Climbers from Empire Trees and Turf climb an oak tree at Lake Olmstead with instructor Mark Chisholm. Empire employees were taking part in a climbing-safety and tree-pruning seminar Thursday afternoon. ANNETTE M. DROWLETTE/STAFF

Mr. Chisholm, a world champion tree climber from New Jersey, was in town Thursday to take part in a seminar on identifying dangerous trees and salvaging them or, as a last resort, taking them down safely.

The white oak suffers from a stress fracture that looked fatalat first, but an inspection revealed that the damage was fixable.

The tree just needed a good haircut.

In about one hour, several of the damaged branches had been removed in a process called "crown reduction" and five to 10 years were added to the tree's life.

What had been a hazard was saved with a little careful pruning.

Derek Vanover, the director of Trees and Landscaping, said Augusta has a problem with hazardous trees. The city is in the midst of identifying those trees, and private contractors will have the chance to bid on them.

Empire Trees and Turf climber Gary Farmer Sr. watches Mr. Chisholm, an expert climber, work his way up a white oak. ANNETTE M. DROWLETTE/STAFF

"We have a list of about a hundred now," he said. "But it's not like the city's dilapidated."

While damaged trees pose a risk to the things near them, arborists will go to great lengths to keep from cutting a tree down.

"As an arborist, we tend to be preservationists," said James Dicker, a certified arborist. "We're not here just to cut the tree down, but you do have to look at the whole picture and take different risk factors into consideration."

Trees in Augusta aren't the only ones with problems, but preventative care such as pruning and an evaluation of the tree can stop problems before they start.

"Trees have problems all over," said Henry Frischknecht, the owner of Empire Trees and Turf. "The issue at hand is how to take care of them and conserve them for as long as possible."

Determining if the tree is "high- or low-target" - whether the tree poses an immediate risk - is the first step in deciding whether the tree is worth the investment of professional help.

"You have to determine how important the tree is to you," said Jim Blount, the assistant director of facilities for the Augusta Housing Authority. "If a tree is right up next to your house, it's obviously of high importance."

"If it's on city property, it's high target," Mr. Vanover added.

DIAGNOSING TREES

Certified Arborists are professionals concerned with the planting and care of trees. If your tree has any of the following symptoms, it may need professional help: