Can Vines Be Dangerous?

Vines have been known to silently creep and crawl along our fences, walls and even up our trees. We rarely pay them mind or think them harmful. And rarely are they. But the trees they cover can become dangerous when they have defects. Especially, those we can not see. Hiding beneath those luxuriant, sun-seeking leaves may be cracks, cavities and rot; weakening the stability of our towering trees, and possibly threatening our home, and loved ones. This should be an area of concern for every homeowner, business  owner, and municipality, with big vine-covered trees within striking distance of a structure, and were people and pets frequent.

From a Tree Risk Assessor‘s viewpoint, if you can’t see the bark of the trunk and larger branches, we don’t know that it is safe (A). This homeowner did not feel safe with the large leaning oak near her home (B). After having the vines removed, she noticed the trunk did not look normal, and arranged for an impartial evaluation of her tree.  She didn’t want her decision based solely upon a “tree cutter’s” advice.

We found that almost half of the lower trunk was rotten (C). With the lean towards her house (B), this represents an unacceptable risk to her home and family. Based upon our expert recommendation, she made arrangements to have it removed (also see Invasive Plants).