Utah is an outdoor adventurer’s playground. Salt Lake City, specifically, is known for its beautiful mountains and desert lakes. It is also home to about85,000 public trees. These trees provide several benefits to society, including :
- Heat reduction: Trees provide shade for buildings, roadways, parks and neighborhoods. When they cover over 40% of an area, trees can provide full temperature benefits. Buildings, for example, can enjoy reduced energy use due to the improved air quality in the area.
- Noise reduction: Dense trees buffers can reduce noise levels that allow normal outdoor activities to occur. This is one reason they are lined up between roads and neighborhoods and along highways and fences.
- Human Health Boost: Numerousstudieshave confirmed connections between the improvement of human health and exposure to the natural environment. These benefits include reduced risks of stress, anxiety, cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes, high blood pressure and even preterm birth. Some hospitals have added tree views for patients as a result of these studies.
- Improved property aesthetics and value: Trees provide significant benefits for property owners and developers by increasing the looks and value of a property by at least 20%, according to the US Forest Service.
Trees are living, breathing creatures. They require necessities such as water, food and light. And just like any living thing, trees can sometimes get sick. They become more susceptible to disease when they get older. This is where humans need to step in and lend a hand.
When a tree becomes too sick to save, however,tree removal services in Salt Lake Citywould have to be contracted. A diseased tree, for instance, can fall, causing devastating damage to the area around it.
How to Tell if a Tree is Dying
Decay
Root decay, or root rot, is a disease that attacks the roots of just about any type of tree or plant and is a serious trouble sign. This decaying disease is a common cause of death in trees. An obvious decay symptom is fungal growth, which causes the root system to reduce and turn to a dark brown color.
Other symptoms include slowed growth, loss of healthy leaf color or premature autumn leaf color, and loosening or separation of the lower bark.
Leaning Structure
Roots lose their strength and ability to hold a tree upright when they are unhealthy, damaged or dying. A noticeable lean on the tree is a serious sign of problems hidden below ground. If the tree is enormous, it can pose a serious threat of falling to an adjacent property and, therefore, will most likely have to be removed.
Deadwood
Deadwood is exactly what it sounds like: wood that is dead. Often times, only a part of a tree dies while the rest of the tree appears healthy. These expired parts are called deadwood, and they are brittle and can break very easily.
For this reason, dead branches need to be removed immediately before the problem spreads to the rest of the tree and before they cause any damage to the surrounding areas.
Trees are vital. They contribute to the environment by providing oxygen, storing carbon, improving air quality, preserving soil as well as giving life to wildlife. They are of invaluable importance to humans’ wellbeing. Conversely, some trees need humans to intervene and save them when they are dying.
The longer a dying tree is left on its own, the worse things can get for the property and for the people around it.