How to Assess a Dead Tree

How to figure out if the tree in your yard is dead or alive?

Step 1: Are Leaves Missing?

Step 2: Have More Limbs Than Usual Been Falling?

Step 3: Is There Unusual Formations Around Bases? Sawdust, Popcorn Like Nodules, Holes?

Step 4: If It Is Spring and Leaves Are Gone Are Smaller Twigs Forming?

Step 5: During the Winter Are There Smaller Limbs With Buds Ready to Bloom in Spring?

The absence of smaller limbs indicates tree disease.

Step 6: During the Summer Are There More Sucker Limbs and Leaves Appearing on the Trunk and Inside of the Tree?

Step 7: Is the Tree Green Because Its Only Covered in Ivy or Wisteria Vines?

Step 8: Are the Pine Needles Brown or Sparse?