CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With leaves falling off trees, trying to spot dying trees can be hard to find. Frequently called "zombie trees," a falling tree can hurt people and damage homes.
With some 200 tree species in the city of Charlotte, arborist Laurie Reid said to be aware of these trees.
“A ‘zombie’ tree is a tree that might look healthy on the outside and look alive, but it has something wrong with it: that it is starting to decline and die,” Reid said.
Reid said Charlotte’s tree canopy can fall victim to root rot diseases. While drought conditions can add even more stress, too much rain can drown the roots.
“This time of year, October-November, that’s when most of our leaves are coming off our trees, but when the leaves are off, you can look for dead branches a lot easier,” Reid said.
Dying trees can be hazardous to both life and property.
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“It’s definitely important to look at your trees before you go into the winter," Reid said. "Especially if there are large dead branches, just the weight of the ice on them, or if we get snow, that will weigh the branches and cause them to fall.”
These are the signs of a dying tree
Branches & twigs around the tree
Bark is falling or peeling off
Rot or fungus spreading
Tree starting to lean
Holes, cavities, large splits
Dead leaves or no foliage
Termites or other pests
Root damage, mushrooms
“Moving into the winter and early spring when the trees don’t have leaves on them, they’re not moving as much stuff around," Reid said, "is a good time to prune your trees,” Reid said.
Winter is a great time to plant trees. This allows time to establish roots before it gets too hot and dry during the summer.
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