Tree Care & Health
Not every tree question is "remove it" or "prune it." Sometimes the real question is simpler: is this tree okay? Prana Tree looks after trees over time — telling you honestly what's going on, what (if anything) needs doing, and when it's worth keeping a closer eye on something rather than acting straight away.
If something specific does need doing — a prune, a formal report, a removal — we'll say so and point you the right way. If it doesn't, we'll tell you that too.
What Ongoing Tree Care Actually Involves
Tree care isn't one job — it's paying attention over time. That means looking at a tree properly, forming an honest view of its condition, explaining what we're seeing in plain language, and recommending what actually makes sense: watch it, prune it, address the site conditions around it, or in some cases do nothing at all.
A tree that's checked periodically, by someone who knows what to look for, rarely turns into a surprise. Some tree problems show warning signs before they become urgent, but those signs aren't always obvious; they just weren't recognised.
Is My Tree Healthy?
A few things worth knowing before you worry:
Canopy
Thin, sparse, or patchy compared to previous years can be a sign of stress. Some seasonal thinning is normal; a gradual decline year on year is worth a look.
Leaves
Browning, early colour change, or leaves dropping out of season can point to drought stress, root problems, or site issues. It isn't automatically disease.
Bark
Splitting, peeling, or oozing is worth noting, though some bark shedding is completely normal depending on the species.
Deadwood
Dead branches happen on healthy trees too. The question isn't just "is there deadwood," it's whether there's something underneath it that a falling branch would actually hit.
Fungi at the base or on the trunk
Worth having looked at. It doesn't always mean the tree is in trouble, but it's the kind of thing that's better checked than guessed about.
Sticky black coating on leaves
This is very often honeydew and sooty mould from sap-sucking insects further up the tree, not a disease affecting the leaf itself. Common on natives in New Zealand and frequently mistaken for something worse.
A lean
Many trees have a long-standing lean that's completely stable. A new lean, especially one that's appeared suddenly, is the one worth getting looked at.
None of this is a substitute for actually seeing the tree — and we wouldn't try to diagnose something specific from a description or a photo alone. If something on this list sounds like your tree, the honest next step is having someone look at it in person.
Why Trees Decline
Decline is rarely one thing. More often it's a stressed tree becoming vulnerable to something else, which stresses it further — a cycle rather than a single cause.
Common contributors:
Root and soil disturbance
Compacted soil from vehicles, foot traffic or stored materials; trenching for services or drainage; fill or raised garden beds placed over the root zone. Roots need air and space, and all of these take it away.
Building work done years ago
Building work near a tree can sometimes cause decline that only becomes visible much later, making it easy to miss the connection.
Drought or waterlogging
Established trees can still be affected by a dry summer, and poor drainage causes its own set of problems.
Site mismatch
A tree planted somewhere its species was never suited to (wrong soil, too exposed, not enough root space) tends to struggle regardless of how it's cared for.
Pests and disease
Often a consequence of an already-stressed tree rather than the original cause.
Understanding what's actually driving a decline matters, because pruning or treating the visible symptom without addressing the cause usually doesn't fix anything.
Pests, Fungi and Disease in New Zealand
Myrtle rust
Myrtle rust has been established in New Zealand since 2017 and can't be eradicated. It affects the myrtle family — pōhutukawa, mānuka, kānuka, rātā and others, along with exotics like feijoa and eucalyptus — showing as bright yellow-orange powdery patches on new growth. If you've got these species and notice anything like that, it's worth having looked at.
Armillaria
Armillaria (honey fungus) is New Zealand's most common wood-decay fungus. It lives in old stumps and roots and can spread to nearby healthy trees through root contact — one good reason an old stump sitting near valued trees isn't just cosmetic. See our Stump Grinding page.
Sooty mould and honeydew
Sooty mould and honeydew are extremely common on New Zealand natives and are very often mistaken for a disease — as above, it's usually a sign of sap-sucking insects rather than something wrong with the tree itself.
Possum browse
Possum browse is a genuine, distinctly New Zealand cause of canopy dieback with no real overseas equivalent — worth ruling in or out on native trees showing unexplained thinning.
None of this is a substitute for someone qualified actually looking at the tree, and we're not going to pretend a general description online can replace that.
Structural and Safety Concerns
Some things are less about health and more about whether a tree is structurally sound — cracks, cavities, included bark where two stems meet, or a sudden new lean.
We're happy to take a look and give you an honest first opinion. But if what you actually need is a formal, documented assessment — for a council process, an insurer, a resource consent, or before building near a tree — that's a different, more formal piece of work, and it belongs on our Tree Assessment page.
If it's urgent — storm damage, a tree that looks like it could fail imminently — go straight to Emergency Tree Services rather than waiting on a general enquiry.
Caring for Mature and Valuable Trees
Older, larger or well-established trees deserve a different level of care than a young tree still finding its shape. They're harder to replace, often carry more value — practical and otherwise — and the cost of getting a decision wrong is higher.
Our approach is retention-first: if a mature tree can reasonably be kept and managed, that's usually the better outcome than removing it, and we'll say so plainly rather than defaulting to removal. Some mature natives are also protected under district plan rules — if that might apply to your tree, our Arborist Consultation service is the right place to start.
Ongoing Maintenance, Where It's Appropriate
A tree looked at once and never again tends to surprise you eventually. Some trees — particularly mature, valuable, or previously flagged ones — benefit from being looked after over time rather than treated as a single job. Where ongoing maintenance is appropriate, we can discuss a suitable approach for keeping your trees healthy and well maintained over time. For larger properties or multiple sites needing a more structured, scheduled arrangement, see Commercial Tree Maintenance.
Common Tree Care Mistakes
Topping — cutting a tree's main stems back to stubs — is still offered by some operators, and it's genuinely poor practice. It causes decay, triggers weak regrowth, and leaves a tree that's more dangerous in a few years than it was before, at which point the same problem has to be paid for again. If a tree is genuinely too big, a proper crown reduction achieves that without the damage.
Pruning on a schedule rather than for a reason
Every cut is a wound. Trees don't heal wounds the way skin does — they seal and compartmentalise them — so pruning without a defined purpose is doing more harm than good.
Compacting the soil around a tree
Parking, storage, or heavy foot traffic over the root zone, one of the most common and least recognised causes of decline.
Piling mulch against the trunk
‘Volcano mulching’ traps moisture against the bark and invites decay. A ring, not a mound, kept clear of the trunk.
Removing all deadwood reflexively
Deadwood has real habitat value, and the actual question is whether there's something underneath it that matters, not whether it exists at all.
Treating the symptom, not the cause
Dealing with visible insects or fungus while ignoring the root or soil problem that made the tree vulnerable in the first place.
When to Call — and When Not To
Something looks off, but you're not sure how serious
Get it looked at. That's exactly what this page is for.
You need a formal report
Tree AssessmentYou want advice on a decision
Arborist ConsultationYou already know pruning is needed
Tree Pruning & TrimmingThe tree needs to come out
Tree Removal & DismantlingIt's urgent — storm damage, imminent failure
Emergency Tree ServicesNothing's actually wrong
Sometimes that's the honest answer, and we'll tell you rather than finding work that isn't needed.
Qualified Arborists You Can Trust
Our arborists hold NZQA Level 4 Arboriculture qualifications, and our work is fully insured, including public liability. You deal directly with Alejandro from your first enquiry through to any follow-up — the same person who looked at your tree is who you're talking to if you have a question later.
When you get in touch, a few details help us give you a useful first answer: the species if you know it, what you're actually seeing (photos help), whether it's changed recently, and whether there's been any building or ground work nearby in the last few years.
Where We Work
Prana Tree provides tree care across the wider Wellington region, including the Kāpiti Coast, Wellington City, Porirua, the Hutt Valley, Levin and Ōtaki. See all our service areas, or get in touch and ask.
Frequently Asked Questions
Get in Touch
Whether something looks wrong, you're just not sure, or you'd simply like an honest opinion on a tree you care about, get in touch. We'll tell you straight what we see — and what, if anything, needs doing next.