dirt. Waiting at that point is just gambling with the house. I'd rather save a decent tree with pruning while it's still safe to do, but when the roots or the trunk start showing failure, the house comes first. No way around it. --- ### Remove Overgrown Hazards Before Storms Strike The honest answer here.. When it looks like its becoming a liability. For us being housing providers, its more or less a tenant liability thing, or someone on the street walking that could be hit by a fallen branch is when we pull the trigger. You have to be cognizant to of a strong windstorm that may take place, maybe that every 5-7 year storm that turns over a bunch of trees in the neighborhood.. (Happens in Ohio every now and again) One other very common reason we will choose to prune is when trees begin getting too close in proximity to a home or property where its just constantly that we're having to clear gutters. I guess that's pretty normal and to an extent we'll put up with; we want to have trees so there's a balance there. This is kinda crazy - often times we are cutting down trees completely or removing them that should have been cut 10-12 years ago, overtaking powerlines; back then I was in my 20's I would never have thought I would eventually be the one responsible for that tree.. Some previous owners cannot even keep up with updates to their own house internally or externally, let alone a tree in the yard or on the parkway!! --- ### Seek Expert Advice for Branch Unions The biggest mistake homeowners can make with a mature tree is assuming that dead branches or uneven growth automatically mean the whole tree needs to come down. Sometimes selective pruning is enough, and removing an otherwise healthy mature tree can be an unnecessary expense. I'd start by looking at the tree's proximity to the house and whether there's an immediate risk to people or property. A few dead branches may call for professional pruning, while changes in the tree's overall condition deserve closer monitoring. Significant decay, structural damage or instability should prompt an assessment by a qualified arborist before deciding whether removal is necessary. One warning sign I'd take particularly seriously is a new crack where a large branch joins the trunk, especially when that branch extends over a roof or another frequently used area. That's not something homeowners should try to handle themselves. The goal should be to protect both the property and the tree. Getting an independent assessment from a certified arborist can help homeowners understand their options rather than jumping straight to an expensive removal. ## Related - [How to Spot Tree Problems Before They Threaten Your Home](https://bestofhomeandgarden.com/qa/how-to-spot-tree-problems-before-they-threaten-your-home.md) - [Make Deep Shade Work in Home Gardens: Planting Choices That Last](https://bestofhomeandgarden.com/qa/make-deep-shade-work-in-home-gardens-planting-choices-that-last.md) - [How Home Garden Pros Decide to Treat, Replace, or Tolerate Pests](https://bestofhomeandgarden.com/qa/how-home-garden-pros-decide-to-treat-replace-or-tolerate-pests.md) - [Home Garden Experts Share Ways to Prevent Repeat Weed Problems](https://bestofhomeandgarden.com/qa/home-garden-experts-share-ways-to-prevent-repeat-weed-problems.md)