A trunk off vertical with the upper crown bent back toward straight up, so the tree reads as a shallow bow or J rather than a straight stick tipped over; thicker bulged wood on one side of the lower trunk; soil flat and undisturbed all the way around the base with turf grown right up to the flare on both sides. Now the opposite list, which is the one that matters: a straight trunk tipped as a whole unit, a crescent crack or a heaved mound of soil and turf on the side away from the lean, roots lifting out of the ground, or a lean that has visibly changed against a fixed reference like a fence line or downspout.
Not urgent
14 crews near Shelbyville · Free estimate · No obligation
Lean alone is a poor predictor of failure, and an old lean is often evidence of the opposite. A tree that leaned slowly over years has been laying reaction wood on the loaded side the whole time and thickening its root plate to match — it has already engineered around the load. What actually predicts uprooting is root-plate movement, and root-plate movement shows up in the ground, not in the trunk angle. That is why the soil around the base tells you more than the lean does.
This is normally a hazardous tree removal job, which around here runs $800 to $5,000 depending on size and access. Treat that as a range, not a quote — nobody can price it without seeing it.
11219 House St, Indianapolis, IN 46259
“These folks did a great job in coming to my rescue . We have One of the last remaining Ash trees in Forrest Common on the south side . It lost a…”
William Murphy · 2 months ago · Google
4621 S Brooklawn Dr, New Palestine, IN 46163
“I was fortunate to have Shawn Miller replace a large three in one window in my residence. He was extremely thorough removing the exterior cement…”
Ric Vega · 5 years ago · Google
201 S Morton St, Franklin, IN 46131
“Browns tree service provided A-1 service from the estimate from Kevin to crew supervisor Eliel and his amazing crew. They arrived on job site and…”
Mike Synesael · 3 months ago · Google
2067 Sunshine Dr, Greenfield, IN 46140
“We had a few things updated/upgraded on our property and cannot say enough good things about Doctor Tree & Landscape Specialists. They are truly…”
Brian Cross · a year ago · Google
646 S 600 W Building #5, New Palestine, IN 46163
“This is the second time we have hired Holmes for tree work at our home. A few years ago they removed a tree that was too close to our home and did an…”
Jennifer Kost-Barker · 2 months ago · Google
5067 W US Hwy 40, Greenfield, IN 46140
“This company is very courteous and friendly. They are prompt and fast at what they do. I had three large silver lead maples trimmed, seven dead ash…”
Zach Bailey · 7 years ago · Google
52 525W, Greenfield, IN 46140
“Had a tree fall on my home, my mother knew one of the employees (Conner) he got in touch with Scott who came from near Indy all the way to Fort Wayne…”
Jacquelin Clark · 4 years ago · Google
4035 E Stop 11 Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46237
“They were 1 of 3 tree companies (highly regarded) I called for estimates after a storm took down a huge limb in our backyard. 1 never called back, 1…”
Wendy Foley · 3 years ago · Google
1251 U.S. Hwy 31 N, Greenwood, IN 46142
“Our pear tree broke in half and was blocking part of our neighborhood road. These guys came out quickly, trimmed the fallen branch down and removed…”
Steve Sewell · 4 years ago · Google
1744 Sugar Creek Trail, Greenfield, IN 46140
“We were so grateful for Gaddie’s Tree Service. They are fabulous!!!! We had to wait do bad rainy weather, but once Gaddie’s got here they took care…”
BJ Cheesman · a year ago · Google
1917 S Franklin Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46239
“Larry showed up in the morning and gave me an estimate that was fair. His crew was showed up, same day, and knocked out the job in a couple hours…”
Rick Oncale · 3 months ago · Google
507 S Post Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46239
“I give this company 10 stars!! We had turned in the fact that this huge tree at the NW end of a church's lot prevented drivers from safely crossing…”
Amy L. Allison · a month ago · Google
Distance measured from Shelbyville.