In this San Antonio Express News article, Jess Divin from Davey's East San Antonio office shares how the region's drastic weather patterns have led to an increase in zombie trees.

Posted: October 31, 2024

It’s been a rough few years for San Antonio trees. There was the 2021 freeze, followed by three years of almost continuous drought. If you’re keeping score at home, rainfall was 35 inches below normal for the years 2022 and 2023, with 2024 being not much better. As of this writing, we've had no measurable rainfall since Sept. 5.

The effect of this kind of back-to-back-to-back climate chaos is slowly killing trees across the city and can be seen in two large red oaks on the far North Side, both between 60 and 80 years of age. While half of one appears dead and bare of leaves, the other has an almost full canopy.

Unless rainfall amounts return to normal soon, as many as 95% of all the trees in the San Antonio area are or could become zombie trees, according to Jess Divin, a certified arborist and manager with the Davey Tree Expert Company.

To read more, click here. 

For more information, contact the East San Antonio Davey office.

The Davey Tree Expert Company, headquartered in Kent, Ohio, provides research-driven tree services, grounds maintenance and environmental and utility infrastructure consulting for residential, utility, commercial and environmental partners in the U.S. and Canada. As one of the top ten largest employee-owned companies in the U.S., Davey's 12,000 employees have been dedicated to creating and delivering sustainable solutions since 1880. Apply today to join the Davey legacy, and learn about how we're growing with our new SEED Campus

Other News Posts

CCM09678 6000X4000 E159a59
Davey In The News

How to Spot 'Zombie Trees' Before Ontario's Next Storm

Dan Sharp from Davey's Canadian operations tells us how to spot zombie trees, or dying trees that appear alive, before they can cause damage during winter. 
Read More
028A0920 8001X4501 99F406a
Davey In The News

Autumn Interrupted by Nature's Challenges in Boston

Steve Kendall from Hartney Greymont, a Davey company, in Needham talks about how recent weather conditions are stifling fall color this season.
Read More
Two Employees (1)
Two Employees (1)

Get In Touch With Us!

We pride ourselves at Davey Tree on providing prompt, professional and personalized service from certified arborists that live, work and engage in your community. Contact one of our Davey Tree specialists for your residential, commercial, utility, or environmental needs.

Let's Find What
You're Looking For!