James R. Collins

A tree needs to come down, the quote from a tree service felt expensive, and doing it yourself seems like a reasonable way to save some money. Risks of DIY tree removal in Florida go well beyond the obvious physical danger, though — the part almost nobody mentions is financial and legal, and it’s often […]

A hollow section, a storm-cracked trunk, or an old pruning wound on a tree — and bees steadily coming and going from the opening. Africanized bee nests in damaged Florida trees: a hidden removal hazard is exactly the situation this creates, and before anyone gets near it with a chainsaw, there’s one question that actually

You’ve spotted something on the tree — a growth on the bark, spotted leaves, a dark coating, or a sunken patch on the trunk — and you have no idea which of those actually matters. General signs of fungal infection in Florida trees fall into a handful of distinct categories, and the first useful step

You notice a raised area, a crack, or a gap in the soil near a tree’s base that wasn’t there before. Soil heaving: a warning sign of root failure in Florida? Sometimes. Is soil heaving a sign of root failure every time you see it? No — and the pattern of what you’re looking at

A branch is touching or growing toward an overhead line, and your first instinct is probably to call a tree service. Dealing with tree encroachment on power lines in Florida doesn’t always start there, though — depending on which wire you’re actually looking at, this might already be someone else’s job, and possibly a free

Leaves are thinning or browning during Florida’s dry months, and you’re not sure if that’s just normal seasonal behavior or a tree in real trouble. Managing tree stress during Florida’s dry season starts with a genuinely tricky problem: for a mature tree, the earliest sign often isn’t visible from where you’re standing at all. That’s