Tree Health & Risk Assessments in Murfreesboro, TN

Tree health and risk assessments answer the question most homeowners actually have: is this tree going to fall on something? A risk assessment looks at the chance that a tree or part of it fails, what it would hit if it did, and what can be done to lower that risk. A health check looks at whether the tree is declining from pests, disease, root damage or old age. In Murfreesboro, we often do both at once, because the trees people worry about usually have more than one thing going on.

What we look at

We start at the ground. On the thin soils over limestone common in Rutherford County, the root plate is often shallow, so heaving soil, exposed or cut roots, and a new lean matter. Then the trunk: cracks, cavities, cankers, oozing, loose bark and fungal fruiting bodies, which can signal internal decay. Then the crown: dead branches, thinning foliage, weak V-shaped unions with included bark, and long limbs carrying too much weight. Finally, the targets: the house, the driveway, the play area, the street.

Common problems around Murfreesboro

Bradford pears are high on the list, because their narrow forks are very susceptible to storm damage and their typical lifespan is under 25 years. Ash trees should be checked for emerald ash borer, whose signs include thinning at the top of the crown, woodpecker damage, D-shaped exit holes and S-shaped tunnels under the bark; without treatment, ash in an infested area are expected to die within about a decade. Older trees in neighborhoods that were built quickly may have had their roots cut by trenching or buried under fill, which can show up years later as dieback.

What we tell you

You get a written summary of what we found and your options, from leaving the tree alone to deadwooding, weight reduction, cabling a weak union, or removal. For ash trees worth saving, insecticide treatment by trunk injection or soil drench is an option; those products are applied by licensed pesticide applicators, and we will tell you if treatment is worth pursuing. If a tree is clearly a hazard and money is tight, the City of Murfreesboro's Community Development office runs a Tree Removal Program with forgivable loans for eligible homeowners; our written assessment and estimate can support that application.

Before you buy or build

Assessments are also useful before closing on a house with big trees, before an addition or driveway goes in under an existing tree, or when a neighbor's tree hangs over your property. Construction damage to roots is one of the most common reasons good trees decline, and it is easier to protect roots before the excavator arrives than to save the tree after.