It’s getting closer to Halloween, but did you know something spooky could be lurking in your own backyard?
Lou Meyer, an arborist with the Davey Tree Expert Company that works in Maryland and in D.C., said “zombie trees” aren’t the brain-eating kind of zombies you should be on the lookout for, but instead are trees that may be dying on the inside, unbeknownst to you.
“A zombie tree is a tree that looks healthy, looks alive to the untrained eye, but to an arborist, is something scarier,” Meyer said.
Meyer said while so-called “zombie trees” may have green leaves on top, but a closer look at the trunk of the tree may show signs of a decaying tree at risk of falling.
“What you can look for are deficiencies, such as cavities, big holes in the trunks of the tree, especially at the base of the tree, because that’s where the tree takes the most pressure when the wind blows,” Meyer said.
At Patuxent River State Park in Brookeville, Maryland, Meyer spotted at least two trees with big, open cavities near the base of their trunks. The holes are a telltale sign of a tree that is not well.
“I could almost, if I wanted to, I could stick my hand through there (but) I don’t want a critter to come get me,” Meyer joked.
Another sign of a tree that is in decay is the type of fungus growing on it, which may be feeding on the decay inside the tree, and becomes an outward sign for you that something is wrong with the tree.
One type of fungi which feeds on decaying matter in trees looks like shells coming out of the bark and is known as “fungal conks.”
Meyer said not all trees showing deficiencies are at risk of falling immediately, but if they are near a home, driveway or playground, they should be looked at by an arborist.
“If you have a tree with a lot of internal decay, that will fail faster than one with less decay. If you have high winds that might topple a tree that otherwise would be OK,” he said.
Meyer said arborists can use hammers to test how hollow a tree is, or even a Resistograph, which is used to drill into the tree to test how bad of shape a tree is in. Sonic tomography, a process in which sensors on the trunk test the tree, can also be used.
“Now, all these things that come at cost, so you have to decide, how important is this tree to my property? How close is it to targets, and how much do I want to save this tree?” Meyer said regarding questions customers should ask themselves.
Meyer said one tree species is not more likely than another to become a zombie tree.
“All trees are living beings like you and me, and they can all succumb to sickness and disease,” he said.
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