Is my tree dead or dangerous? Signs to look for

Published 12 October 2026 · Updated 13 October 2026

Is it dead, or just doing it tough?

Gums under stress after a long dry spell can drop a lot of leaves and look half dead, then reshoot along the trunk and branches when rain comes. Deciduous trees such as elms, oaks and ashes are bare every winter. Before deciding a tree is gone, check:

• The scratch test. Scrape a thin twig with a fingernail. Moist green tissue underneath is alive; dry brown wood isn't. Test twigs from several parts of the crown.
• The bend test. Living twigs bend; dead ones snap cleanly.
• Buds and new shoots. In spring, look for swelling buds or fresh shoots, including on the trunk.
• Bark. Gums shed bark naturally every year. Bark that's loose in large sheets on a tree that isn't a shedding species, or wood that's soft underneath, is more worrying.

A tree that's dead in one section isn't necessarily dead throughout. Removing dead limbs can make a big old gum safe to keep.

Signs a tree may be dangerous

Parks Victoria warns that "trees can drop limbs, or entire trees can fall, without warning and there is no way of determining when", and to take extra care in hot or windy weather. You can't predict a failure, but these signs are worth getting a tree looked at for:

• A new lean, or soil cracking and lifting on one side of the base
• Dead from the top down, or large dead branches in the crown
• Cracks or splits in the trunk, or where big limbs meet in a tight V
• Fungi on the trunk or roots, hollows, or soft, crumbly wood
• A limb broken and hanging in the canopy after wind
• Roots cut or damaged by trenching, a new driveway or building work

What's underneath matters as much as the tree. A dead wattle in the back paddock is a low risk; a dead gum over the bedroom, the driveway or the neighbour's yard is not.

What to do now

If a tree or limb is moving, cracking or has partly fallen, keep everyone away from the area it could reach, which is at least its full height and often more. Then:

• Call 000 if anyone is in danger
• Call VICSES on 132 500 for storm damage to your home
• Call Powercor on 13 24 12 if a tree is on or near powerlines, and stay well clear
• Take photos from a safe spot for your insurer

For a tree that worries you but isn't moving, there's time for an assessment and a quote. Our storm damage and dangerous trees page covers the steps after a storm, and the tree height and fall-zone calculator shows whether a tree could reach your house or fence.

Dead trees and permits

The state native vegetation rules (Clause 52.17) exempt dead native vegetation, except "a standing dead tree with a trunk diameter of 40 centimetres or more at a height of 1.3 metres above ground level". So a large dead gum still needs a permit unless another exemption applies. There's a separate exemption for vegetation presenting "an immediate risk of personal injury or damage to property", but it covers only the part that presents that risk.

Overlays on your land can add their own rules. The permit guide explains how to check, and council's planning team is on 1300 002 642.

Street trees and council trees

If the dead or damaged tree is on the nature strip or in a park, it's the City of Greater Bendigo's. Report it with council's online tree maintenance request form or on 1300 002 642. Don't prune or remove it yourself: council's nature strip guidelines say its planted street trees "are not to be pruned or lopped by property owners".

Getting it assessed

For most private trees, a tree contractor can look at it and quote to remove dead limbs or the whole tree. Where you need something in writing, such as for council, an insurer or a dispute with a neighbour, ask for an arborist's report; our guide to arborists and tree loppers explains the difference and what reports cost.

Questions about dead or dangerous trees