Planting and Selection Quick Tips

Tis' the season to roll up your sleeves and dig in to the dirt!
Before you head out to your local nursery take a few moments to considered the following tips before purchasing or planting a tree or shrub,

Location location location,
You will have greater success if you have already determined the location you wish to plant and its attributes.
What is the sun exposure? All day, part of the day, under a forest or tree canopy?
If grass won't grow in the location it is probably best suited for shade plants.
There are a number of trees and shrubs that grow in the understory of the forest.
Most fruit trees require a lot of sun, generally these must be planted in full sun to archive good growth and fruit production. Soil is important not only in quantity but in quality and depth as well. Trees that like to have cool moist roots will not thrive in rocky areas or rock ledges covered in soil. It is always a good idea to dig a test hole before you purchase a plant for a particular location.

Selection, selection selection,
When you are at the nursery look for fresh healthy stock, go early in the day when crowds are less and you can take time to pick out the best stock. Good form and branching habit will pay rewards long after you plant your tree or shrub. The plant with the most flowers isn't necessarily the best or most healthy. Look for good leaf color and signs that the tree has been handles well. Broken twigs, disturbed soil, or scuffed containers can indicate the plant has been dropped off a forklift or worse. Check the root collar to ensure rodents or insects have not girdled the bark and damaged your potential new tree. Take your plants home promptly and plant them, cars are not greenhouses and are an abrupt change from the nursery environment. Lastly water your plants thoroughly once planted to eliminate air pockets in the root zone and improve the chances of survival.

Certified Arborists are knowledgeable in tree preservation selection and planting. Take the time to consult with your Certified Arborist before you undertake major tree planting and your landscape will maintain it's value for years to come.

Tree Support Systems, Props

Occasionally as a result of a storm or old age trees will loose their ability to remain upright.
The obvious option is to take the tree down and plant another one to replace the damaged one.
However when a tree fails or begins to fail in our yards people have come up with interesting ways or supporting them and allowing them to continue to survive and even thrive.

When people become attached to trees in their environments they will work tirelessly to preserve and lengthen the life span of “their” trees. This is a sentiment and passion that I share as an Arborist and person who appreciates all aspects of trees. If a tree falls in the forest, free from humans who rightly or wrongly have sentimental attachments and impose their mortal shortcomings on trees, it falls to the forest floor and is recycled.
In your yard this may not be the option you are looking at first.

Cables, braces and ground anchors are used frequently to stabilize trees that are falling over or are in danger of falling over. This article will focus on an other lesser used method, the tree prop or crutch. Just like the crutches used by people when they have broken limbs the tree prop is a sturdy typically wooden post used to support a broken limb or leaning tree. The ideal basic prop is composed of a sturdy rot resistant wood, such as oak, cedar, or locust. The top should have a
u shaped crotch that is capable of supporting the tree or limb that is failing. The prop, or props should be of sufficient diameter to support the tree or branch it is placed under.

Trees are living organisms with their vascular tissues living anf functioning just under their bark. Any prop system has the potential to damage the vascular system and this should be considered,
Attaching props by lashing them to the tree should be avoided, unless the lashings are replaced and re worked every year as the trees grow and expand. Crutches with v or u shaped branch rests should be inspected and adjusted frequently to prevent partial or complete restriction or girdling of branch tissue,

Tree lovers have come up with many ingenious systems to support and maintain our tilting trees.
It is important to make sure whatever system you have it is safe and will not fail suddenly endangering people or pets. Keep in mind that the props are usually dead wood and are decaying while the branches they are holding are alive and getting more massive with every season.

Regular inspection and pruning are a must if you are propping up aged trees. Certified Arborists are knowledgeable in i tree preservation and maintainance. Take the time to consult with your Certified Arborist before your tree is tilting or in danger of failing and your landscape will maintain it's value for years to come.

After the Storm

One day you will wake up and your beautiful landscape will be a shambles, a mess, a total disaster. It may look like a whirlwind has spiraled through your life's work or a groggy giant has

slept on your favorite maple. While it's unlikely that a mythical monstrosity has visited your yard,

you may very well have been visited by a storm or even a tornado. What you do next will have a lasting affect on your landscape and your life.

Our home landscapes contribute approximately 10% of the overall value of our homes. Even with

home prices stagnating, or in some areas declining this reduced percentage is a substantial investment. The action you take in the days and weeks following a major landscape disaster will pay dividends in the long run. Proper assessment and planing are the keys to maintaining and recovering the value in your landscape.


Making sure you have access to your driveway or the doors to your house is essential. Getting access safely may be a bit more difficult. This may be your only interaction with a tree that has fallen on your house, drive or valuable shrubs. Fortunately there are licensed,experienced and importantly these days, insured professionals who deal with these problems year round.

An assessment of the damage by a qualified ISA Certified Arborist is the right first step to take. Your Certified Arborist will safely remove the tree that is resting on your house and take the right steps to save trees and shrubs that are toppled or damaged. Certified Arborists and professional tree care companies carry special insurance that covers them for work on the ground and in the trees. Most landscape companies and general contractors are not insured to do work on trees or shrubs that are not on the ground or below six feet in height. This insurance is expensive, but it ensures that should any damage or injury take place while cleaning up your catastrophe your home and finances will not be at risk.


One may think your local Certified Arborist would be the busiest person after a storm event sadly, in many cases, its the doctors at the local emergency room. All to often this is the second trip a homeowner makes after they go to the hardware store and purchase a chainsaw.

Much of the clean up can be done by the do it your selfer but it is always worth while to consult with an experienced professional before you inadvertently do further damage in a rush to clean up. Most insurance companies will insist on getting a quote from a licensed, insured tree care professional before you remove that tree from your home or other structure. Take pictures for your records before you attempt any clean up. This can be very important, should questions arise on your claim. Many branches and even whole trees can be saved by the correct timely action of a trained professional. Certified Arborists are knowledgeable in issues related storm damage clean up and tree preservation. Take the time to consult with your Certified Arborist after you have a storm and your landscape will maintain it's value and be poised for recovery in the months and years to come.

Soil pH Primer

THE EFFECTS OF SOIL pH ON NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY


Few things in gardening are so essential and so misunderstood as soil pH. Simply put pH is a measure of the acidity in soil. A basic soil test will give you all the information you need to make informed decisions on plant selection based on pH. The balance point for pH where a soil is said to be neither acidic or basic if a pH reading of 7. The acidity increases as the pH number decreases for example, a pH of 5 is more acidic than a pH of 6. Because the scale is logarithmic, rather than arithmetic, an increase of one point increases the acidity of a soil by 10 times, 2 points on the scale would increase acidity by a factor of 10 x10.

In the opposite direction on the pH scale, a soil with a pH of 8 is ten times more basic or alkaline than a soil with a pH of 7. The effects of soil Ph are far from simple, the acidity and alkalinity of soils directly effects the way most nutrients are taken up by trees and shrubs. It also effects the essential soil organisms that grow, thrive and interact with each other in soils. Fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms depend on certain pH levels to function within soils.

Generally moist soils with lots of decomposing plant material, like the soils on forest floors, will be acidic. In contrast dry soils, from areas where grasses are the predominant vegetation will be less acidic and more alkaline. Parent material, the underlying decomposing rock that composes the gritty portion of the soil, also has an effect on the soils inherent pH. Soils that originate from volcanic rock sources like granite or basalt, tend to be acidic. Soils that originate from sedimentary rocks like limestone tend to be more alkaline.

With the basic background in place we can talk about the effects of soil acidity on plant growth.

Acidity in soils can be pictured as a key as one increases or decreases pH, certain soil chemicals will become unlocked and available, even to the point of toxicity. Similarly some soil chemicals will become locked or bound at certain pH levels and will be deficient and unavailable to trees and shrubs. All plants have ideal ranges of pH where they and their supporting microorganisms

can grow and thrive.

In your garden certain trees that prefer acidic soils, in the 4.5 to 5.0 range include blue berry, azaleas, hydrangeas, sweet gum and pin oak. As the soils become less acidic in the 5.0 to 5.5 range, most conifers including Scots pine, irises, ferns and similar plants will do well.

As we further decrease the acidity to the 5.5 to 6.0 range trees like white oak, bass wood, sugar maple and shrubs like boxwood or raspberry will do better. As you approach neutral to basic or alkaline pH's dry land species like ash, box elder, lilac as well as dogwoods and crab apples are in their ideal pH range. It is much better to pick a tree or shrub based on its pH requirements than to try to adjust the pH of the soil on your site. It is difficult but not impossible to raise or lower your soil pH. These processes take time and skill and will have to be monitored and adjusted on an ongoing basis as each site has its inherent pH based on parent material and existing vegetation.

Certified Arborists are knowledgeable in issues related to soil pH and are available to help with plant selection and diagnosing nutrient deficiency based on soil pH

Turn Turn, Spinning Wood Into Gold

Photo D D

The long dark days of winter can lead to cabin fever or interesting hobbies.

The ancient Egyptians are given credit with inventing the first practical lathe around 1300 BC.

And spinning wood has been fascinating mankind ever since. This first lathe was a two person design that used an assistant to pull a rope spinning the wood, that was carved by the master.

The Romans adapted this technique adding a bow to the process allowing for more consistent speed. In the middle ages a foot pedal was devised allowing one person to operate the lathe much like a treadle sewing machine.

Lathes and turning techniques can be divided into two basic techniques, spindle turning face carving. Spindle turning involves putting a piece of wood between two spinning points and carving it as it spins. This method is used to create spindles, dowels, table legs and baseball bats. Face turning utilizes only one turning surface to which a piece of wood is attached. This method is used to carve bowls platters and other open face items.

Wood turning was probably mechanized in a manner similar to grain mills, with animal, water and wind power. The advent of speed and consistent power was a big step forward and allowed for mass production. While mass production isn't the goal of the hobbyist or artisan carver the modern electric lathes are the end development of close to 4000 years of consistent improvement.

While your wood turning may only be a hobby it is one way to add value to the wood you grow in your woodlot or even your yard. Turning often utilizes small pieces of wood that have interesting grain or other defects that may make them unsuitable other woodworking processes.

Branches and burls that have been pruned from trees in your yard can be turned into valuable and cherished items. Relatively common woods like birch, maple and oak can be used to make extraordinarily beautiful pieces.

There are wood turning clubs and organizations that help those new to the world of wood turning to learn basic methods and make the right decisions on equipment.

While talents and skills are not developed over night, the process of learning them can be quiet enjoyable. A trip to a local lumber yard may point you in the direction of individuals or groups that can help you get started on your wood turning adventure. Mood turning can be a fun relaxing hobby or even more.

Be sure you wear appropriate safety equipment as spinning wood, sharp tools and lots of wood chips can be dangerous.

Winter Wildlife Tree

Photo Amy P.

As the holiday season is upon us our thoughts turn to feasting and other indoor activities.
If your a person, who like myself, enjoys the outdoors and wooded areas on a daily basis
stormy winter weather can be particularly frustrating ! Here is a way to fight cabin fever, do a few crafts indoors with friends and family and help wildlife keep warm on those wintry days.
This need not mean making a trip to the craft store if you are handy and have imagination.
A properly adorned Wildlife Tree can attract Blue Jays, Chickadees, Cedar Waxwings, Nuthatch, Woodpeckers and many other seasonal varieties.
While we are all familiar with suet baskets, these can be spruced up by putting rendered suet into onion bags that have been cut into colourful 12inch by 12 inch squares.
You can mix in a few sunflower seeds or other bird seeds as the suet cools to add interest
for the birds. Put the chilled suet in the middle and bring the corners together and tie with cotton butcher cord. Be careful if you use wire or plastic twine as these can damage trees if they are not removed promptly and can injure wildlife if they eat the twine.
Raisin icicles can be made from raisins strung on waxed dental floss. A good sized needle will help to string them and you can store them in a cool dry place until you are ready to place them on your tree.

Frozen cranberries and florist wire can be fashioned into a wreath that will light up your tree and delight wildlife. If you plan ahead you can gather up crab apples and use florist wire to hang them

dumbbell style over branches. If you didn't plan a head you can still cut a few oranges or grapefruits in half and after having a delicious glass of juice fashion these into citrus cups that will brighten up your wildlife tree. After removing the juice and as much pulp as you can punch three holes around the rim of the citrus half and use cotton

or other natural twine to hang the cup from the tree. Store in a cool dry place like the refrigerator for a day or two before filling them with nuts, seeds and other goodies once you hang them on the tree. A small hole near the bottom will keep excess moisture from building up.

These items don't have to be exotic, even a few stems of wheat or barley tied together into a flower cluster, with a small sunflower will attract small birds. Indian corn or whole sunflower heads can be used as well.

Pick a tree away from your house and in view of a convenient window, like the one over the kitchen sink to ensure you will have a good view. You can use a spruce tree or other evergreen to give good contrast and some shelter to birds and squirrels that are munching on your bounty.

Assemble all the ingredients and have a wildlife tree trimming party!I have included a picture of a whild life tree that I came across on the grounds of a local college. A great activity for faculty and staff! This could be a great family tradition that you can start the New Year with.

If you have a tree that your not sure about hanging things off of contact your ISA Certified Arborist to see if its sturdy and safe.

After the Fall

Fall has arrived and the leaves have fallen...or have they!

Trees typically loose their leaves in the fall and signal the changing of seasons. Sometimes the complexities and variability of climate can trick trees into not loosing their leaves. The trees individual circumstances can prevent their leaves from falling as well.

The primary process at work in leaf drop is abscission. The term abscission is from the Latin, Ab meaning away, and sciendere, to cut , “ to cut away”. You needn't wait until fall to see this process in action as it happens all the time in woody plants, every time a flower or piece of fruit falls from a branch.

Fall leaf drop is by far the most spectacular example of abscission at work.

Leaf drop and the formation of the abscission layer, a group of cells at the base of each leaf, is controlled largely by day length and its effects on the production of the plant hormone auxin.

Actively growing leaves produce auxins and they are translocated through the petiole and into the branch that the leaf is attached to. The presence of auxin suppresses the cells forming the abscission layer and prevents them from expanding. As the leaf ages and day length decreases it reaches a point where it no longer produces enough auxin to suppress the growth of the cells and they expand. This expansion closes off the passage from leaf to stem and the leaf is cut away from the stem. This is the complete process of abscission. Sometimes early frosts, or and late summer rains encouraging new growth, resulting in partial leaf drop. This incomplete abscission is unusual but not unheard of.

Typically the leaves eventuality fall off a few weeks later, thwarting our efforts for a timely fall clean up!

The same process allows trees like birches and box elders to loose some of their leaves during times of drought. It is quite normal to see birches loose a noticeable amount of foliage in mid to late summer. Trees that die suddenly due to injury or disease may not lose any of their leaves, this is a diagnostic characteristic of Dutch elm disease.

Evergreens such as spruce and pine do loose there needles continuously through out their lives typically in the early fall of the year.

Most evergreens keep their needles for three seasons. When stressed they may lose many of their second year needles as well.

There are some trees, oaks, beeches and hornbeams, that have developed a different strategy and will retain some of their leaves throughout the winter.This phenomenon is called marcescence. This is very common in younger trees and is there fore considered a juvenile trait, one that some trees grow out of. Marcesesnce may provide some protection from roaming deer and moose that live on buds and trigs through the winter. Buds that are protected from browsing by dead leaves may survive to grow next season. The retained leaves may provide protection from dessication in areas with harsh winter winds.

If have trees that have failed to loose their leaves and are concerned with their health contact your Certified Arborist.