What Is A Zombie Tree? A Local Arborist Explains

Make sure to check out your backyard for zombies this Halloween season — zombie trees, that is. 

Zombie tree is a layman’s term for a tree that is dead or declining on the inside. 

“So basically, it’s a tree that appears OK on the outside, but internally or below ground, is probably not in the best health,” said Dan Cohen, assistant district manager of Needham tree removal company Hartney Greymont. 

The tree can pose a safety risk because limbs can fall off the tree, and the entire tree can potentially tip over. 

Branches that have fallen on the ground around the tree, damage on the trunk, and a thinning canopy — i.e. the top of the tree has spots that lack leaves — are all signs of a zombie tree, Cohen said.