How to Tell If a Tree Is Hazardous

• Large dead limbs over a target (house, driveway, play area)
• A trunk lean with cracked or heaving soil at the base
• Deep vertical cracks or a hollow sound when tapped
• Mushrooms/conks at the base, likely root rot
• Dead ash (brittle and unpredictable)
• Branches resting on or growing into power lines

Arborists rate risk by combining the likelihood of failure with the target, what’s underneath. A dead tree in a back corner with nothing under it is lower priority than a cracked limb over your bedroom. We help you triage by actual risk.

If a hazard threatens a structure or people, don’t wait, get a professional hazardous tree assessment. For anything touching a power line, call your utility; never approach it.

Fort Wayne is the 'City of Three Rivers' — riverbank lots mean soft soil and storm-prone mature trees. Local soil here is heavy Indiana clay, which holds water and can leave shallow-rooted trees unstable after a wet spell. Our heavy heavy Indiana clay, three rivers, and the run of Emerald Ash Borer through the area all shape how local trees grow, fail, and need care. A general rule from a national article often does not match what is true for a silver maple on a Fort Wayne riverbank lot, which is why local, on-the-ground judgment matters.

Small, ground-level tasks well away from structures and power lines are often fine for a careful homeowner. Anything involving climbing, large limbs, dead or leaning trees, or work near the house or a power line should go to an insured professional, the risk and the liability are simply not worth it. EAB has killed a large share of Fort Wayne's ash trees — dead-ash removal is a major local need.

Fort Wayne Tree Services handles the full range of tree work in Fort Wayne, including tree cutting, emergency & storm damage tree service, stump grinding & removal. If you are weighing a decision about a specific tree, an ISA-certified arborist can look at it and give you a straight, no-pressure recommendation, and a free written estimate if any work is needed.

Fort Wayne Tree Services provides free, itemized estimates and honest tree-care advice across Fort Wayne and the surrounding towns. Get in touch →