Dangerous 'Zombie Trees' Are Lurking In Florida Backyards

An arborist is warning Florida residents about something dangerous lurking in their backyards -- zombie trees!

These seemingly-healthy trees aren't going to eat your brains or tear off your flesh, but they can cause some serious damage by randomly falling over on property, or in worst cases, people.

That's because the trees have been damaged at some point by a storm and are slowly decaying, according to Ben Wasielewski, a certified arborist.

"When they just want to give up, they give up," he told WESH. "We’ve had a few calls already this year on days like today, sunny, and it just falls and it will crush a house, crush a car."

These trees can strike when a homeowner or unsuspecting pedestrian least expects it. Reporters also shared the story about a laurel oak tree, which was struck by lightning 20 years ago, crushing two cars in south Orlando.

When it comes to the Central Florida region, Wasielewski says zombie trees are "all over the place. You just don’t know what tree is a zombie tree, technically, until you look at them."

Luckily, he also provided some tips to spot these trees:

• Check to see if the base of the tree is leaning at an angle
• Look for air pockets underneath the base or inside a hole
• Insect damage, like bugs digging in the tree and creating sawdust
• Examine the tree for conks, which are growths from tree damage. If there's black discoloration, that means water is leaking from the tree
• Study the limbs for rotting, which look like brown and white clusters

Arborists in general recommend you get your trees trimmed and have regular inspections by a professional.