Last week's storm taught me a hard lesson about dead elms

My neighbor's big elm came down Tuesday night during that wind event. I'd pointed out the crown dieback three months ago, said it needed to go. He said I was scamming for work. Now his garage roof is caved in and my saw is buried under 40 feet of trunk. Any of you guys have a go-to way to explain hazard trees to homeowners without sounding like you're upselling?

4 comments

4 Comments

barbara_baker571mo ago

My cousin's been in tree work 30 years and he always says the same thing - people trust threats they can see but not ones they can't. I noticed that with everything lately, not just trees. My neighbor ignored his cracked driveway for two years until his wife tripped and broke her wrist. Now he's got a lawsuit and a new driveway. Folks just don't believe something bad will happen until it actually does, especially when it costs money to prevent it.

the_anthony1mo ago

So is it just pure stubbornness or do people actually not see the warning signs til it's too late?

wyatt_green311d agoMost Upvoted

@the_anthony what finally worked for me was having a friend call me out on it

reesemoore1d ago

Man I read an article in Tree Care Magazine that said people are wired to ignore slow threats because our brains focus on immediate dangers. That explains a lot about why folks won't act until a limb is already creaking. You think there's any way to make a dead tree feel as urgent as a ticking time bomb to them?