Beware of falling trees in MetroWest

Aug. 21--Trees don't often make the headlines, but when they do, it tends not to be good news.

Last week, a tree fell on Rockridge Road home in Framingham that trapped a woman inside. Earlier in the month, another tree on Morse Road in Framingham was cut in half when the remnants of Tropical Storm Isaias blew through the area, knocking out power to surrounding homes for days.

Experts say more trees could fall next month and into October, because hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin presents the highest risk of foul weather moving up the East Coast.

Given that risk, experts say homeowners can be proactive and start thinking about the possibility of removing trees that look unhealthy, or show signs of weakness.

To help homeowners identify trees that might need to come down before disaster strikes, Natick tree warden Arthur Goodhind and Nicole Keleher, forest health director at the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, offered tips:

Thinning on top

A thinning of leaves around a tree's canopy can be a sign of sickness. Goodhind noticed this affliction on a sugar maple near downtown Natick. Some leaves showed early signs of fall colors.

Both are signals that failure could occur, but it's not a certainty.

"Keep an eye on it," Goodhind said.

While a thinning leaf canopy can be a bad sign, an overgrown one can act as a sail when large gusts of wind blow in. The resulting force places incredible stress on a tree, which can bring it down quickly, Keleher said.

Cavities

Just like human teeth, trees develop openings, or cavities, visible on the bark that can cause decay.

Two factors can decide whether it's time for removal -- tolerance for risk and sentimental value. The former means how long a homeowner can stomach the risk that a tree with a good-sized cavity will topple and take out something valuable. The latter can be harder to deal with, because a family may have planted the tree years ago to mark a special occasion, making it difficult to face the possibility that it's time to take it down.

Here's the rub

Some trees tend to grow two branches that form what looks like a letter "v" from a common spot. When those branches consistently rub together, Goodhind said it's known as "weak branch union." The result can be a gradual wearing away of the limbs, making them more prone to split and crash to the ground.

A solution is to hire a tree service to insert a steel cable about two-thirds of the way up the "v" to stabilize branches.

Pruning

Cutting off dead limbs helps maintain tree health. Two things can occur as a result -- the wound will heal properly, with bark curling around the opening; or a cavity could develop.

If the latter occurs, the opening could become a home for disease-spreading insects or a virus, said Goodhind. One plan of attack is to place fertilizer around the base of the trunk to fight off such invaders.

'Shrooms

The appearance of large mushrooms on a trunk or branch could indicate the tree's roots are incurring a disease. But that doesn't necessarily mean the end of a tree's useful life.

"The tree could still be solid," Goodhind said.

Stem the tide

Some trees -- common pine, oak, maple -- tend to have two large stems or trunks joined together as they mature. If one stem outgrows the other, then the tree's balance could be out of whack, creating greater risk of falling. Pruning the larger section could be one way to restore proper balance, Keleher said.

Get advice from a pro

Whether it's a thinning canopy, dead branches, insect damage, a crippling fungus or cracks or slits in the bark -- all signs that a tree is at risk of falling -- Keleher encourages homeowners to seek the expertise of a certified arborist before any decision is made.

Final word

"You can't remove all the risks," Keleher said when it comes to a tree's health. But homeowners should take the time to get to know all trees on their property. Whether it's mental notes or a detailed, written summary, that information will provide a baseline to notice any future changes that may need attention.

Tree defects also run the gamut, from thinning leaves to weak branches, but that doesn't mean it's time to pull the plug.

"Just because there are defects, it doesn't mean a death sentence," Goodhind said. "Trees are good at hiding their defects. They're good at looking healthy when they may not be. Their job is to survive, to proliferate or stay alive as long as they can."

Insurance factors

Another reason to be proactive when it comes to tree health is the prospect of dealing with insurance companies after a tree falls.

A tree has to hit a structure or impede access to a home in order for a homeowner's policy to cover the expense of removal, said Dan Morse, chairman of the Massachusetts Association of Insurance Agents.

While most insurance policies cover the cost of removing a tree that has fallen on a home, they don't cover all expenses associated with removing a tree from a property. Many policies have what Morse called a "sub-limit," which is a maximum payout amount for a tree company to cart the tree away. Sometimes that payout doesn't cover the entire bill.

Morse tells clients to prevent tree mishaps before they occur, so if a branch is hanging after a storm, go ahead and remove it before it falls.

He also recommends that clients send a registered letter to a neighbor when that neighbor's tree has big branches that extend into a client's yard. Should that branch fall on a client's garage, Morse said it's the client's responsibility to take care of the claim. But the letter could help the client shift the claim to the neighbor.

Henry Schwan is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. Follow Henry on Twitter @henrymetrowest. He can be reached at [email protected] or 508-626-3964.

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