What To Do With a Dead Tree: A Complete Guide
Find a way to get rid of dead trees quickly
Dead trees don’t belong in your yard—they can become a hazard to other landscaping features and, let’s face it, an eyesore. So, what should you do with a dead tree? Taking the dead tree down is a vital step, but after that you have many options. Whether you want to start a wood-oriented project or get rid of the tree entirely, it’s time to pick a path. Let’s go over how to find your tree’s final destination.
How to Prep for Removing or Reusing a Dead Tree
Before deciding what to do with your dead tree, take these prep steps to ensure the best and safest results.
Act Quickly to Remove Property Risks
A dead tree is not an ornamental feature for your property. On the contrary, it poses several dangers depending on how it died. Those include:
The risk of a tree falling and causing damage
Increased fire hazards, as dried-out wood catches fire much more easily than a living tree would
Attracting pests that are attracted to rotting wood, including termites, wood beetles, and more (plus noisy woodpeckers on the hunt)
Hosting a spot for fungi and mold to grow, which could infect other spots in your yard
Risk of tree limbs falling
This is why it’s important to check if a tree is dead, and avoid leaving it standing for too long. Let’s focus on what to do next.
Get an Expert Assessment
It can be difficult to determine whether there’s a chance of saving a dying or diseased tree. Trees often die slowly, and the signs of death aren’t always obvious right away. You can cut a piece of the trunk or a large branch and see if the wood inside has browned and dried out, but it’s not clear cut for every tree.
That’s why we suggest contacting a professional arborist or tree maintenance specialist for a consultation visit. Arborists, who are often employed by nurseries, landscape managers, and tree service companies, specialize in tree care. They can help you understand if your tree is dead or how to save it. It’s a great first step when making plans, especially for large trees. A visit may only cost around $100 for a professional opinion.
6 Options for What to Do With a Dead Tree
Once you’ve determined that your tree is dead, choose one of the following options to remove or use it.
1. Cut It Down
The most obvious solution is to cut down the dead tree, and that’s the likely starting point. For smaller trees, usually with trees less than six inches in diameter, cutting down the tree yourself is a doable DIY project with a saw or small chainsaw (plus the right protective equipment, of course).
But trees larger than that can require experience and careful techniques to avoid injury or damage when cutting them down. You’ll need to hire a professional tree maintenance service near you to cut the tree down and divide it up for you. When you’re looking for a local company to cut down your tree, always get an in-person estimate for an accurate cost, and make sure that the price of removal is included in your quote. A tree removal can cost between $200 and $2,000, depending on the tree type and size, its location, and additional services.
2. Re-Use Tree Branches and Logs in Landscaping
Whether you’ve cut and taken apart a tree yourself or had a professional do it, you probably have trunks sections and tree limbs to deal with. What should you do with them?
Instead of letting them take up space in your trash or yard bins, we suggest using them wherever you can (with the go-head granted by an arborist).
For a rustic theme, you can cut, strip, and sand attractive branches to use as wall decorations, borders in landscaping, and more. Give larger trunks the same treatment and use them as perches for birdhouses or bench seats.
You can fashion tree limbs into homespun stools, latticework, gates, or mounts. Be sure to keep all the dry wood away from your outdoor fireplaces. Or with some woodworking, you may be able to transform smaller branches or trunk slices into display platters, candleholders, bookends, and other indoor-friendly pieces for a perfect cabin style.
You can use dead tree limbs to create natural fences and privacy walls, which the local wildlife will also enjoy. Positioning the branches in a tight weave to hide a property eyesore is a quick project and works well.
3. Hire a Company to Mill a Tree for Lumber
If your dead tree is a large specimen and still has a lot of healthy wood, consider looking for a local tree service company that can mill the tree professionally to produce lumber you can use for projects. If you have experience in woodworking or turning lumber into art, this task could provide materials for years of fun DIY projects.
The milling service usually charges a labor fee per hour, plus a fee per board foot or “bf” that can range from $0.15 to several dollars or more, depending on the project. Keep in mind you may have to transport the wood yourself for milling.
4. Leave the Tree In Nature for a Healthy End
If you don’t want to use the dead tree for landscaping or projects, you can cut it down, transport it to a secluded spot, and let nature do its work. This option has more benefits than you may expect: When tree parts naturally decompose, they provide nutrients for the soil, safe spots for local wildlife, and a nurturing place for new growth. However, it’s not a process you want in your backyard, so you’ll need to find a local grove or forest where it can decompose legally and peacefully.
5. Mulch the Tree For Future Landscaping
If the tree is still in good condition and free of disease, you can arrange to hire a professional tree service to turn it into mulch and use it for landscaping. That pile of mulch can help insulate plants over winter, brighten up garden paths or flowerbeds, and serve as an airy layer of protection around trees and shrubs.
6. Grind or Remove the Tree Stump
After removing the dead tree, we recommend making arrangements to remove the tree stump. If you have a smaller tree, you can usually dig out the stump yourself, working to get as many of the roots as you can.
Larger stumps pose a greater challenge. Instead of burning or dissolving the trunk, which creates additional risks (and may violate local ordinances), consider professional stump grinding. Grinding removes the entire visible part of the stump and allows you to cover the area with sod or turn it into a different kind of centerpiece. Stump grinding costs $120 to $400, in addition to the tree removal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once you confirm a tree is dead, you should remove it. Dead trees eventually fall, and larger trees in particular can cause damage to rooftops, fencing, flowers, and other objects. As we mentioned, letting decayed wood stay in your yard also invites risks to the surrounding landscaping and vegetation.
It could be anywhere from weeks to years for a dead tree to fall. A dead tree falls based on its weight, how it leans, the state of its roots, the state of decay, and what local windstorms are like, among other factors. Since it’s hard to predict the fall’s timing, it’s important to cut down a dead tree quickly and avoid any unpleasant surprises.
We recommended removing the tree stump because it can create many of the same problems as a dead, decaying tree. Those stumps can rot over time, creating an attraction for bugs, fungi, and other unwelcome yard guests.
If your tree specialist says that a hardwood tree is in excellent condition, you may be able to use the stump as a decoration for years to come. However, it’s still important to keep an eye on it, and arrange to remove the stump if it starts to show significant signs of decay.
Your neighbor is not in a good position to know if your trees are truly dead or pose any kind of danger. That’s why hiring an arborist or tree service expert can be such an important part of the process. If the trees are still alive and don’t pose any threat, you’re in the clear (but you may want to document and photograph everything in case events turn sour down the road).
But if a tree is visibly dead and near the property line, you should remove it to be safe. If a dead tree falls on a neighbor’s property, they may have grounds to sue for negligence. If any branches on trees have died, it’s a good idea to cut them back for similar reasons.