So I had a client ask me yesterday which disease I thought might be the leading cause for a tree dying. After thinking for a minute I finally answered, "human neglect and intervention." Puzzled by my response he inquired as to what I meant. This inspired me to come here and talk about what it was that I was talking about.
To start out, I want to talk about the 2 types of tree problems. There are the primary cause, and the secondary causes. Now, Trees are a lot like you and I .... they are living creatures that breath (respiration), eat (photosynthesis), drink, and they even sweat to keep cool during the day (transpiration)! Some examples of secondary tree diseases are things that we all dread like Borers, systemic diseases such as fungus, viral and bacterial infections, and even sucking pests like webworms (lepidoptera) that defoliate sections of foliage. What we have to realize though is that these are merely SECONDARY infections.
I'll reiterate 2 points that I've already made: 1. that humans are the leading cause for tree deaths, and 2. that trees are a lot like humans. What I mean by my second point is that we, as humans have millions of tiny viral and bacterial infections flowing through us at all times. It's been said that our tongues are twice as "germy" as the back of a cockroach even! However, in spite of this, most of us rarely get ill to the point of harm to our bodies or even death. This phenomenon happens primarily because our bodies are built to combat the effects of disease and infection. When we eat right, exercise regularly and get plenty of rest, our bodies are able to divert much of the energy they produce to keeping diseases at bay. When we eat lots of junk food and don't exercise, and get less than the needed amount of rest, our bodies has to use what little energy it is consuming to rebuild cells lost during the day and does not have the energy to keep our immune systems functioning properly. This is generally when we get "sick."
Now, back to the 1st statement; that humans are the leading cause for tree deaths. what I mean by that is that we as people tend to forget the fact that trees are living, breathing creatures, and tend to treat them more like gigantic lawn ornaments. In a forested area, many, if not all of a trees needs are met. For example, when tree drops its leaves in the fall, what it is actually doing is dropping giant, leaf shaped, nutrient rich fertilizer onto the ground. Little microorganisms then break these leaves up into the basic nitrogen and other nutrient rich particles that the tree can absorb through it's root system. We call this "nutrient-cycling," and it is vital for a trees survival.
We, on the other hand, feel that leaves are an ugly nuisance, and rake the leaves up during the winter. This presents a major problem for the tree, as it doesn't get the nutrients it needs. We then further the problem by planting nice, pretty grass on top of the root system, which fights for (and usually wins) what little nutrients remain in the soil. We also one day decide that we need a sprinkler system to keep our nice beautiful grass healthy and thriving, so we call an irrigation company to come in and tear up the root system by putting a sprinkler system in the ground! So now, not only have we depleted the nutrients in the ground, but we have also limited our trees' ability to take up those nutrients by limiting it's root system.
Now please don't get me wrong; I enjoy a healthy green yard just like anyone else and even complain when the neighbors "forget" to mow or water their yard, but there are ways to combat the effects that we have on trees. First of all, we have to realize the importance of trees to our environment. Not only do they keep the keep the house nice and cool and therefore significantly reduce our exorbitant, North Texas electricity bills, but they actually keep the air cleaner around us by taking in the "bad air" and "breathing out" nice clean oxygen rich air! This is not they only benefit, as they reduce erosion, and if placed right can actually help our foundations by keeping the soil "together" and preventing our houses from settling too much. They also add significant value to our property, and when trying to sell a house, a mature landscape and "tree-d" environment can be a major selling point. Of course these are just a few of the many benefits of trees to our "urbanized" landscapes, but my point is that Trees are not just a lawn ornament, but are extremely beneficial to our everyday lives. Therefore they need to be treated as such!
Now here's the good part; what you can do to help! First of all, we are all very busy individuals with our daily grind keeping us occupied most of the time. Therefore most of us (with many exceptions of course!) don't have the time, or even the care to make sure that our trees are properly cared for. I've found that in business it is vital to have many great "team members" in order to be successful, and a house can be very similar. Having the right team member to care for your trees is key to having a successful landscape, and the best way to ensure that you have the right individual is to ensure that they are qualified.The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) has set up a standardized qualification to ensure that tree workers are more than qualified to care for trees properly. Getting someone on your team that is a certified arborist through ISA is a great way to make sure that the person you are hiring is going to do what is best for your trees. In fact Arborists (much like doctors) take an oath to do so, and can lose their license if improper care is given.
Your trees need more care than most people think, and having an arborist come in and perform a proper diagnosis of what your tree needs, and then taking care of those needs is crucial to ensuring that your trees live a healthy and thriving life, and give you much in return!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
When in Drought ...
Hey tree enthusiasts and welcome to another beautiful Tuesday morning! last night we had some major rain hit us, which really reminded me of how badly we needed it! The Texas Forest Service has estimated that between 1/5-1/4 of all Texas trees have already died this year, and the residual effects of this drought will last for at least 3-5 years if everything improves! This being the case, you have to act NOW! I wanted to talk a little about drought, it's effects on trees, and what you can do to save your trees from the effects of drought. This will be a very brief overview, however I am actively working on putting out a book that goes over this problem and it's solution in further detail. Please check back on our website, www.ustreeadventures.com over the next couple of months to keep updated on the release of this book.
So to start out, let's go over a little biology. If you think of a tree like a straw, you get a pretty good picture of how a tree actually takes up water. Tiny openings in the leaves called stomata release water vapor during the day and create a negative pressure through the "vascular system," or cambium of the tree. This release of water vapor helps to cool the tree and is vital to the Photosynthetic process. This negative pressure then helps to draw up water through the root system. When there is no water in the soil to take up, the tree then taps into it's water and nutrient "reserve" located in the heart wood, the heart wood of course being the "non-conductive" tissue that we generally think of as the "woody" part of the tree. This is generally when the tree starts to show signs of stress
During long sustained periods of drought like we've been having over the past couple of years, the heartwood eventually runs out of reserve nutrients and water. This is when you really begin to have problems with the tree. Now many of us know that a sure sign of drought stress is wilting, and there are 3 types that can occur; incipient, temporary, and permanent. Incipient wilting is generally not noticeable, but may cause slight browning of the leaves around the edges, depending on species. This can quickly turn into temporary wilting if nothing is done to correct the issue. Temporary wilting happens when the leaves start visibly drooping during the day, but re-hydrate and "perk up" at night due to condensation and a cooler atmosphere. Permanent wilting is the one you have to worry about! Permanent wilting occurs when the leaves shrivel up and wilt, but never re-hydrate at night. Leaves might even fall off if the water deprivation gets bad enough!
Now ... That's the bad news, but here's the good news; There's things you can do to help. First and foremost, and I can't stress enough how important this is, WATER YOUR TREES! Trees need on average between 1 and 5 inches or water per week, depending on species. Pines, cedars, hemlocks, and other "evergreen" trees need less, because of less and smaller stomatal openings, but any and all deciduous, broad leaf plants need at least 1 inch of water per week. This can be achieved using either soaker hoses or traditional sprinkler systems. A soaker hose will give you the best results, allowing water to soak into the soil slowly and deeply, however will require at least 4 hours to put down one inch of water. This is by far the prefered method, however if you simply can't wait that long, feel free to use a sprinkler system to acquire the desired results. Most sprinkler systems put down 1 inch in approximately 30-40 minutes, but vary depending on the system, and don't give nearly the deep watering that a soaker hose will deliver. There are other chemical methods that can be used such as hormonal inhibitors and anti-transparents. DO NOT attempt to use these on your own as they can further the damage VERY EASILY, if done incorrectly. Make sure and contact a local Arborist, certified through the International Society of Arboriculture (of which I am of course!) if you notice the signs of drought stress.
Thanks for reading and I hope this helps! Please follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/ustreeadventure or www.facebook.com/ustreeadventures and ask any questions you may have!
Matt Latham
matthew@ustreeadventures.com
Certified Arborist TX 3737-A
Self Proclaimed RTC Tree Ninja
So to start out, let's go over a little biology. If you think of a tree like a straw, you get a pretty good picture of how a tree actually takes up water. Tiny openings in the leaves called stomata release water vapor during the day and create a negative pressure through the "vascular system," or cambium of the tree. This release of water vapor helps to cool the tree and is vital to the Photosynthetic process. This negative pressure then helps to draw up water through the root system. When there is no water in the soil to take up, the tree then taps into it's water and nutrient "reserve" located in the heart wood, the heart wood of course being the "non-conductive" tissue that we generally think of as the "woody" part of the tree. This is generally when the tree starts to show signs of stress
During long sustained periods of drought like we've been having over the past couple of years, the heartwood eventually runs out of reserve nutrients and water. This is when you really begin to have problems with the tree. Now many of us know that a sure sign of drought stress is wilting, and there are 3 types that can occur; incipient, temporary, and permanent. Incipient wilting is generally not noticeable, but may cause slight browning of the leaves around the edges, depending on species. This can quickly turn into temporary wilting if nothing is done to correct the issue. Temporary wilting happens when the leaves start visibly drooping during the day, but re-hydrate and "perk up" at night due to condensation and a cooler atmosphere. Permanent wilting is the one you have to worry about! Permanent wilting occurs when the leaves shrivel up and wilt, but never re-hydrate at night. Leaves might even fall off if the water deprivation gets bad enough!
Now ... That's the bad news, but here's the good news; There's things you can do to help. First and foremost, and I can't stress enough how important this is, WATER YOUR TREES! Trees need on average between 1 and 5 inches or water per week, depending on species. Pines, cedars, hemlocks, and other "evergreen" trees need less, because of less and smaller stomatal openings, but any and all deciduous, broad leaf plants need at least 1 inch of water per week. This can be achieved using either soaker hoses or traditional sprinkler systems. A soaker hose will give you the best results, allowing water to soak into the soil slowly and deeply, however will require at least 4 hours to put down one inch of water. This is by far the prefered method, however if you simply can't wait that long, feel free to use a sprinkler system to acquire the desired results. Most sprinkler systems put down 1 inch in approximately 30-40 minutes, but vary depending on the system, and don't give nearly the deep watering that a soaker hose will deliver. There are other chemical methods that can be used such as hormonal inhibitors and anti-transparents. DO NOT attempt to use these on your own as they can further the damage VERY EASILY, if done incorrectly. Make sure and contact a local Arborist, certified through the International Society of Arboriculture (of which I am of course!) if you notice the signs of drought stress.
Thanks for reading and I hope this helps! Please follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/ustreeadventure or www.facebook.com/ustreeadventures and ask any questions you may have!
Matt Latham
matthew@ustreeadventures.com
Certified Arborist TX 3737-A
Self Proclaimed RTC Tree Ninja
Monday, October 3, 2011
First Blog!
Welcome Tree Climbing fans to the tree chatter blog page! At US Tree Adventures and www.ustreeadventures.com we are excited to be bringing you this brand new blog to talk about trees, tree healthcare, and the joys of Recreational Tree Climbing. Be sure and follow this blog for up to date info on the latest and greatest in Tree and Tree Climbing information!
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