Tree Health Assessments in Grand Rapids, MI

Tree health assessments answer the question most homeowners actually have: should this tree stay or go? A thinning crown, a crack in the trunk, mushrooms at the base or a tree that leafed out late can mean very different things depending on the species and what is causing it. In the Grand Rapids area, the usual suspects include emerald ash borer, oak wilt, decay behind old storm wounds and, increasingly, hemlock woolly adelgid moving inland from the Lake Michigan shoreline. An assessment looks at the whole tree and what it could hit, and ends with a recommendation you can act on.

What we look at

We start at the ground: soil heaving, root damage from construction or trenching, fungus at the root flare, and mulch or soil piled against the trunk. Then the trunk: cracks, cavities, seams, loose bark and lean. Then the crown: dead limbs, thinning, discolored leaves and weak forks. Finally the targets: a roof, a car, a play set, a neighbor's house. A tree with a defect in an open field is a different problem from the same tree over a bedroom.

Ash trees

The state says emerald ash borer has killed tens of millions of ash trees in Michigan since it was found in 2002. Signs are D-shaped exit holes about an eighth of an inch across, S-shaped tunnels under loose bark, woodpecker damage that leaves pale patches on the trunk, and a crown that dies back from the top. Michigan no longer asks people to report it, because it is everywhere. A surviving ash in good condition may be a candidate for insecticide treatment by a licensed applicator; one with heavy dieback near a house is usually a removal.

Hemlocks

Hemlock woolly adelgid is a small invasive insect that sucks sap from hemlock twigs. Michigan has confirmed it in counties including Ottawa, Muskegon, Allegan and Van Buren, close to Kent County, and the City of Grand Rapids lists it among the invasive pests its forestry staff manage. Look for small white, cottony masses on the undersides of branches at the base of the needles, easiest to see from late fall to early spring. The state says untreated trees die within four to ten years, and asks residents to report suspected infestations through MISIN or by calling 800-292-3939. Treatment works when it is applied correctly.

Oaks and other signs

Oaks that wilt suddenly in summer, with leaves browning from the tips inward, should be tested for oak wilt before anyone cuts them. Maples with large seams, weeping wounds or conks (shelf fungi) on the trunk may have internal decay; how much sound wood is left decides whether the tree is a risk.

What you get

We explain what we found and what we recommend in plain terms: leave it and watch it, prune out the problem, consider treatment, or remove it. If the question is a complex diagnosis or an insecticide program, we tell you that too, so you can get a lab test or an ISA Certified Arborist's opinion before spending money on a removal.