WHY IS MY TREE LEANING?

A leaning tree is a danger to all, not just it losing its attractiveness and beauty but the branches falling off or when it finally decides to take its last bow, the horror it could cause.

So “why is my tree leaning?” “Should I be concerned about my leaning tree?” Not to worry, all your questions and uncertainties will be guided to answers as you read through.

The additional beauty and great landscaping trees bring into the homes and gardens are just as unique and particular to each tree, so is their lean.

A tree doesn’t necessarily have to be unhealthy for it to lean; its location could be a problem; in fact, a tree leaning is absolutely dependent on the root. To expound on this, here are certain reasons why tree leans;

OVERCROWDING

Some trees will twist, turn, and lean to get the right amount of sunlight because it feels crowded, while other trees have adapted well enough to be planted under taller trees and will grow straight with no sign of lean when placed next to other trees.

Competition for food, light, and soil can cause the tree to grow in a direction it finds suitable, and this could be in strange angles, and of course, the tree might lean to avoid areas already crowded by other trees.

What should be done?

If your tree comes into the category of it leaning because it is surrounded by other trees and their canopies, you might want to prune some out by brush chipping and thinning out the canopies too. An effective solution is by supporting and staking, which would help straighten it out.

SOIL STRUCTURE

The main anchoring roots of trees grow in the top 2 feet of the soil in a horizontal direction, while those with strong taproots combine this by growing vertically into much deeper depths.

Overly sandy soil has a soil structure that is too weak to anchor a tree, a ground that is too compact for roots to penetrate will cause a tree to lean.

Irregularities in the soil could cause trees to lean if the roots of the trees are exposed, whether by erosion or sand storms, the root of the tree can lose its ability to maintain its vertical growth, which could cause it to lean.

What should be done?

Creating support for the tree could help straighten a tree with its soil structure as a problem; the best this will do is help prevent it from falling or continuously leaning.

On the other hand, if erosion or sand storms have caused too much damage for the tree to handle, recovery might not be possible, and tree stump removal or tree felling might be the best option.

DISEASES AND GROWTH HABIT

A diseased tree is likely to develop a lean due to instability caused by its disease in its roots, trunk, or branches.  

An unbalanced canopy and weak trunk development are growth habits prone to lead to a lean because the tree with an unbalanced canopy will lean towards the weightier side of the tree.

While in a weak trunk, the trunk might have a twisted or curved trunk or a tree with two trunks. This will eventually lead to a lean or the tree totally falling off.  

Unlike growth habits that have a better chance of being corrected early, diseased trees are prone to die and should be cut down immediately.

What should be done?

Pruning and thinning out the weightier side of the tree to balance out the tree might prevent it from going into an irreversible lean.

Once you notice your tree shows signs of having a tree disease, immediate pruning should be carried out. It could at least prevent the spread of the tree disease.

DAMAGES CAUSED BY WEATHER

Heavy rainfall, intense winds, and storms are liable to cause a lean. A leaning tree at 40% is likely to fall in a storm; how can you tell? The soil base of the trunk will show signs of disturbance, which indicates that it’s about to fall.

High wind can cause the tree to become unstable with an exposure of its root, which could eventually lead to downward-leaning of the tree branches.

A tree deprived of enough wind will grow in the direction in which the wind blows, causing the trunk to lean towards it, although its branches will grow in its normal direction.

What should be done?

If the angle of the tree is beyond 15 degrees, it should be cut down or have its stump ground. Leans caused by storms and heavy winds can be fixed by using temporary tree supports. The tree support will straighten and keep the tree in an upright position till its roots and the new ones it will produce are strong enough to anchor the tree.

Leaning trees not caused by wind tend to have a history of structural damage in their rooting system or usually from storm damages that have caused the root to break, sink, or fail to retain the support for the tree.

Once you notice the trunk entering the ground without a mound of soil on the side away from the lean, the root system of such a tree has sunk from either mechanical fracture, rot, or physical cutting of the soil subsidence.

If there is no mound on the backside of the lean and the root plates are being tipped out of the ground, this indicates the root is suffering from mechanical suffering or wounding.

Trees that have been cut down could be sold to make firewood or stored in your home and used for firewood.

Stump grinding is one removal method where a machine is used to literally grind the stump of the leftover of the cut tree into the ground.

To reduce the dangers of a leaning tree, at www.lightningstrikestree.com, we offer tree services like tree removal, tree surgery, brush chipping, tree felling, stump grinding, and tree removal services in Milton and Canton.