Accurate Tree Care

This week I had the chance to work with New Day Arborist. We used sonic tomography to determine the status of a mature Oregon White Oak.

What were we trying to determine?

Our client and tree owner was concerned about the decay and wounding of a mature oak tree. Several wounds were in areas of the trunk that could compromise the stability and structure of the tree. We used the Arbortom to help make an accurate decision of whether or not the tree was an immediate hazard.

Are you considering the removal of a mature tree?
Have you been told that the tree is diseased and must be removed?

Tree diseases happen, but often "hazard" trees are removed prematurely with out accurate analysis.
Trees are valuable. Making an informed decision before removing a tree is important.

Give us a call for more information.

To Prune or Not to Prune

Pruning has many benefits for the tree.

• It increases air circulation that can reduce the humidity in the tree canopy and then, in theory, limit leaf and tissue diseases.
• It is used to remove damaged and dead branches for tree health and increased safety.
• It is done to thin a tree for structural training and proper tree growth.

But do trees need to be pruned every year. 

No.

Are you on an annual tree care contract that recommends annual tree pruning. I would cancel the contract and save yourself some money. At the very least, find out why the annual pruning is recommended. Chances are it is a bill of goods.

Over pruning will cause tree stress and excessive growth in some cases. When you consider pruning you trees, remember that pruning is very beneficial but also can be harmful. 

Hot weather tree care

It looks like we are in for unseasonably hot weather this week. One of the most important things you can do is to water your newly planted trees. Watering will help to limit heat stress and keep newly planted trees from reaching wilt point. When leaves begin to wilt, it is a sure sign that water stress is a factor (other issues may be verticillium wilt in maples, catalpa and others). Remember, the only way a tree can move elements is through the movement of water. No water=no tree.
I generally recommend that newly planted trees receive 5 gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter.
Example: 2 inch diameter tree gets 10 gallons of water. Do this 2-3 times per week until the rains return. However, even in cold and dry weather, newly planted trees can benefit from watering.
For more tree care information, give me a call.

Land Enhancement

It's not often we get to work in the country, but it is one of my favorite places to work. This property is located in North Plains.
In this project we increased the useable space in the front of the property by removing blackberry and tree sprouts from old stumps. We exposed the tree line behind and now you can see a mature Big Leaf Maple and a couple of really nice Oregon Ash.
There is a seasonal drainage that flows through the ash trees.
In the future we will look at the option of planting native grasses and shrubs.

Before clearing

After Clearing