Dead & Hazard Tree Removal in Fort Lauderdale, FL

Dead and hazard tree removal is the planned version of storm cleanup. In Fort Lauderdale, a tree that is going to fail usually gives warning: a dead top, mushrooms at the base, a crack running down the trunk, a hollow sound when knocked, or a lean that was not there last year. Taking that tree down on a calm day, with room to rig every piece, is safer and usually costs less than pulling it off a roof after a hurricane.

Warning signs we look for

Dead wood in the crown and bark falling away from the trunk. Fungal conks or mushrooms at the root flare, which often mean decay in the roots or lower trunk. Cracks and seams, especially where two trunks meet in a tight V. Roots cut by a driveway, pool, seawall or irrigation project; UF researchers note that shallow-rooted trees are especially likely to die or fall over after construction disturbs the soil around them. Soil heaving or cracking on one side of the trunk. And for palms, a collapsed or brown spear leaf.

Species that fail here

UF/IFAS hurricane studies rank black olive, laurel oak and strangler fig in the lower half for wind resistance, and Australian pine, weeping fig, queen palm, Washington palm and Norfolk Island pine near the bottom. In older Fort Lauderdale yards, ficus planted as shade trees or hedges have often grown far larger than the space they were given. A hazard tree is the combination of a weakness and something to hit: a cracked limb over the pool cage matters more than one over an empty side yard.

Florida's risk-assessment rule

Florida Statute 163.045 matters a lot for hazard trees. On a single-family home lot, a city cannot require a permit, fee or replacement tree if the owner has documentation that the tree poses an unacceptable risk to people or property. The documentation must be an on-site assessment following ISA tree risk assessment procedures, signed by an ISA Certified Arborist or a Florida licensed landscape architect, and it has to show that removal is the only practical way to bring the risk below moderate. If you think your tree qualifies, we can explain what the assessment involves; you arrange it with the arborist or landscape architect, and keep a copy with your records.

Dead trees get worse with time

A dead tree dries and turns brittle, and in South Florida's heat and humidity, decay moves quickly. Limbs that would bend on a live tree snap on a dead one, which makes climbing and rigging less predictable. The sooner a dead tree comes down, the more options there are for doing it safely.