Snags: Should You Remove The Dead Trees In Your Yard?
If you have one or two dead or decaying trees in your yard, you may debate whether or not to remove them. Although decaying trees, or snags, play a crucial role in keeping the environment safe for birds and other animals, the trees can be harmful in some cases. Some snags can harbor pests, such as termites and bugs, over time. Learn about snags and whether or not you should remove the decaying trees on your property below.
What Are Snags?
When trees decay, or begin to die, most homeowners remove them right away. However, some homeowners choose to keep their decaying trees on their property until they can no longer do so. Sources call trees that remain in the soil after they decay snags.
In many places around the United States, snags play a crucial or critical role in the environment. The trees become homes to a variety of wildlife, including squirrels, owls, and bees. However, snags that reside around or near residential homes and businesses may not be good to leave in place. The decaying trees may harbor insects and animals that could cause problems for you, including termites and raccoons.
Snags can also be hazardous if they fall on your home, garage, or vehicles. The trees may also lose limbs and branches during hurricanes and other seasonal storms. Once snags fall to the ground, they become structures called logs. Logs can become home to insects and small animals.
If the snags on your property harbor wildlife or look as though they may fall to the ground soon, remove them right away.
How Do You Remove a Snag?
The safest way to remove the snags from your property is to have a tree removal company do it for you. A tree removal company can use different cutting saws and other tools to break down and remove your trees safely. The trunks of your decaying trees may be too weak to keep the trees upright during the removal process.
In addition, a tree removal company will assess the root systems of your decaying trees. If the roots are still alive or relatively healthy, they may encourage new trees to grow on your property. If you want to keep the roots of your decaying trees in the ground, ask a company to leave them in place for you. A company can check to see whether or not the roots can produce healthy trees in the future.
If the roots of some of your trees are too damaged to keep underground, a company can remove them. A company may also need to remove any stumps that remain from your trees, especially if the stumps contain insects.
Learn more about snags and whether or not you should remove them by contacting a tree removal service—such as Indiana Tree Service—today.