Scary Trees: Why Halloween is the Perfect Reminder to Trim or Remove Problem Trees
Every year around Halloween, I drive through Cincinnati neighborhoods and see people going all out with decorations—ghosts hanging from trees, fake cobwebs, glowing pumpkins on porches. But every fall, I also notice something a little less festive… those real haunted trees.
You know the ones. Dead limbs hanging over the driveway. A massive trunk leaning toward the house. Or a tree that’s been half-dead since last winter but somehow still standing there, waiting for one good storm to finish the job.
At Queen City Arborists, we get a ton of calls this time of year that start with, “We’ve been meaning to get that tree looked at…”—usually right after a branch has already come down.
While on the scary topic of Halloween I would love to mention the horrid pruning jobs I’ve seen throughout Cincinnati that were not done by a properly educated arborists to support the longevity of a tree but this is a sore subject i will discuss in another blog post. So, while everyone’s out hanging fake skeletons, I figured I’d talk about the real scary stuff: the trees that actually keep homeowners up at night.
The Tree Nightmares We See Every Fall
Every October, we’re called to deal with the same problems all over Cincinnati:
Limbs that have been creaking in the wind for months before finally snapping.
Dead or hollow trees that look solid until you get up close and realize they’re soft as a sponge inside.
Branches hanging over homes and power lines that are one ice storm away from doing damage.
Old stumps that trip people or attract bugs—especially carpenter ants and termites looking for a winter home.
These things might not seem urgent when the weather’s calm, but come November and December, they turn into expensive emergencies fast. We can not stress it enough; it is almost 50% cheaper to remove a hazardous tree while it is standing. Emergency responses to fallen trees are very expensive and this does not include the dance you will partake in with insurance post accident. I had an insurance company tell a client of ours in Hyde Park this year that the tree that fell on their house “was an act of god” and they were not covering the repairs.
UNBELIEVABLE?!
Don’t Wait for a Real Horror Story.
Halloween decorations come down after the 31st, but your trees are going to ~hopefully~ be there all winter long. If something looks sketchy, or if you’ve been “meaning to get that checked,” now’s the time.
Give us a call or shoot us a message for an inspection or estimate. We’ll let you know what’s safe, what’s risky, and what needs to go before winter hits.
Let’s make sure the only scary things in your yard this Halloween are the decorations.
We hope to educate and spread awareness throughout Cincinnati Ohio with our blog. Please never hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or concerns regarding tree work or our blogs!
