Is our old oak tree doomed? - Ask Extension
Its diameter exceeds 30" It might be 100 years old. There are two dead limbs, but it seems healthy. Neighbors want to pre-emptively have it take...
Knowledgebase
Is our old oak tree doomed? #942671
Asked August 17, 2026, 1:09 PM EDT
Its diameter exceeds 30" It might be 100 years old. There are two dead limbs, but it seems healthy. Neighbors want to pre-emptively have it taken down. Is there a service Extension provides that appraises the viability of old oak trees?
Anne Arundel County Maryland
Expert Response
Extension isn't able to offer a site visit and we don't have arborists on the Ask Extension team, but any assessment of a tree's stability and health, especially for a tree this size/age, should be done by a certified arborist or licensed tree expert. An arborist with TRAQ certification (tree risk assessment qualification) has extra training when it comes to determining a fall risk or how structurally compromised a tree might be), so may be worth seeking out. Sometimes individual limbs can die without dooming an entire tree, but it's worth getting checked out.
Miri
Miri
