Is Your Tree Leaning? Reason and Options

A leaning tree can be a serious concern for you and your family, especially if the leaning tree is close to your home. This post will look at the possible reasons why your tree is leaning and why relying on professional tree service in Houston by Nature’s Tree Removal is your best option.

Reasons Why Your Tree Is Leaning

Several factors could cause a tree to lean, from growth habits and location issues to external damage. Let’s take a closer look at each of these factors.

Growth Habits

Some of the main growth habits that can determine how straight your tree is, include:

  • Weak trunk development: If your tree has a curved or twisted trunk, it is more likely to lean.
  • Unbalanced canopies: If the tree has an unbalanced canopy, it will lean toward the heavier side. In some cases, the extra weight on one side can cause the tree to fall.

Location Issues

In some cases, the lean can have more to do with the tree’s location than its health. Common locations issues that lead to leaning trees include:

  • Crowding and shade: While short-growing, flowering trees can grow straight even when shaded, taller trees tend to lean toward the sunlight or look for the room they need to grow.
  • Poor soil structure: The soil might not be conducive enough to anchor the tree and support its root system. The tree might also lean should the soil be too compact for the tree roots to penetrate.

External Damage

Besides growth habits and location issues, your tree could experience external damage that could cause it to lean. Your tree may be leaning due to:

  • Strong winds: Strong winds, especially when combined with soil drenched in rain, can cause a tree to lean. A tree leaning due to strong winds often has disturbed soil around the base of its trunk. Sometimes, this disturbance could point to an impending fall.
  • Man-induced damage: If your tree is hit by a car or rammed into by a riding lawn mower, the resulting broken roots or trunk damage could cause it to lean.

What You Can Do

The solution to your leaning tree heavily depends on why the tree is leaning. For instance, if the leaning is due to crowding, thinning out the canopies will allow more light in and reduce crowding, while supports on the tree will help correct the problem.

You can also use pruning if your tree is leaning due to an unbalanced canopy. Thinning the heavier side can balance the canopy and resolve the issue before the tree falls or develops an irreversible lean.

You can use temporary supports to fix leans caused by external damage. These supports help straighten the trunk until new roots grow in to anchor the tree better.

Unfortunately, it is challenging to remedy the situation if your tree is leaning due to poor soil structure. However, you can use tree supports to prevent the situation from worsening and the tree from falling.

Regardless of the cause, you have a better chance of resolving the issue if you address it early. Once your tree is stable in its leaning orientation, straightening it can destabilize the tree and increase the risk of it falling.

Professional Tree Service in Houston, TX

Are you worried about a leaning tree? Nature’s Tree Removal has a team of experts committed to offering residents the services they need to resolve the issue and ensure their trees stay healthy and grow as expected.

Get in touch with Nature’s Tree Removal today at (713) 824-9036. We will determine why your tree is leaning and provide you with the tree trimming and pruning services that will help remedy the issue.

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