After a summer windstorm, it’s common to expect a few twigs or small dead tree branches in the yard; only a few moments’ work is needed to clear the lawn for mowing again. But occasionally, a mature tree might lose a significant branch—something that seriously disrupts the tree’s shape or leaves a long and unsightly “wound” along the trunk where the branch peeled off. With older trees especially, some of these “branches” may be the thickness of small trees themselves! Besides being a lot of work to clean up, the loss of large branches can be a serious threat to your tree’s health. So how can you tell if your tree is likely to recover from a major branch loss?

How to judge if the tree should be cut down

There are some situations where the tree is obviously damaged beyond repair, and even if there seems to be some life left, it’s probably better to just take the tree down in those cases.

• When the tree is partially uprooted and leaning. The tree should probably be removed entirely for safety’s sake.
• When only a minimal amount of foliage has survived.
• When there isn’t a major leader trunk remaining, or the tree is so deformed that it is unlikely to recover a natural shape again.

But there’s good news! In less severe circumstances, you’ll be amazed at how resilient trees are, how adaptable to change they are, and how well they can recover with only minimal help on your part. A tree will likely survive the damage in the following scenarios:

• When the tree is otherwise fairly healthy—no other major cracks or diseased sections.
• When there is still at least roughly 50% of the foliage intact. Any less, and the tree may have difficulty generating enough energy to heal and survive.
• When the broken branches are relatively small, compared to the rest of the tree.

What do you need to do?

There are some steps you can take to help put as much in favor for your tree as possible:

• Remove the fallen branch completely, even if it’s still somewhat attached to the trunk and still living. You want your tree putting its energy into viable sections, not damaged branches.
• Try to take away any wood that is loose and not properly attached, so that only solid wood is left behind. Doing so will help ensure the wound heals properly and isn’t an entrance for disease, or a target for insects. Typically tree pruning is saved for specific times of year, but this is a unique situation.
• Forego the wound sealer. When there is a huge gash running down your tree’s trunk, the impulse is to try to do something. Some people try applying tree wound-sealant products or even latex paint in an effort to keep the wound from rotting. But this may do more harm than good. The tree itself will grow callus tissues around the wound to isolate the damaged wood from the rest of the tree, and sealants might interfere with this natural process.
• Get advice for oaks. One exception might be oaks that lose major branches during oak wilt season; in those cases you may want to seek some local advice about whether or not to apply a sealant to try to prevent this disease from entering your tree.
• Get help as needed. You may need to hire a tree specialist to handle some of the physical work if you lack the tools or experience to complete the cleanup job safely. A specialist could even recommend ways to brace a damaged tree with cables while it’s recovering.

Bottom line: if the damage isn’t too serious, your tree will likely live on happily and repair the wound damage all by itself, without very much effort on your part. If the damage is severe, you might need to consider removing and replanting.

Daniel Johnson is a Wisconsin-based freelance writer, professional photographer and co-author of over a dozen books. See his garden and animal photography at foxhillphoto.com.