11 November 2 - 8, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents property owners think they’re just fine, but they’re actually kind of the living dead.” Summer 2023 will forever be burned into our gourds. The hellish weather took a toll on people suffering from eco-anxi- ety, and trees across the state also clearly felt the heat. Cox wrote an August column for The Dallas Morning News explaining that it takes time before trees display signs they’ve taken a heat-beating. He wrote that trees this year are more prone to toppling, breaking or dy- ing thanks to the extended drought. The lawn-care company LawnStarter further explained how zombie trees really do resemble the living dead. “[L]ike many of us before our morning coffee, zombie trees are alive on the outside and dead on the inside,” it wrote in a No- vember 2022 post. “The vascular system continues to operate, but the interior is be- ginning to decay. As a result, zombie trees can look like perfectly healthy trees, grow flowers, and produce foliage in the spring.” What Causes Zombie Trees? Sometimes zombie trees’ undead-origin story is tied to damage from weather events, such as ice storms, thunderstorms, hurri- canes and droughts, LawnStarter notes. It could also stem from insects, a sensitive sub- ject these days in Big D. Certain Dallas trees have been under siege by an invasive beetle called the emer- ald ash norer. FOX 4 reported in March that the city has worked to treat ash trees in an effort to stave off the metallic green insect, an Asia native. These pests were uncovered in Michigan in 2002 and have since scat- tered across 30 states. They were first de- tected in Dallas in May 2022. What Are Symptoms of Zombie Trees? Since zombie trees’ looks are deceiving, the untrained eye may not notice telltale signs of impending doom. Cox explained that this is where an arborist can assist. Are there cavities, jagged limbs, cracks in the bark or damage at the tree’s base? What about the presence of fungi, such as mushrooms growing out of the trunk? Cox said these signs could indicate that a tree has been infected with the zombie virus. Drought and heat are tough on trees; when they become heat-stressed, they can experience symptoms like wilting or dropped and dead leaves, CultureMap Dal- las reported this summer. Some North Texans have remarked that certain foliage seemed to turn yellow pre- maturely this year, something that Cox thinks could be heat-related. Trees have crashed “all over the place” during the past six weeks or so, he said. “Boom, we’re seeing them die now — a lot,” he added. “I mean, I’m seeing them ev- ery day: Trees and shrubs that just gave up.” What Risks Do Zombie Trees Pose? Their name is scary enough, but zombie trees can actually present safety hazards too. Cox has noticed that, in the Dallas area, certain species in particular are getting zombie-fied, including red oaks, pecans and Japanese maples. Living-dead trees are es- pecially risky when they stretch over areas like homes, streets, pools, cars or play- grounds — “anywhere where there’s people involved,” Cox said. “You don’t want these trees — those zom- bie trees — being ugly and having the poten- tial to fail and drop branches or fall over, or die and then fall over,” he said. Can Zombie Trees Be Saved? Finding out your tree is a zombie doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s been forevermore condemned to the grave. Arborists can sometimes revive a zombie tree using various methods, Cox said. Split- ting and cracking can potentially be cor- rected through cables and bolts, and pruning and root fertilization can also help promote health. He recommends having a certified arbor- ist come out and perform a check-up once a year, or any time after a storm, major drought or extended extreme heat. “It’s always good to get eyes on these trees, especially the zombie trees that you’re not sure about that might be healthy [or] they might not be healthy,” he said. “That’s where the arborist can really help out.” Johannes Plenio/Unsplash Zombie trees can be safety hazards.
