In this Edmonton Journal article, Kevin Sproule from Davey's Edmonton office talks about how "zombie trees" are hazardous, dead trees that appear alive.

Posted: November 05, 2025

They’re ooky and they’re spooky, dead from the inside out. Edmonton arborist Kevin Sproule calls them “zombie” trees because hazardous trees may look normal but they’re rotting catastrophes waiting to happen.

A large tree with many branches covered in yellow-and-orange leaves.“A zombie tree, essentially, is a hazardous tree, a tree that looks OK after it’s gone through some sort of weather event, a storm or a drought,” said Sproule, assistant district manager at Davey Tree in Edmonton.

“There may be some cracks in the trunk of the tree, and this can be an opening. It can be an entry point to allow insects and disease to get into the tree,” Sproule said.

As living dead goes, troubled trees don’t always look ghostly, like the stereotypical dead tree of Halloween haunted houses — the ones with wild-looking black cats and grinning pumpkins nearby.

To continue reading this article, click here. 

For more information, contact the Edmonton 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

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