Drought
Can Be Misleading
At Wood Acres
Tree Specialists, we feel trees are the most important component
of our urban environment. They provide cooling shade, oxygen to
breathe, filtration of air pollutants, wind buffering, soil improvement
and beauty to our landscapes. As with all living things they need
water to stay healthy. Keep that in mind when making a decision
about what to water during the summer months. Vegetables, flowers,
ground covers and shrubs can all be replaced at minimal cost.
This is not the case with trees. Most landscape trees are large
structures that can cause potential hazards to people and property.
Because of this, keeping trees healthy is very important.
Drought is a silent killer of trees in the landscape. It is thought
of as a silent killer because it slowly kills fine feeder roots
as moisture in the soil is used up. As roots die, the amount of
moisture that can be drawn from the soil and replenish moisture
that is lost through the leaves is reduced. Without moisture to
replenish what is being lost, cells begin to die. For trees, this
equates to root, stem and branch dieback. This dieback creates
potential hazards which wounds the tree and ultimately leads to
tree stress. Trees have to deal with these wounds by healing over
them. The process that a tree goes through to correct the wound
creates a chemical that is released into the atmosphere that insects
are drawn to. The insects flock to the stress signals emitted
by trees knowing that they can make an easy home out of the host.
Insects like wood borers.
This secondary attack can further weaken the tree leading to more
stress which can then attract more insects. A high enough population
of insects in one tree can cause mortality. In some cases insects
carry with them diseases that once introduced to the trees vascular
tissue can spread throughout the tree rapidly.
In order to help keep your trees' stress level low, water under
the canopy of the tree during the drought season. This will ensure
that the fine roots most vulnerable to drought will not dry out
causing unnecessary stress. If drought is of concern to you talk
to your Wood Acres arborist about ways to maintain the health
of your trees.
Lyme's
Disease
There are
many types of ticks in the United States but in the eastern United
States, black-legged and deer ticks are most common. These are
the species that can be carriers of Lyme disease. Lyme disease
is a bacterium that ticks get from feeding on mice. Ticks are
then able to pass the bacterium onto humans with a single bite
which introduces the bacterium into our blood stream.
As the bacterium first enters the bloodstream you may notice a
red spot forming around the bite. As time progresses the spot
becomes more pronounced. The original bite mark is surrounded
by a ring of clear skin which is surrounded by another ring of
red skin. This rash resembles a bull's eye much like what we would
use for target practice. The rash will usually appear within 30
days after the infection is transmitted and may persist for three
weeks or more. The site may not hurt but a warm sensation can
be felt. This is the first stage of the infection which can be
easily treated during this phase. If it is not treated during
this first stage then symptoms such as headaches, nausea, muscle
and joint pain can be noticed making treatment more difficult.
If you have been bitten by a tick and think you may be at risk
of Lyme disease then contact your doctor so you can get on the
road to recovery.
A tick's habitat resembles that of our backyard landscapes: moist,
shaded environments with low lying vegetation. If this defines
your landscape then chances of finding a tick are pretty good.
The only way to avoid ticks is to stay out of their habitat. If
that is not possible then an integrated pest management program
targeting ticks can be created for your property to reduce the
population of possibly infected ticks. If ticks are of a concern
to you then ask your arborist to design a tick management pro-gram
for your landscape.
Winter
Injury
This past
winter's weather was very unusual. In January we experienced 70
degree day time temperatures followed by 0 degree night temperatures.
This was a great time for us because it offered a few weeks in
what is usually the coldest part of winter to enjoy time outside
without that heavy winter jacket. As we enjoyed the warm weather
our plants were a bit confused. The warmth of the sun tricked
plants into thinking it was spring. Buds were preparing to open
and the rate of transpiration increased. Transpiration is a process
where water moves from the soil into the roots where it then travels
up the main stem and eventually evaporates from the leaves into
the atmosphere. While transpiration is part of the water cycle,
the available water to replenish what was lost was limited due
to its frozen state in the soil, and as a result, cells died.
This damage can be seen along the leaf margins of evergreen species
as dead leaf material.
Winter
injury causes stress to the tree, leading to loss of leaves and
needles. Energy that would have been used for growth must instead
be used to heal wounds. This stress going into a drought-filled
growing season can cause even further stress, leaving the plants
vulnerable to insects and disease.
Defects
in Trees
The healthier
the tree is the faster it will be able to begin the healing process
once it is wounded. It is important for trees to quickly heal
wounds because they are left vulnerable to insects, disease and
decay. Insects are attracted to the wounded trees because wounds
create stress for a tree. Wounded trees have to reallocate energy
resources from growing to healing and in the stressful process
the trees emit a chemical into the atmosphere that insects can
pick up on from miles away. Some insects carry with them diseases
that once introduced to the tree can cause further damage. The
faster the tree can deal with the problem the faster the stress
signal will go away. Trees compartmentalize their wounds which
mean the cells closest to the wound acts as a scab that essentially
walls off injury. This process takes energy to complete and trees
that are stressed have reduced energy reserves and are unable
to deal with wounds as fast as healthier ones. This leaves these
less healthy trees vulnerable to insects, disease and decay organisms
for a longer period, which increases their likelihood of attack.
Wounds range in varying sizes and shapes. The most common but
unassuming wound are dead branches left in the canopy. Dead branches
left in a tree are wounds even though they do not resemble the
most obvious wounds like missing bark from a tree trunk after
a lawnmower accident. As a branch dies the tree is trying to quickly
compartmentalize the wound to stop the chance of insects, decay
or diseases from entering into its system. The tree is not able
to do so because the dead branch is still attached to the tree.
The tree reacts to the dead branch by swelling around the base.
It is trying to cover the wound with living tissue much like we
see when proper pruning cuts have been made to branches. Since
the branch is still attached it can not do so properly, but during
this process the tree is expending valuable energy to the area
to protect itself. Oftentimes these branches stay attached to
the tree for many years. As the tree is unsuccessful at compartmentalizing
the dead branch, decay organisms begin to feed on the dead material.
Over time this decay spreads down the base of the limb as it acts
like a highway for decay organisms to enter the main stem. By
which time the decaying branch is no longer able to support its
weight and the branch falls from the tree unexpectedly. What is
left behind is a small opening along the main stem from where
the branch once was attached. Behind that opening, however, is
a larger column of decay that is increasing in size. This decay
column goes unnoticed because the opening left behind from the
branch is small. This decay column will continue to increase in
size on the inside of the tree. As it increases in size the structure
weakens. What seems to be a perfectly healthy tree is now a potential
hazard due to the wounding, and removal of the tree may be in
order to remedy the situation.
It is important to ensure your trees are well maintained by a
professional. By doing so you can rest assure that your investment
will stay healthy for years to come.
On
The Road To Accreditation
In this day
and age of tree care, a company that has a licensed tree expert
on staff is simply not enough. The way it sounds as it roles off
the tongue seems credible with the term "tree expert,"
but this can be misleading. Until this past year anyone who was
identified as a tree expert had to sit for a comprehensive exam
that touched upon all the areas of tree care. However, not everyone
who is recognized as a tree expert today passed the exam due to
a recent "grand-fathering" amendment. They just had
to prove that they were doing this type of work for the past three
years. Not to say that there are licensed tree experts out there
who do not do good work, but it is more difficult to tell if the
tree expert you hired knows what is best for your trees. Trees
are living structures and what you do to them today will last
their lifetime, or in some instances shorten their life. It's
time to look past the licensed tree expert and search for companies
that have Certified Arborists on staff and are accredited through
the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA). When an accredited
tree care company is hired you can be assured that they are properly
insured, have applicable business and pesticide licenses, and
their customer service is reliable and ethical.
Wood Acres is currently going through an accreditation process
set up by the Tree Care Industry Association so we can stand with
the best. TCIA Accreditation is a consumer confidence program
administered by America's oldest tree care trade association.
This program is built on the foundation of ethics, quality and
consumer confidence. TCIA has been involved in years of educational
programs and has been creating standards to help tree care companies
provide the highest levels of service to homeowners. The accreditation
program is a voluntary program that credentials companies which
meet a high level of professionalism, employee training, state
and federal safety regulations, business ethics and consumer satisfaction.
We are expecting to be identified by TCIA as an accredited tree
care company by years end. We thank you for being such great clients
over the years and want you to know that we are here for the best
interest of your landscape tree and shrubs. For more information
about TCIA visit them at www.tcia.org
