Tree Care in Mountain Lakes, NJ

If you're looking at a mature tree in Mountain Lakes, you're likely looking at a problem planted 80 years ago. The builders who developed this borough in the 1940s favored fast-growing trees for immediate shade and curb appeal. That's why you see so many silver maples and Norway maples here. Silver maples have notoriously weak wood and aggressive surface roots that can damage walkways. Norway maples create such dense shade that nothing grows beneath them, and they outcompete our native oaks and sugar maples. The challenge is that a tree can look perfectly healthy on the outside while decay has been spreading inside for years. We use simple tools like a mallet to sound the trunk; solid wood rings clear, while decayed wood sounds dull, giving us the first clue about internal structure.