Rock Solid Ways To Know If Your Tree Is Dying

Trees are the most long-lived creatures on the planet earth. Some of the trees date back up to a thousand years. A bristlecone pine tree in the white mountain range of California is over 4,700 years old. However, the exact life of a tree depends on its species. 
In case a tree develops a disease or becomes infected by pest infestation. Its life becomes threatened. It can die well before its specified age if proper precautions are not taken. Some certain signs and symptoms can indicate the ailing health of a tree. If these signs are noticed well in time, the tree can be saved. 
 
Dying Tree Signs
Following signs and symptoms help us to identify if a tree is facing a life-threatening condition.
 
Falling and Discolored Leaves
Leaves are a great indicator of a tree’s health. If a tree is full of leaves and still green (or any color that the tree leaves naturally have). Your tree is healthy and does not need any attention.
However, if the tree has missing and discolored leaves, it might be facing some serious conditions. The lessening and discoloration of an ailing tree’s leaves increase with time. This lessening and discoloration could either affect the complete or a part of the tree.
 
Damaged Bark
A healthy tree has continuous and cracks free bark. If visually, you can locate a discontinuous or cracked bark or if there are visible holes. These are the signs of an unhealthy tree. It is time to contact an arborist.
 
Structural Deformity
A healthy tree grows upright and maintains its balance. If a tree is growing unevenly or is falling towards a particular side, that is undesirable. There could be many reasons for a tree to be leaning in a particular direction. These include poor soil structure, outside damage, growth habits, and weak trunk development.
This destabilization could prove fatal in extreme cases and cause a tree to fall.
 
Dried Branches
Branches of a tree are a good indicator of its health. A few dead branches should not cause any concern. But if the number of these dead branches is increasing beyond a normal pace, it is surely a sign of a dying tree.
 
Signs of a Dead Tree
For a person who is not a professional, it could be tricky to ascertain whether a tree is already dead, or it still has some life left in it. The signs of a dead tree are very much like that of a dying tree. However, the severity of these signs would be much more in a dead tree. 
 
Leaves and Branches
A dying tree may have some green leaves left but a dead tree would have almost no leaves attached to the branches. A few that are left would be discolored. Similar is the case with the branches of the tree.
 
Bark
A dead tree would have a bark full of cracks and holes. Much more in frequency as compared to a tree that has still life left in it. Fungal growth is also a common indicator for a dead tree.

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