Question
My neighbor doesn't want to cut dead limbs off his fir trees. The tree limbs in question hang over my roof... He says that the dead limbs are ok to leave on.. I live in Portland, Oregon and we get some heavy storms with wind.  Every year at least one or two dead limbs fall... So far they have missed my property. Some years I have had my tree guy cut off the dead limbs that hang over on my house. I can't afford to do it this year... 1> are leaving dead limbs on trees safe. 2> when does it make since to cut off a limb? Example if more than half or three quarters are have dead needles on them... Thank you in advance

Answer
Firs will naturally shed the dead limbs over time. The safe part depends on the size of the limbs and what it will hit if it falls. A limb is dead when all the needles are off the limb. The time it takes to decay to the point that it will fall depends on the weather conditions--in Oregon this will be many years--here in the Southern US the limbs would fall in less than two years. When the small twigs have decayed and fallen the large limbs is to the point that it could fall at any time. The smeller twigs will drop fist leaving larger main limb material. Any limb can be pruned at any time you want to do this. IF the limbs on the tree toward you are a real concern I would save up and have all of the limbs on your side of the tree  cut when you do this. It will make the tree look lopsided and if this is not what your neighbor wants maybe you can talk him into pruning the limbs your way.