Contents (Click To Jump)
- 1 What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Delray Beach?
- 2 Does the City of Delray Beach Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
- 3 Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Delray Beach?
- 4 How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Delray Beach?
- 5 Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Delray Beach?
- 6 What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Delray Beach?
- 7 How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Delray Beach?
What Are the Most Common Tree Issues in Delray Beach?
Delray Beach, Florida is a lovely small city situated on the coast and sits between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale. Nearly 70,000 people call the area home, and tourists are attracted to its sprawling public beaches, incredible museums, and the temperate weather during the winter. In order to keep our city naturally beautiful, it’s important for the public to understand which tree issues commonly plague the area. This way, we can all work together to keep our city’s trees healthy and strong and slow the progression of invasive and harmful diseases. Three of the most common issues we see here include anthracnose, fire blight, and Laurel Wilt disease.
Anthracnose
Anthracnose, or Colletotrichum leaf spot, is common in our area, and it is caused by a fungus that infiltrates your trees. This fungus is easily spread from one tree to another via spores that can travel in rainwater or controlled irrigation to infect other nearby hosts. Anthracnose results in dark spots on leaves, and leaves may drop prematurely in more severe cases. This disease is usually not deadly, but there are several important steps you should take sooner rather than later to prevent it from coming back next spring.
We often recommend the application of fungicides as soon as you notice the issue, and any infected leaves and dead branches should be destroyed. This disease tends to thrive when trees are stressed out, so it’s helpful to ensure that your tree is getting enough water, and place mulch around the base when necessary.
Fire Blight
Fire blight wreaks all kinds of havoc on trees; primarily apple, pear, and cherry trees. It’s caused by bacteria that often enters the trees through its blossoms, sometimes on pollinating insects like bees, in the spring, and it can turn leaves and fruits black in almost no time at all. These bacteria prefer warm and wet conditions, so particularly rainy springs can make this disease more problematic than in dryer springs.
If you notice that your fruit trees have blackened leaves, shriveled up fruits, and bacteria ooze streaming out of fruits or flowers, you may have a case of fire blight on your hands. Fire blight doesn’t always kill trees right away, and being proactive about removing affected branches with careful sanitation practices can go a long way. In more severe cases, we may also recommend the use of antibiotics or complete removal to prevent the disease from spreading to your other trees.
Laurel Wilt Disease
Laurel Wilt disease is a deadly fungal disease that kills more than 90% of the trees it infects. It is transported from tree to tree by the red bay ambrosia beetle, and it affects all kinds of hosts. One such host is the federally endangered pondberry, and avocado growth and distribution could be completely eliminated in Florida due to this disease.
This disease kills trees quite rapidly by cutting off the vascular system of trees, rendering them unable to transport water and nutrients throughout their many branches and leaves. As a result, the tree often begins to die toward the top, and mild discoloration of the tree’s vascular system becomes apparent. As the disease progresses, frass tubes, which are straw-like structures that emerge from the tree, become apparent. This sets off a vicious cycle, as more beetles become attracted to the dead or dying tree, and death can occur quite rapidly after initial infection.
Although this disease was originally detected in South Carolina and Georgia in 2004, it has spread rapidly, now covering large swaths of many southern states. There isn’t much we can do to save a tree once it’s infected, but there may be some steps we can take to protect the other trees on your property from this disease.
Does the City of Delray Beach Provide Any Assistance in Tree Removal Problems?
The City of Delray Beach prioritizes tree care in the city in order to maintain its picturesque appearance and to support the local ecology. The city regularly maintains its trees, as a larger volume of trees within city limits is beneficial for increasing local biodiversity, reducing noise pollution, preventing storm runoff, and so much more.
The City helps with tree assistant problems by providing tree removal permits in many tree removal cases that require the work to be done by a licensed or certified arborist like Tree Triage to ensure it will be removed in a safe and proper manner. In some cases, Delray Beach may require a tree replacement for certain trees that are removed to maintain the natural benefits trees provide.
Who Is Responsible for Fallen Tree Removal in Delray Beach?
Fallen trees are an unfortunate occurrence, but when they do happen, a fallen tree won’t remove itself. Who will be responsible for getting the tree removed can be tricky to figure out, especially in the heat of the moment, but there are a few general rules that apply to most situations.
If you’re a homeowner?
Those who own their home, and its surrounding property, are also responsible for taking care of the trees that sit on their property. This includes regular maintenance to keep your trees healthy, strong, and non-hazardous, but that also means having to get a tree removed after it falls.
If you’re a renter?
Renters typically don’t have to worry about getting a fallen tree removed from the property they rent, though they should let their landlord know as soon as possible after a tree does fall. Unless your rental agreement states that the tenant must get fallen trees removed, that responsibility normally goes to the landlord.
If you’re a landlord?
One of the most important tasks for a landlord is to ensure that their properties are well-maintained and free from hazards or dangerous conditions. Weak or dead trees can pose a major safety risk to your tenants, so it’s in your best interest to regularly inspect the property to ensure your trees remain healthy and safe. When a tree does fall on one of your properties, there is a high likelihood that you will be responsible for its removal unless you have a clause in the rental agreement stating otherwise.
If you’re a neighbor?
When a tree falls from one neighbor’s yard to another, the person who owns the property that the tree ended up on is usually responsible for getting it removed. This often feels unfair, especially for the person who ends up footing the bill. For this reason, we always recommend that neighbors speak to one another about these matters before they actually occur to come to an agreement ahead of time.
How Does the Soil Affect Trees in Delray Beach?
Because Delray Beach is located so close to the coast, much of our soil is very sandy and drains too quickly. As a result, many of our trees have difficulty absorbing enough water and nutrients after rainfall because the soil promotes excessive drainage. Fortunately, this problem can be fixed relatively simply in many cases with the addition of organic matter. Organic matter, which contains decomposing plant and animal matter, not only provides tons of helpful nutrients but also helps combat excessive drainage.
Of course, soil composition can vary from one corner of your yard to another, which is why soil testing can be so helpful.
Does Weather Affect Tree Health in Delray Beach?
We are fortunate to receive pretty great weather all year long, especially when compared to other states during wintertime. Because we experience mild winters, trees are able to continue growing and thriving throughout the entire year. We also get almost double the amount of rainfall per year compared to the national average, and both of these conditions can encourage fungus and bacteria to spread easily.
What If Dead Trees Are Near Power Lines in Delray Beach?
FPL, the local utility company, regularly inspects and maintains trees to prevent electrical outages and hazardous conditions. They can also come out to inspect a tree if you believe it is dead or growing too close to the main power lines when you submit an online vegetation request. Trees that are growing close to power lines that connect directly to your house often have to be handled by a contractor that you are responsible for hiring, like Tree Triage. You should let us know when work will be done so that we can cut off the power for safety reasons.
How Much Does Tree Removal Usually Cost in Delray Beach?
Most homeowners can expect to pay around $585 for tree removal services in Delray Beach, but you may pay much more (up to around $2,100) or much less (as little as $175) depending upon your own unique situation. There are many factors that can affect the price of these services, but the three largest factors we take into account when calculating a final bill include the size of the tree, the location of the tree, and whether other services are needed after removal.
Size of the Tree
As you can imagine, taking down a giant, sprawling tree is quite an undertaking. It often requires us to enlist the help of more staff members, and larger trees take much longer to remove than smaller ones. For this reason, the larger the tree you need to be removed, the more you can expect to pay.
Location of the Tree
If you need a tree removed that is out in the open, away from property and other trees, we can use simple and fast techniques to remove it. This will result in a smaller bill. If, on the other hand, the tree in question is rooted right next to homes, or is in a hard-to-reach area, we will likely have to bring in special equipment or use more complicated techniques to ensure the removal process is safe for our staff as well as you and your family.
Other Services Provided
Trees are removed for all kinds of reasons, whether it’s because they are in the way of a new construction project, or because they are already dead. When trees have to be removed because they are dying of a disease, we almost always recommend additional services, like the application of antibiotics or fungicides, to prevent the disease from killing other trees on your property. It might cost you a bit more for these preventative services, but they will pay for themselves if they prevent you from having to pay to remove other trees that met the same fate.