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People in some areas of the UK have been warned to avoid sitting, parking or having picnics underneath trees with large branches due to the prolonged hot weather.
It has increased the risk of branches suddenly falling, even from trees that appear healthy and show no obvious signs of weakness.
Normanby Hall Country Park near Scunthorpe is one place that has officially given notice to visitors to avoid this.
Speaking to BBC News, Liam Dent, a parks and gardens officer, explained: "Due to a lack of water, the trees are basically going into survival mode.
"[They are] trying to protect the main trunk and [their] system.
"Any branches that are untoward or have cracks in them, they're just shedding them."
This phenomenon is referred to as Sudden Branch Drop (SBD).
Some people might be curious to know if this could be an issue throughout the UK.
Are falling branches a risk throughout the UK?
A couple of environment experts have shared that falling branches could be a risk in some other areas of the UK.
One of those is Kim Stoddart, who is an extreme weather gardening expert and editor of Amateur Gardening.
Her latest book is The Climate Change Resilient Vegetable Garden.
Kim said: "Trees can shed branches to help them reduce the load as it were and survive during this stressful period.
"It’s not all trees by any means but those that might be most at risk of this happening are older trees planted on their own in direct sunlight.
"Telltale signs to watch out for include scorched leaves, cracked soil around the base and any heavy overhanging limbs or drooping branches.
"Trees planted in groups in part shade are less likely to be affected, but it also depends on the age and overall health of the tree."
Jon Conradi, founder of rewilding organisation Wild Mosaic, also highlighted the stresses trees face during prolonged heat and dry conditions.
He said: "Trees cool themselves by drawing water out of the ground to their leaves where it evaporates.
"This process is not just important for individual trees, but also for our water cycle.
"When the weather is both hot and dry for a while, as it has been, this process can break down.
"Water loss starts to become a bigger problem.
"This is where you might see leaves curling or falling, and in serious cases, whole branches falling.
"The tree is essentially shutting off parts of itself to reduce its need for water.
"This typically happens in more mature trees, and often is due to multiple years of stress rather than a one off hot dry period."
Kim said the greatest risk of branches falling is in areas experiencing drought.
The Environment Agency declared yesterday (Thursday, July 30) that more than half of England was in drought, BBC News reports.
This includes:
- East Anglia
- Hertfordshire and the whole of London
- Thames Valley
- Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
- Devon and Cornwall
- the West Midlands
- Wessex, covering Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, and South Gloucestershire
North Wales and the Upper Severn river basin entered drought conditions last week, Natural Resources Wales said.
Scotland does not declare drought but monitors "water scarcity".
Some parts of eastern Scotland are in the most extreme category of "significant scarcity", according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Kim also offered practical advice for staying safe.
She said: "You wouldn’t sit under a tree is strong gale force wind and so just have a look at the trees first to avoid older, singularly planted trees with overhanging branches, browning leaves or dry, cracked soil around the base."
Jon agreed with her assessment and also pointed to longer-term solutions for reducing risks and protecting the environment.
He said: "This is a potential risk across the UK both in the case of individual trees, and how this then contributes to our water cycle.
"What we've seen in recent years is more uneven rainfall.
"This means both more floods and more droughts, as well as rising temperatures.
"This makes what happens to the water critically important.
"Many of our water systems are designed to move water downstream as quickly as possible.
"This makes both flooding and drought worse, and has further knock-on effects such as less water availability for many trees.
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"Simple solutions are to increase natural tree cover, especially in upland areas, and bring back more wetlands.
"In a local context, finding ways to hold water in parks longer through streams and ponds.
"We used to have our own rainforests across the west of the UK.
"We need to try to restore these as much as possible to help regulate our increasingly risky climate."
Have you noticed trees shedding some branches in your area? Let us know in the comments.