The call came in at 6:15 on a Saturday morning in late January. The overnight snowstorm had dropped eighteen inches of heavy, wet snow across Keene—and the weight had finally been too much for the maple in David’s backyard.
“I’d been meaning to call someone about it,” he told us when we arrived for the emergency removal. “It had a weird lean, and some of the branches looked dead. But it wasn’t hurting anything, so I kept putting it off.”
Now it was lying across his garage roof. Two support beams were cracked. The door was completely destroyed. And his insurance company was asking why he’d left an obviously compromised tree standing next to his garage.
The damage was extensive. And it all could have been prevented with a simple assessment in November—before the snow arrived.
At Wilcox Tree Service, we see this pattern repeat every winter. Homeowners who ignore warning signs all fall suddenly face expensive emergencies when heavy snow exposes vulnerabilities that were always there.
Here’s the checklist we use when evaluating trees before snow season—the same signs you can look for to identify hazards before they become disasters.
Why Heavy Snow Makes Weak Trees Fail
Snow doesn’t just sit on branches—it transforms them into structures they were never designed to support.
The Weight Is Shocking
One cubic foot of fresh snow weighs about 7 pounds. Wet, heavy snow—the kind New Hampshire gets regularly—can weigh 20 pounds per cubic foot.
A mature tree might have hundreds of square feet of branch surface area collecting snow. The math adds up fast:
- Light, fluffy snow: hundreds of pounds added to the canopy
- Heavy, wet snow: thousands of pounds pressing down on branches
- Ice coating: weight that doesn’t melt or slide off, just keeps accumulating
Branches that easily handle their own weight in summer suddenly carry loads they were never meant to support.
The Stress Doesn’t Distribute Evenly
Snow collects on horizontal surfaces—the tops of branches, the places where limbs fork, anywhere that creates a platform.
Healthy, well-structured trees can handle this. But trees with weaknesses? The snow finds every vulnerability:
Dead branches have no structural strength—they snap under loads that living wood would handle easily.
Cracked limbs already under stress gain hundreds of pounds pushing down on existing weaknesses.
Leaning trees with compromised roots face additional force pulling them toward the ground.
Poorly structured branches with weak unions or bad angles don’t distribute weight properly—stress concentrates at failure points.
Winter doesn’t create these problems. It reveals them. And by the time snow exposes a weakness, it’s too late to prevent the failure.
The Fall Assessment: Your First Line of Defense
The time to evaluate trees is before leaves drop completely—late October through early November in Keene. This window gives you visibility without foliage while leaving time to schedule corrective work before winter arrives.
Walk your property with this checklist. Look carefully at every tree within falling distance of structures, vehicles, power lines, or high-traffic areas.
Warning Sign #1: Dead or Dying Branches
Dead wood doesn’t bend—it breaks. And under snow loads, it breaks without warning.
What to Look For:
No Leaves or Buds
In spring and summer, dead branches stand out—bare while everything else is green. In fall, it’s trickier, but look closely at branch tips. Do they have next year’s buds forming? If not, the branch is likely dead.
Brittle, Cracked Bark
Healthy bark is pliable and intact. Dead bark becomes brittle, cracks, and often falls away in pieces—exposing dry, gray wood underneath.
Easy to Break
If you can reach a small branch, try bending it. Living wood flexes. Dead wood snaps cleanly like a dry twig.
Mushrooms or Fungal Growth
Fungi only grow on dead or dying wood. If you see mushrooms, shelf fungi, or other growths on branches, internal decay is already advanced.
Why This Matters:
Dead branches gain no strength from the tree. They’re held in place only by their attachment point—and that connection is often compromised by the same decay that killed the branch.
When snow adds weight, dead branches are the first to fail. And they don’t fall gently—they come down with all the accumulated snow, creating dangerous, heavy projectiles.
What to Do:
If you spot dead branches overhanging structures, vehicles, or walkways, schedule removal before snow season. Don’t wait for storms to bring them down on your schedule—remove them on yours.
Wilcox Tree Service can selectively remove dead wood while preserving the health of the rest of the tree.
Warning Sign #2: Visible Cracks or Splits in Trunks and Limbs
Cracks are early warnings of structural failure. When snow loads increase, cracks widen—and eventually, they give way completely.
What to Look For:
Vertical Cracks in Trunks
Long cracks running up or down the trunk indicate the tree is under internal stress. These often form after storms or when trees experience rapid temperature changes (freeze-thaw cycles).
Winter stress will worsen these cracks. Each snow load pushes them wider until the trunk separates.
Horizontal Splits
These are more urgent than vertical cracks. Horizontal splits mean sections of the trunk or branch are beginning to separate. Under snow weight, separation accelerates.
Branch Unions with Visible Gaps
Where large branches meet the trunk, look for seams or separations. These weak unions are prone to failure under added weight.
Bark Splitting Away from Wood
When bark pulls away from the underlying wood, it exposes dead tissue underneath. This separation weakens structural integrity significantly.
Why This Matters:
Cracks don’t heal. They get worse. Winter’s freeze-thaw cycles force moisture into cracks, where it freezes and expands—pushing the crack wider with every cycle.
By the time heavy snow arrives, cracks that seemed minor in fall have become structural failures waiting to happen.
What to Do:
Cracks in major branches or trunks require professional assessment. Some trees can be stabilized with cables or bracing. Others need removal before they fail on their own terms.
Never assume a crack will “be fine.” It won’t—and snow will prove it.
Warning Sign #3: Leaning Trees or Exposed Roots
A tree that’s leaning didn’t start that way. Something caused it to shift—and that something indicates compromised stability.
What to Look For:
Sudden or Increasing Lean
Some trees grow at natural angles—that’s normal. What’s not normal is a tree that suddenly leans, or a lean that’s gotten worse over time.
Take photos now. Compare them in a few weeks. If the angle is changing, the root system is failing.
Soil Cracks or Heaving Around the Base
Walk around the trunk. Is the soil cracked on one side? Is the ground raised or separated where roots are pulling up? These are clear signs the root ball is shifting.
Exposed Roots That Weren’t Visible Before
Roots pulling out of the ground—especially on the side opposite the lean—show the tree is losing its anchor.
Soft or Saturated Soil
Press the ground around the base. If it feels spongy or stays wet longer than surrounding areas, drainage problems are compromising root stability.
Why This Matters:
Trees don’t suddenly develop rock-solid root systems in winter. If roots are failing in fall, snow loads will accelerate the process.
A leaning tree near structures, driveways, or power lines is an active threat. It’s not a question of whether it will fall—it’s a question of when and where.
What to Do:
Leaning trees require immediate professional assessment. Some can be stabilized. Most need removal before they complete their fall during the next storm.
If a leaning tree is near buildings or in high-traffic areas, this is an emergency—don’t wait for snow to push it over.
Warning Sign #4: Cavities, Hollow Sections, or Visible Decay
Trees can survive with some internal decay—but only to a point. Once decay compromises structural integrity, the tree becomes a hazard.
What to Look For:
Large Holes or Hollow Sections in the Trunk
Cavities form when internal decay progresses far enough to hollow out sections of wood. Shine a flashlight into any visible holes—if you can’t see the back wall, the cavity is extensive.
Soft, Punky Wood
Press on the bark near the base or around old wounds. If it feels soft or spongy, the wood inside is rotting.
Mushrooms or Conks Growing on the Trunk
These shelf-like fungal growths indicate advanced internal decay. By the time fungi appear above bark, the tree’s structural wood is significantly compromised.
Sawdust or Wood Chips Around the Base
Piles of sawdust or small wood chips suggest insect activity—borers and beetles tunneling through weakened wood.
Dark Staining or Seeping
Discolored areas on the bark, especially if accompanied by moisture or odor, signal bacterial or fungal infections inside the tree.
Why This Matters:
A tree’s trunk is its structural foundation. When internal decay reduces the amount of solid wood supporting the canopy, the entire tree becomes unstable.
Snow loads don’t care how the tree looks from outside. They test internal strength—and decay-compromised trees fail that test catastrophically.
What to Do:
Visible cavities or advanced decay usually mean removal is the safest option. While trees can survive with some internal damage, predicting exactly how much decay a tree can tolerate before failure is impossible.
Professional assessment with tools like resistograph testing can measure internal wood density—giving you data instead of guesswork.
Warning Sign #5: Branches Overhanging Roofs, Driveways, or Power Lines
Even healthy branches become hazards when they hang over structures—because snow and ice turn them into heavy, unstable threats.
What to Look For:
Direct Overhang
Any branch directly above a roof, vehicle, walkway, or structure is a risk. If it fails, there’s no question where it’s landing.
Scraping or Contact
Branches that touch or scrape against roofs during wind are especially dangerous. They’re already under stress—snow weight will push them down harder.
Proximity to Power Lines
Branches within 10 feet of power lines can contact them during snow loads or high winds. This creates fire risks and power outages.
Heavy, Extended Limbs
Large branches that stretch far from the trunk are more prone to failure. They act as levers—small amounts of snow at the end create tremendous force at the connection point.
Why This Matters:
When overhanging branches fail under snow weight, they don’t fall alone—they bring accumulated snow and ice with them. The impact isn’t just branch weight—it’s hundreds of pounds crashing onto whatever’s beneath.
Roof damage, crushed vehicles, and downed power lines all result from overhanging branches that seemed fine until snow exposed their vulnerability.
What to Do:
Trim back branches before snow arrives. Create clearance between trees and structures, especially above roofs and driveways.
For branches near power lines, never attempt DIY work. Contact professionals like Wilcox Tree Service who coordinate with utility companies to trim safely around electrical infrastructure.
Warning Sign #6: Trees with Dense, Overgrown Canopies
Thick, untrimmed canopies might look lush and healthy—but they collect snow like buckets, creating far more weight than naturally thinned trees.
What to Look For:
Overlapping Branches
Dense growth where branches interlock creates flat surfaces that catch and hold snow.
No Light Penetrating Through
Stand under the tree and look up. If you can’t see sky through the canopy, it’s dense enough to collect serious snow loads.
Weak, Thin Growth Inside
Dense outer canopies shade inner branches, which become weak and spindly from lack of light. These weak branches fail first when snow loads increase.
Why This Matters:
Naturally thinned canopies allow snow to fall through. Dense canopies catch and hold every flake—accumulating weight until branches can’t support it.
Professional thinning reduces canopy density while maintaining tree health, allowing snow to pass through instead of accumulating.
What to Do:
Schedule crown thinning before winter. This reduces weight, improves airflow, and helps trees shed snow naturally instead of collecting it.
Warning Sign #7: Co-Dominant Stems or Multiple Trunks
Trees with two or more trunks growing from a shared base are structurally weak—and snow loads exploit this weakness.
What to Look For:
V-Shaped Unions
Where two trunks meet in a tight V, look for bark pushed between them. This included bark creates a weak connection prone to splitting.
Visible Cracks Between Stems
Any separation between co-dominant stems indicates the union is already failing.
Unequal Growth
If one trunk is significantly larger or heavier than the other, unbalanced snow loads will stress the connection even more.
Why This Matters:
Co-dominant stems essentially create two trees trying to grow from one spot. The union between them is structurally weaker than a single trunk.
When snow loads one stem more heavily than the other, force concentrates at the union—and the tree splits.
What to Do:
Young trees with co-dominant stems can sometimes be corrected through cabling or selective pruning. Mature trees often require one stem to be removed entirely—or the whole tree may need removal if structural risk is too high.
What to Do After Identifying Hazards
If your walk-through revealed any of these warning signs, don’t wait. New Hampshire’s first significant snowfall can arrive anytime from late November through early December—and you want trees addressed before that happens.
Schedule Professional Assessment
Contact hazardous tree removal in Keene professionals for comprehensive evaluation. They’ll:
- Confirm which trees pose genuine threats
- Explain whether problems can be corrected or require removal
- Provide prioritized recommendations based on risk level
- Offer transparent pricing for necessary work
Prioritize Based on Risk
Not all hazards are equal. Focus first on:
Immediate Threats: Trees leaning toward structures or with major cracks
High-Traffic Hazards: Dead branches over walkways, driveways, or play areas
Structure Protection: Overhanging branches above roofs or near power lines
Long-Term Problems: Decay or structural issues that will worsen over time
Don’t Attempt DIY Fixes
Hazardous trees require professional equipment, training, and expertise. Attempting removal or major trimming yourself creates serious risks:
- Personal injury from falls, equipment accidents, or falling branches
- Property damage from uncontrolled cuts
- Electrical hazards near power lines
- Making problems worse through improper cutting
Professional crews have insurance, equipment, and experience to handle dangerous trees safely.
Document Everything
Take photos of identified hazards now—before storms arrive. This documentation:
- Helps professionals understand problems before site visits
- Provides insurance evidence that you maintained property responsibly
- Creates records of tree conditions over time
How Wilcox Tree Service Handles Pre-Winter Assessments
At Wilcox Tree Service, we conduct hundreds of pre-winter tree assessments across Keene every fall. Our process is thorough, honest, and focused on preventing emergency situations.
Comprehensive Property Walk-Through
We evaluate every tree within falling distance of structures, looking specifically for the warning signs outlined in this checklist.
Risk-Level Classification
We categorize findings into:
Critical: Immediate hazards requiring urgent attention
High Priority: Problems that should be addressed before winter
Moderate: Issues to monitor and schedule for future attention
Low Priority: Minor concerns that don’t pose immediate risk
Clear Recommendations
We explain exactly what we’re seeing, why it matters, and what options you have. You’re never pressured into unnecessary work—we provide honest assessment based on actual risk.
Transparent Pricing
Detailed estimates with no hidden fees. You know exactly what addressing each hazard will cost before making decisions.
Flexible Scheduling
Fall is our busiest season for preventive work—because smart homeowners prepare before snow arrives. We work efficiently to complete as many pre-winter projects as possible.
Prevention Is the Smart Choice
Taking action in fall—before snow arrives—is always more cost-effective and less stressful than dealing with emergency situations during winter storms.
Preventive tree care protects your property, keeps your family safe, and gives you peace of mind throughout the winter season.
Don’t Wait for Snow to Decide
Every year, Keene homeowners tell us the same thing after winter tree failures: “I knew something was wrong—I just kept putting it off.”
Don’t let that be your story this winter.
Take an hour this week to walk your property with this checklist. Look carefully at trees near your home, garage, vehicles, and walkways. If you spot any of these warning signs, act now—while you’re making the decision on your schedule, not winter’s.
Protect Your Property Before Snow Arrives
Contact Wilcox Tree Service today for professional assessment of hazardous trees on your Keene property. We’ll evaluate your trees, explain what needs attention, and help you prepare before New Hampshire’s heavy snow tests every weakness.
Call 603-363-8197 or visit us online to schedule your pre-winter tree assessment.
Because the best time to prevent snow damage is before the first flake falls.
Wilcox Tree Service—keeping Keene properties safe through every season.