How to Tell If Your Tree Is Dead: Common Symptoms to Look For
May 12, 2025
Determining whether a tree on your property is dead or living can sometimes be a tricky undertaking. While it is possible to revive sick or dying trees, bringing dead trees back to life is typically not feasible. There are several reasons to remove a dead tree, but how exactly can one tell if a tree is dead, sick, or healthy?
All the Above Tree Service is here to explain what can cause a tree to die, and the signs of a dead tree so you can take the appropriate action for your property. Sometimes, life-saving measures can be done to save a dying tree, while other times warrant a complete tree removal for the health of your entire landscape.
If you suspect a tree in your yard may be dead, contact us right away! We offer a range of tree services designed to meet the needs of any property head-on.
How to Tell If Your Tree Is Dead vs. Dormant
This is where things get a little tricky. Trees, like bears, go into a sort of sleep mode called dormancy. It usually happens in colder months, and during that time, your tree won’t do a whole lot. It may look lifeless—but deep down, it’s just resting.
The difference between dormancy and actual death can be hard to spot. A dormant tree is basically pressing pause. A dead tree has pressed stop altogether. If your tree hasn’t shown any signs of life in months, even into spring, then it might be time to do a closer inspection.
Common Reasons a Tree May Be Dead or Dying
Many factors can mess with a tree’s health. Some develop slowly over time. Others hit hard and fast. Let’s walk through the most common ones.
Environmental Stress
A tree might get overwhelmed when weather patterns shift in weird ways. Drought, extreme cold, heatwaves, or sudden temperature swings can throw off its rhythm. Soil that’s packed too tightly can also make it hard for roots to breathe or absorb water. And when water gets scarce — or floods the area instead — the tree might react by slowing down growth or shedding leaves early.
Trees planted in the wrong spot sometimes struggle, too. If yours is planted in compacted soil, close to pavement, or in a place where sunlight barely makes it through, it could be fighting an uphill battle without much help.
Pest Infestations
When bugs show up in large numbers, trees suffer. Beetles, borers, and mites can invade the bark or feed on leaves. They chew away at a tree’s energy and structure, creating wounds that leave it vulnerable to infection.
Fungal and Bacterial Diseases
Fungi and bacteria often move in when a tree is already feeling weak. These diseases can spread through the roots, leaves, or bark, slowly draining life from the tree. Some of the most common culprits include root rot, cankers, and powdery mildew.
Physical Damage
Sometimes, the problem isn’t underground or internal—it’s physical. A storm can snap limbs or split a trunk down the middle. Construction work might damage roots. Even a car bumping into the trunk can cause harm. Wounds like these can be entry points for pests or diseases, and if the damage cuts off the tree’s ability to move water or nutrients, it might start declining pretty quickly.
Symptoms of a Dead Tree
There exist a few visual signs and some tests you can perform on the tree itself, which may signify it’s no longer living.
Bare Branches
If they’re abnormally bare during a season, they shouldn’t be, like spring or summer; there’s a good chance the tree is too far gone to save. Sometimes, branches on only one half of the tree are bare while the other half is full. In this instance, the tree may be diseased on only one side, causing the tree to become lopsided and eventually fall. If the tree is deciduous, check to see if the leaves cling during the winter, as this is another sign the tree may be dead.
Fungus
Fungus on the tree’s trunk is oftentimes an indication that the internals of the trunk are rotted out, and anything beyond the living fungus is dead or dying. However, fungus on a tree isn’t an automatic death sentence — tree treatment may be a viable option to restore health.
Trunk Wounds
Look out for cracks that run vertically along the tree trunk. Severe damage can indicate the tree is in bad health. As trees age, bark will fall off the trunk and grow back if it’s healthy. However, if a tree isn’t as healthy, you’ll notice areas (either large or small) on the trunk that are smooth areas of wood with no bark covering them.
Damaged Roots
A sign a tree’s roots are damaged is if the tree appears to be leaning. If the roots are weak or damaged, epicormic shoots (sprouts that indicate the tree is experiencing severe pressure underground) may be present at the base of the trunk. Things like excavation projects, construction, shallow root systems, extreme element exposure, or loose soil compaction can also factor into root health.
Performing a Scratch Test
A cambium layer is just under the dry outer layer of bark in a tree’s trunk. In a living tree, this is green; in a dead one, it is brown and dry. Scratching bark to see if the tree is alive involves removing a portion of the bark’s outside layer to peek at the cambium layer. Here’s what you can do:
Use your fingernail or a pocket knife to remove a small strip of exterior bark. If you perform the tree scratch test on a trunk and see green tissue, the tree is alive. However, this doesn’t always work so well if you apply it to a single branch since the one in question may be dead while the rest of the tree is alive.
Keep in mind that during times of drought and high temperatures, a tree may “sacrifice” branches, allowing them to die for the rest of the tree to stay alive. When performing a scratch test, choose several branches in different areas of the tree or stick with the trunk itself.
When to Call a Professional Arborist
Figuring out if a tree is dormant, sick, or truly dead isn’t always straightforward, plus the stakes involved can be quite high. While the scratch test and other visual cues offer helpful clues, a certified arborist possesses the specific training and expertise needed for a definitive assessment. Arborists use specialized knowledge coupled with diagnostic tools to evaluate tree health accurately. Attempting diagnoses for complex issues yourself might easily lead to misinterpretations or potentially costly mistakes.
That’s precisely where your dedicated team at All the Above Tree Service comes in; we stand ready to assist you. Should you happen to notice any of the concerning symptoms discussed earlier, or perhaps if a tree just doesn’t seem quite right to you, please give us a call. We can thoroughly inspect the tree’s actual condition before recommending the best course of action for your situation. Sometimes, careful pruning or specific disease treatments can successfully save a struggling tree, while other times, professional tree removal represents the safest solution to protecting your property and preventing future accidents. Remember, we also specialize in handling storm clean-up, effectively managing damage occurring after severe weather events, and offer responsive emergency tree removal, addressing situations requiring immediate attention because hazardous trees pose imminent danger.
Risks of Leaving a Dead Tree Untreated
Dead trees create numerous hazards that grow worse over time. As wood decays, branches become increasingly likely to break unexpectedly during even mild weather conditions, potentially causing injury or property damage without warning. Entire trunks eventually weaken structurally, making catastrophic failures possible during storms or high winds.
Dead trees also attract unwanted pests, including carpenter ants, termites, and various beetles, which might eventually migrate toward your home after establishing colonies in decaying wood. Moreover, disease organisms flourish in dead trees and can spread to nearby healthy trees, threatening your entire landscape investment. Taking action sooner helps avoid bigger headaches down the line.
Think You Have a Dead Tree? Call Now for an Expert Evaluation!
Are you worried about a tree in your yard after reading this? Seeing some tell-tale signs like dead branches, peeling bark, or maybe just a general lack of vitality? Please don’t leave it to chance! The health and safety of your property could be at stake. Let the certified arborists of All the Above Tree Service provide peace of mind.
Reach out to us today and schedule an expert evaluation. We’ll come out, take a close look at your tree, and assess its condition thoroughly. We can explain our findings clearly to help you understand the options, whether it’s potential treatment or safe removal.