Disease

• Remove trees that have died of disease to limit the spread of the disease. Diseases like pine wilt and Dutch elm disease spread by insects that live in the dead trees before infecting live trees. Trees that died of disease may require special disposal methods to prevent the insect carriers from continuing to live in the cut wood. Burning or chipping is commonly required, although other methods may be required by local or state law.
  
  

Safety

• A dead tree decays, which weakens the tree, increasing the chance of wind causing the tree to fall. Falling trees can damage homes, power lines, parked vehicles or even people. Any tree that is deemed a hazard, whether it is alive or dead, should be removed.
  
  

Aesthetics

• While living trees look good and add to the visual appeal of a landscape or yard, a dead tree may be considered an eyesore. For this reason, most dead trees in home landscapes are removed often while sick and dying rather than after the tree is fully deceased. Dead trees will continue to shed or drop dead branches, contributing to the debris on the ground.
  
  

Wildlife

• Some species of birds utilize dead trees as nests and others use the dead branches for nesting or as roosting material. Woodpeckers feed on insects often found within the wood of dead trees. For this reason, dead trees are often left in natural parks and other grounds dedicated to wildlife.