Seven Warning Signs A Tree Is Becoming A Hazard
What each sign means, how urgent it is, and which ones mean stop parking under it today.
Stumps By Dan, Hickory NC · Published 24 September 2026
A Warning Sign Is Not A Death Sentence
Most of these are reasons to have a tree looked at, not reasons to remove it. The ones that are genuinely urgent are marked as such below. When we assess a tree we are weighing two things: how likely it is to fail, and what it would hit if it did.
What To Look For
1. Mushrooms Or Conks At The Base
Fungal fruiting bodies on the trunk or root flare mean decay is already established inside. The fruiting body is the visible part of something much larger. Urgency: high. Worth a proper assessment rather than a guess.
2. Soil Lifting On One Side
Cracked or heaving ground on the opposite side to a lean means the root plate is already moving. Urgency: immediate. Keep people and vehicles away and call.
3. A New Lean
A tree that grew at an angle is usually fine. A tree that has recently changed angle is failing. Urgency: immediate if it appeared after a storm.
4. A Crack At A Fork
Where two stems of similar size meet, a seam or split running down from the join means the union is coming apart. These do not heal. Urgency: high.
5. Deadwood In The Crown
Bare limbs against summer leaves. Each is a falling object waiting for wind. Urgency: moderate — and usually solved by pruning, not removal.
6. A Thinning Canopy
Fewer leaves than neighboring trees, smaller leaves, or early autumn color. Usually a root or soil problem rather than disease. Urgency: low, but it is the stage where feeding still works.
7. Recent Digging Nearby
Trenching, grading or compaction inside the root zone damages trees on a delay. Decline shows up a year or two later. Urgency: low now, high later if ignored.
Bonus: A Hollow Sound
Tapping a trunk tells you very little on its own — trees can be substantially hollow and perfectly stable. It is the ratio of sound wood to cavity that matters, which is what a resistance reading measures.
How A Tree Actually Gets Assessed
The Whole Tree, Not The Symptom
Crown, trunk, root flare and the soil it stands in. A thin canopy and a decayed base are very different problems with the same appearance from the drive.
A Reading, Where It Matters
Where internal decay is suspected, a resistance drill prints a trace as it travels through the trunk — sound wood pushes back, decay does not. See tree health and PHC.
Target, Not Just Tree
The same defect is a different decision over a driveway than over a back fence. What the tree would hit is half the assessment.
An Honest Recommendation
If a tree can be kept we will say so, even though removal is the bigger invoice. If it cannot, we will say that too.
What Usually Follows
Tree Trimming & Pruning
Deadwood out and weight off the heavy limbs. Fixes most of this list.
Tree Removal
For the ones where the structure is genuinely gone.
Total Tree Care Membership
A monthly walk so these get spotted at the "low urgency" stage rather than the other one.
Storm Preparation
What to do before the season, and what to do if something has already come down.
Seeing One Of These?
Send a photo or ask for a free assessment. If it is the lifting-soil one, please call rather than email.
Reach Us
Over 200 years of combined crew experience protecting properties across western North Carolina. ISA Certified Arborist on staff. Fully insured.
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Contact
- 8935 NC-127
Hickory, NC 28601 - Calls answered 24/7
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