How to Identify a Sick Tree on Your Property

You can spot most tree health issues from the ground without specialist equipment. Five checks, ten minutes per tree. Here's the homeowner's version.

1. The canopy density check

Stand back from the tree and look up at the canopy against the sky. A healthy canopy is full enough that you can't easily see through it from one side to the other. A canopy you can see through (especially in the upper third) is showing dieback — leaves and twigs that should be there but aren't.

Compare the same tree to neighbours of the same species nearby. Different density between trees of the same species, similar age and similar conditions, almost always means one is struggling.

2. The leaf check

Pick a sample of leaves and look at them up close.

• Yellowing leaves outside autumn = nutrient deficiency or root issue
• Brown-edged leaves = water stress or salt burn
• Leaves with spots, blotches, or pustules = fungal infection
• Leaves that are smaller than usual = ongoing chronic stress
• Leaves dropping in early summer = the tree is shedding under stress

3. The trunk check

Walk slowly around the trunk and look for:

• Cracks running vertically (especially down past a single growth ring)
• Cavities or hollows where branches have failed in the past
• Sap or ooze running down the bark
• Mushrooms or fungal brackets growing out of the wood
• Bark falling off in sheets (other than seasonal shedding species)

4. The base and root zone check

Look at the area within 2-3m of the trunk:

• Soil cracks radiating out from the base = root plate movement
• Mushrooms growing in a ring = mycorrhizal (good) or root decay (bad — get it identified)
• Compacted soil, paving, or recent fill over the root zone = chronic root suffocation
• Visible damaged or cut surface roots = recent excavation injury

5. The lean check

Stand 20m back and check whether the tree is plumb. A lean that's been there for years (and the tree has compensated for with extra trunk taper on the lean side) is usually fine. A new lean — one you don't remember from last year — is serious.

Photograph the tree from the same spot every six months. The photo comparison catches changes you'd otherwise miss.

Putting it together

One mild symptom is rarely a problem. Multiple symptoms, or one severe symptom (visible decay, recent lean, major dieback) is your cue to get an arborist on site.

Our tree management plans include annual health checks on every significant tree on your property — documented, photographed, and tracked over time so you spot changes early.