Signs a Tree Is Dangerous: A Checklist for Tyler Yards

Cracks, a new lean, dead limbs over the roof, mushrooms at the base. Walk your yard with this checklist, then decide how urgent it is.

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Cracks, a new lean with lifting soil, large dead limbs, cavities or decay, and mushrooms at the base are the main signs a tree may fail.

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The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) puts it plainly: there's no such thing as a completely safe tree, and all trees can fall, but only a small number hit something or someone. The goal is to find the few that could, before the next storm does.

The walk-around checklist

Walk around each large tree near the house, driveway, fence or play area. Look from the ground up. These are the questions ISA's tree risk brochure asks, grouped by where to look:

Look at	Warning sign	What it can mean
The crown	Large dead branches, or broken ones hanging in other limbs	ISA calls dead branches probably the most obvious hazard; hanging limbs may still shift and fall
	Leaves smaller than usual or an odd yellow color	The tree is stressed or declining
	Branches with all their weight out at the tips	Poor taper; ISA says these fail more often
The trunk	Long cracks or splits, on the trunk or where big limbs join	A likely failure point
	Two trunks of similar size splitting from one point	Codominant stems can often fail at the union
	Cavities, rotten wood, loose bark, cankers or wounds	Possible internal decay
The base and roots	Mushrooms or other fungus at the base	A sign of decay you can't see
	Soil cracking or heaving, especially on one side of a leaning tree	The roots may be moving
The surroundings	Recent construction, digging, new paving or a change in grade	Root damage that can show up months later
The tree's history	Topping or heavy pruning in the past	Weak regrowth and decay at old cuts

Take photos of anything you find, with something for scale. They help whoever you call.

How urgent is it?

ISA says the risk from a dead branch depends on its size and how far it is from potential targets. Use that idea to sort what you found:

Now: a cracked or split trunk leaning toward the house; a large hanging limb over a door, driveway or play area; a tree with soil heaving after rain; anything touching a power line (call the utility, not a tree crew).
Soon: large dead limbs over the roof or driveway; a dead or dying tree within reach of the house; mushrooms or cavities on a tree near a target.
Watch: a thinning crown on a tree far from anything; small dead twigs; an old, stable lean with no soil movement.

Tyler conditions that raise the stakes

Wet ground before a storm. KLTV's coverage of the June 3, 2024 storms tied fallen trees on Smith County roads to soil that was already soaked. ISA says strong winds can uproot trees, particularly when heavy rain has softened the soil.
Hypoxylon canker in stressed oaks. Texas A&M Forest Service says the fungus decays sapwood so fast that killed trees can be dangerous even to climb, and that such trees near structures, roads, fences or power lines should come out as soon as possible. See why oak trees are dying around Tyler.
Drought-weakened post oaks and pines. The 2025 Forest Health Highlights report found widespread post oak decline and large areas of pine mortality across East Texas.
Construction near old trees. AgriLife agent Cary Sims wrote for KLTV in July 2026 that heavy equipment over the root zone compacts soil and damages roots, and that the tree can look fine at first and show stress months later.
Ice and leftover storm damage. ISA warns that broken limbs hanging overhead may keep moving after a storm has passed. See storm-damaged trees.

Options besides cutting it down

ISA lists four ways an arborist may manage a risky tree:

Prune out the defective branches. Done badly, pruning weakens a tree, so ask how it will be done. Our guide to topping vs. crown reduction explains the difference.
Cable and brace it. Hardware adds support to weak branches or split stems. ISA notes that supports don't rule out failure.
Give it routine care. Water, mulch, pruning and, in some cases, nutrients.
Remove it. ISA says some trees with unacceptable risk are better removed, ideally with a new tree planted in a better spot.

Who should look at it

ISA recommends having a tree examined by an arborist if you answered yes to any checklist question. ISA also offers a Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ), which you can ask about. In Tyler, the Parks and Recreation Ask the Arborist line, (903) 531-1370, takes tree care questions. Our page on arborist vs. tree service explains who does what.

If the tree belongs to a neighbor, see neighbor tree laws in Texas for how to put your concern in writing.

If it has to come out

HomeAdvisor puts typical tree removal at $200 to $2,000, averaging $750 nationally (checked October 2026). Height and nearness to the house move the price most. See the Tyler tree removal cost guide and tree removal in Tyler, or go back to the Tyler tree service home page.

Common questions

How can you tell if a tree will fall soon?

No one can say exactly when, but some signs point to trouble: cracks or splits in the trunk or where big branches join, soil cracking or lifting around a leaning tree, cavities or rotten wood, mushrooms at the base, and large dead or hanging branches. ISA says any of these is a reason to have the tree examined by an arborist.

Are mushrooms at the base of a tree a bad sign?

They can be. ISA lists mushrooms at the base or under the tree, and other fungal growths, among the signs of decay. Decay inside the trunk or roots isn't visible from outside, so have a tree with mushrooms at its base looked at, especially if it could reach the house.

Is a leaning tree dangerous?

A lean on its own isn't always a problem. ISA says cracks or separations in the soil can mean the roots are moving, which is a warning sign for failure, especially if the tree is leaning. A lean that's new, or getting worse after rain, deserves a prompt look.

If my dead tree falls on my neighbor's house, am I responsible?

You may be. Texas Law Help's disaster manual says damage from a healthy tree knocked down by a storm is generally treated as an act of God, but an owner who fails to remove or secure a dead or diseased tree may be liable. See our neighbor tree laws page for more.

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Last updated 2026-10-24