The trees on your property are a vital part of your landscaping, and if they aren’t healthy, they can ruin the aesthetic and safety of your land, as well as potentially infect surrounding vegetation. If you’re worried about your trees, there are signs to look for so you know whether or not to call a reliable tree service crew to check them. Below are a few signs that your trees are healthy—as well as common problems to look for.

How to Tell If Your Trees Are Healthy

1. Solid Bark Adhesion

The bark on your trees should be firmly in place, not loose or peeled back. Bark that’s falling off a tree (not scraped off by tools or a deer antler) could mean it’s been infested with bugs, contracted a disease, or has been damaged by animals. While some species shed their bark periodically (like a snake sheds its skin), ignoring this sign could lead to your other trees and plants being ruined by disease or pests. A professional tree service will be able to diagnose and correct most problems with approaches like tree pruning, or at least keep it from spreading around your yard.

2. Continuous Growth

Your trees should grow a little bit more every year. Their trunks should grow a little taller and thicker, and their canopy should have fresh sprigs growing out of it, with a wider reach. If your trees seem to have stopped growing, aren’t sprouting new branches, or have stopped producing an abundance of healthy leaves, they may not be getting enough nutrition or light, which can be caused by overcrowding, starved soil, or pest infestations that block the flow of food throughout the tree.

3. Healthy Vegetation

Leaves, flowers, and fruit are markers of the health of your tree, so check them for signs of damage first. Leaves should be the correct shade, shape, and size for the tree species, and the trees should bear an adequate amount of fruit and flowers each year (though weather patterns can affect this). Yellowing, wilting, or shedding of leaves outside of autumn indicate the tree’s health is declining, as does an abnormally small harvest or bloom.

4. No Signs of Pests or Diseases

There are numerous pests and diseases that can attack trees, with some that attack specific species, such as the ash borer. Holes in the trunk, lack of growth and foliage, seeping sap, dying branches and bark, lack of fruit, visible insects, and noticeable signs of regression signal problems that should be handled by a tree service professional.

Columbia Tree & Lawn Service has provided expert tree services to Howard County, MD, and the surrounding areas for over 40 years, so they can tackle any issue your trees are having. Whether they need soil injections, tree pruning, disease treatment, or cabling, their skilled arborists will do whatever necessary to keep them thriving and strong. See what they can do for your trees online, and call (410) 740-5444 for an estimate.