Concerned about tree health

Question: Hello, we have lived in our house for 7 years and over that time have lost several trees, in the last year. We are concerned about the health of our trees, too, in particular that has a lot of shade for our yard. We are concerned that if we call a tree service, they will just tell us that they need to be cut down. We are wondering if there is a way to check the health of the tree and determine if there is a way to make it healthier as opposed to cutting it down. Thank you for any advice you can offer. I have attached photos in the hopes that this will help

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied March 30, 2023, 1:55 PM EDT
response: We recommend having any tree(s) of concern assessed by a certified arborist. Some are employed by tree-care companies, yes, but others consult independently and may be less biased towards recommending a course of action that would be costly. Arborists are trained in the science of tree care and risk assessment (for hazard trees, though not all arborists might have this latter expertise) and must keep up their training each year to retain their certification. Even so, it's possible two different arborists will come up with somewhat different diagnoses for a tree based on their individual experiences and approaches to evaluating the situation. They can't always intervene to rescue a tree from decline but can at least help identify possible causes of damage and sources of tree stress, some of which might be able to be alleviated to improve the tree's lifespan. Suburban stresses we can't always control do affect long-term tree health, though, and it's not uncommon for many trees to live much shorter lives in our landscapes compared with their counterparts in more undisturbed habitat.  The trunk in the photo might have a small amount of Smooth Patch, a fungal condition that is not a threat to tree health and which can be ignored. It's quite common on wild trees. In the bark close-up image we see lichen (also harmless and very common on bark) but no other issues. (We can't identify the tree species from bark alone.) The majority of tree pests and diseases attack trees under stress from conditions like drought, over-saturated soils in their root zone, or root injury (such as from construction or digging). Frustratingly, trees can be experiencing chronic or acute stress and not manifest symptoms we recognize right away; sometimes decline won't show up for months or even years later. This makes tracing-back the problem to a particular event or type of damage difficult, and no treatment can reverse any existing damage at that point from an insect or fungal/bacterial infection. Trees do have ways to try to halt the spread of wood decay within their trunks and branches, but this is not a process we can directly impact and time will tell if they successfully compartmentalize any existing decay.  Trees can decline or die for a wide variety of reasons, many of which are environmental and not pest- or pathogen-caused. Plus, often more than one stress factor that was involved either follows or overlaps with another, so a single event typically is not responsible for decline unless it was a catastrophic event, like a direct lightning strike.  From what we can see in the photos, the tree appears to be in decent shape, but an arborist may need to wait until foliage has emerged fully to better assess its canopy health.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied March 30, 2023, 4:53 PM EDT
response: Thank you so much for your quick and comprehensive response. I really needed that where to start in this house immensely. I’m also grateful for the link to the arborists.With appreciation, JenniferOn Thu, Mar 30, 2023 at 1:55 PM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:

responder: Answered by theHome and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied March 31, 2023, 10:59 AM EDT
response: You're welcome. You may want to take a look through this page as well... not because we think your tree looks concerning, but because it will tell and show you some signs that a tree is not doing well: https://extension.umd.edu/resource/how-do-you-decide-when-remove-tree   Christine

responder: The Question Asker Replied March 31, 2023, 3:54 PM EDT
response: Thank you again! This is so helpful!On Fri, Mar 31, 2023 at 10:59 AM Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote: