How Can You tell if Your Tree is dead?

Question

My blue spruce has fallen ill. Many gaping spaces and branches without pines. I'm looking into hiring someone to revive it, but I think it may be too late. What signs should I look for, before spending money or time on saving the tree?

Answer 1

If you cut on of the branches and it is white inside, it is good tissue and still alive. Your tree may be declining, however, and some branches may be dead, some alive.

You may have some sort of vascular disease or insect infestation. I would get a certified arborist to come out to give you a preliminary diagnosis on the health and structural sound of the tree, they may recommend that it be removed. You can go from there.

Answer 2

It's actually pretty easy to tell.

Underneith the bark is a layer called the Cambium. This layer is extremely thin and is where the growth occurs. In a living tree, the Cambium is a light green (grass) color.

To see if your tree is still alive, just go up to it and gently scape away a small piece of bark, using a fingernail. If you see a green layer between the bark and the wood, it is alive. If that layer is not there, it is dead.

Do NOT actually remove any bark, just scape with a finger nail until you either see green or brown wood.

This can be dome on the trunk to see if the tree itself is alive and can be dome on each branch to determine the live ones from the dead.

Answer 3

Prune all the dead out first and wait a week or two. Cut it back about 1/3 and see if that helps if not it is probably dead.

Answer 4

If you see no new growth ...then the roots are dead

Answer 5

does it look dead ? then it probly is

Answer 6

oh ur dead... u have to sympathized