Your Backyard Forest - Identify and Manage Hazardous Tree Defects

Creating Wildlife Habitat - This corrective action is often overlooked. Corrective actions should be selected with safety in mind while preserving a portion of the tree intact to provide wildlife habitat. One option is to reduce the height of a tree to the point that it would no longer strike a target if it should fail. Remove major branches that are defective, and leaving a portion of the tree intact for wildlife habitat. If a tree must be removed for safety reasons, consider leaving the tree on ground to create wildlife habitat.

Remove the Tree - Before removing a tree, carefully consider whether the effects of removing the tree could result in reduced property values. Tree removal should be considered as the final option and used only when the other corrective actions will not work. Tree removal is inherently dangerous and is even more serious when homes and other targets are involved. Removal of very high-risk trees is usually a job for a professional arborist.

Cabling and Bracing - Cabling and bracing do not eliminate all the safety risks associated with a highly defective tree, but when done correctly by a trained arborist, it can extend the time a tree or its parts are safe.
Done incorrectly, it creates a more serious hazard. Cabling or bracing is not recommended for a high-risk tree unless the tree has significant historic or landscape value, the cabling or bracing is done by a trained arborist, is regularly inspected, and properly maintained.