So from the magnolias that spread out in front of Davison Hall to the red buds and dogwoods that color the approach to Duke University Chapel, every tree will get looked at, logged in Duke’s landscape inventory and accounted for in the maintenance plans for Landscape Services.

But a less-visible part of Duke’s commitment to preserving its canopy is ensuring the roughly 17,000 inventoried trees already growing on the landscaped parts of campus remain healthy. And a major piece of that effort are days like these, when experts gauge the health of Duke’s trees.

“We want to keep them healthy because, with everything the trees do for us, we want to do everything we can to protect them and the environment,” Conner said.

“Some of these may be a three-second look, some may be a 360-degree walk around the tree,’ Conner said. “The older the tree, the more attention they’re going to get because younger trees have less symptoms. As we see things that have to be done, we will cater our maintenance accordingly.”

The visual inspections can spot cracks or worrisome leans, which can hint at structural failures inside the tree, or branches that are dead or dying, which could become hazards should they fall. They can also discover fungus growing at the base of the tree or on the bark, which could be a sign of decay inside the trunk.

The solutions to these issues can involve pruning dead branches, treating the tree or the surrounding soil with different fungicides or fertilizers, or in extreme cases, removing the tree.