What is coming out tells you most of it. A wet, dark, slimy streak running down from a crack, an old pruning wound, or a branch crotch, drying gray or tan, sometimes smelling sour or fermented, with flies and wasps working it. White or tan foam bubbling out of the bark in hot weather. Clear sticky sap or amber blobs, especially with sawdust-like frass or a hole at the center. Dark rusty, oily-looking streaks running down from a sunken area of bark, where cutting the bark shows reddish-brown discolored tissue underneath. Note the location too: from the root flare, from a wound, or from apparently nowhere.
Within weeks
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Fluid leaving a trunk means internal pressure plus a path out, and what it means depends entirely on which of the above you have. Bacterial wetwood, or slime flux, is a chronic fermentation in the heartwood that builds gas pressure and pushes liquid out through any opening — unsightly, hard on the grass it runs onto, essentially untreatable, and carried by many trees for decades without decline. It is not a reason to remove a tree. Alcoholic or foamy flux is a seasonal yeast fermentation in stressed sapwood and usually passes. Sap with frass means an insect is inside. Dark bleeding from a sunken canker means an active pathogen is killing bark and cambium, and that one carries a real prognosis. Two of the four are essentially cosmetic; two are not.
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.
1138 S Drexel Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46203
“Dave and his friendly crew cut down 4 trees, trimmed/thinned 7 more in 2 days! Great communication, quick response time, great price compared to…”
Jon Caudle · a month ago · Google
1632 E Thompson Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46227
“I had a fantastic experience with arborist professionals by widest tree experts! They were professional, punctual, and extremely knowledgeable. From…”
bradley ketchem · 11 months 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
5360 Cordes Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46227
“Jesse was awesome -- he showed up on time, worked quickly, and safely removed 7 hedge stumps that I had cut down a few months ago. He used a shield…”
Missy Bigler · 11 months ago · Google
385 S Franklin Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46219
“Paul came out for an estimate. Later same week,Paul and his crew of 6 worked hard and did a complete pruning and shape up of my 30yearold oak. The…”
Steve Worden · 7 months ago · Google
269 N Shortridge Rd Apt 3, Indianapolis, IN 46219
“Requested an estimate on Yelp from several tree management companies for my daughters property and Alex showed up on time to provide the estimate, he…”
SK 214 · 8 months ago · Google
325 E Banta Rd, Indianapolis, IN 46227
“Highly recommend! My home unfortunately came with an invasive mulberry tree that was only inches from my roof corner; due to location and species it…”
Stacey Windhorst · 2 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
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
1812 Elmhurst Dr, Indianapolis, IN 46219
“I called Benjamin Tree Service after receiving their flyer in the mail. We set up an on site appointment for the very same day I called (Friday). We…”
Jane Smith · a year ago · Google
1407 W Epler Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46217
“I’ve used them twice now at two different properties. I’ve been in the green industry for 30 years. These people know what they’re doing, they do it…”
Steve Wicker · 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
Distance measured from Beech Grove.