ATLANTA — Atlanta's thick tree-canopy could be threatened by the winds and rain brought into the state by Hurricane Ian.
Trees that are weakened by disease are more likely to fall when the soil is soaked with rain and the winds gust. Michael Orme of Peachtree Arborists says it’s easy for the untrained eye to miss signs of disease.
Orme told 11Alive homeowners may not realize that a tree which appears healthy may have problems hiding inside.
“This looks healthy and green,” Orme said of a tree growing near the Beltline. “If I get really in the weeds here, this tip is dieback.”
Dieback is when a tree has dead spots, usually at the edge of the canopy, where there should be growth. It’s an indication that the tree may be in distress
“That tells me as an arborist that there could be decay happening inside the tree,” Orme added.
Another sign of trouble is fungus growing near the root of the tree.
Orme said it's an "indicator that root rot is going on."
However, a few signs of trouble don’t necessarily mean a tree has to go.
To make sure, Orme will drill inside the tree with a device called a Resistograph, which he said "will measure resistance inside the base of the tree and lets us take a look at how much decay is present at that point.”
Orme concluded by saying there are trees all over metro-Atlanta with problems the untrained eye can’t see.
“We have the largest tree canopy for a metro in the US,” he said. “Absolutely we’re going to have issues.”