Do you have to remove a dead tree?

If a dead tree poses a hazard, then yes, you need to remove it without a doubt. The issue is what presents a hazard and when. There are clear examples of a hazard, a tree over a house, a sidewalk, a street, and so on. But what if it is in a section of your property that will not present a hazard? If this is the case, there are arguments for letting it fall. The answer is all about a hazard and risk assessment. Of course, local ordinances may sometimes come into play and require their removal, so it is a good idea to check your municipalities resources out.

How are dead trees harmful?

Dead trees lose structural integrity as they decay, making them a hazard to drop limbs and eventually fall entirely. Other than that, dead trees also attract wildlife, and while this is usually a good thing, sometimes the guests can be unwanted. Finally, if a pathogen or insect kills the tree, the dead tree can act as a vector and spread the disease or insects.

If I have a dead tree removed should I have the stump removed too?

While it is optional, most people choose stump removal for aesthetic reasons. There is a practical reason, though, that stumps left to rot can leave tree diseases and insects and invite new insects to your property.

Gardening Plants & Flowers Trees

How to Tell If a Tree Is Dead: 6 Signs to Look For

By

Les Engels

Updated on 03/15/24

Lack of Foliage

Grafted cherry tree with bare drooping branches with dead leaves — The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

If it is spring or summer and all the other trees in the area have leafed out but your tree does not have leaves, that is a sign of an issue. A lack of leaves may not always mean a tree is dead but could mean that it is sick, so you must keep inspecting it, as this sign will not tell the full story.

If it is winter or autumn and you have a deciduous tree that is not an oak, beech, hornbeam, or ironwood, and it is holding on to some leaves, this can also be a symptom. Again, this will not be conclusive, so you must look for more evidence.

Trunk Damage

Dead tree trunk showing tracks of emerald ash borer larvae — Catnap72 / Getty Images

Seeing evident trunk damage will tell you a good bit. If the trunk is damaged and the bark is stripped away entirely around the tree, it will not survive. Even bark damage to the main trunk that encompasses half the tree increases the chance of tree death.

Fungus Growth

Bracket mushroom on a rotting tree trunk. — Rafael_Wiedenemeir / Getty Images

The first thing to look for is the presence of bracket or shelf fungus on the trunk or a large amount of fungus growth around the tree's base. Fungi that attack dead tissue on an otherwise healthy tree is not a problem; it's when fungi attack live tissue that you have a problem.

Presence of fungi on an unhealthy tree could indicate that the trunk is rotting, providing a growth medium for the fungi. When a large number of fungi are seen in the ground around the tree, this can signify the roots are rotting away, providing that same growth medium.

Vertical Cracks

The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova

While not always a definite sign, large vertical cracks or splits may be an indicator and, if paired with other signs, will almost certainly point to a tree that is dying or dead. A split on its own, depending on the size of the tree, is not necessarily a death sentence but will almost guarantee a call to an arborist. There are several options for fixing a crack other than removing the tree.

Removing the tree is the most expensive solution, but it's also the safest, since a cracked tree can pose a risk to the surrounding structures, not to mention people.

Peeling Bark

A girdled tree — Lamiot / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0

A good amount of tree species have exfoliating bark and many can recover from even extensive bark damage, so this on its own is not a symptom. The most concerning instance of peeling bark is when it encompasses the tree in a 360-degree pattern, called girdling. (A girdled tree can survive, but you should consult an arborist for assistance.)

If the damaged bark looks older and the wood that shows through is not green but is worn smooth without any signs of healing, this is another definitive sign that a tree is dead.

Sudden Leaning

Leaning apple tree — Amy Eckert / Getty Images

The pesky mushrooms mentioned above, which have started feeding on rotting roots, may foretell a symptom yet to come. When enough of that root structure rots away, the tree will develop a lean, becoming obvious as the ground around the base grows softer. By this time, the other signs should have started to become clear, but if the tree is not in the open or a heavily forested area, the first sign you may see is a leaning tree.

A sign of a lean is not a sure sign of a dying tree, though. Consider the tree's exposure to wind, the state of its branches, and the slope of the ground it's growing on, since all of those can cause a lean, too. It's a lean that develops suddenly that's cause for concern.

Quick Test to Confirm a Tree Is Dead

Scratch a limb or a branch with a sharp knife and see if it's green underneath in several areas.
Check for shelf or ground fungus.
Check for physical damage to the tree.

If there is no green on any test areas, evidence of rot or fungus, or any physical damage to the tree, you can be assured that the tree is dead. Always call a certified arborist for a second opinion.

FAQ

Do you have to remove a dead tree?

If a dead tree poses a hazard, then yes, you need to remove it without a doubt. The issue is what presents a hazard and when. There are clear examples of a hazard, a tree over a house, a sidewalk, a street, and so on. But what if it is in a section of your property that will not present a hazard? If this is the case, there are arguments for letting it fall. The answer is all about a hazard and risk assessment. Of course, local ordinances may sometimes come into play and require their removal, so it is a good idea to check your municipalities resources out.
How are dead trees harmful?

Dead trees lose structural integrity as they decay, making them a hazard to drop limbs and eventually fall entirely. Other than that, dead trees also attract wildlife, and while this is usually a good thing, sometimes the guests can be unwanted. Finally, if a pathogen or insect kills the tree, the dead tree can act as a vector and spread the disease or insects.
If I have a dead tree removed should I have the stump removed too?

While it is optional, most people choose stump removal for aesthetic reasons. There is a practical reason, though, that stumps left to rot can leave tree diseases and insects and invite new insects to your property.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.