Stormwater Management Urged In Wake Of Hurricane Helene
Turf Editors
Performing A Tree Species Analysis
Do your clients have too many of too few tree species? Probably. An overabundance of just a handful—such as elm, eucalyptus, Austrian pine, ash, silver maple and linden—is problematic. With species-targeting maladies such as Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borer, over-reliance on a particular tree, tempting as it may be, usually leads to big problems. Any property can be greatly improved with an evaluation aimed towards achieving greater tree diversity. Have The Conversation Among the services you provide to clients, is a tree species diversity analysis one of them? Or maybe that’s not the right term. “Right Trees, Right Place” or “Let’s Grow the Good Stuff” might get the point across better to customers. When you’re making the pitch, use terms and concepts they can relate to, such as an HVAC service contract. Create the analogy that periodic landscape assessments are essential to the continued health of the plantings, just as regular heating and cooling system inspections ensure equipment is operating efficiently. When the time is right, a walk and talk with the property owner is a great opportunity to point this out and transform problem plantings into a profit center. Create A Simple Sketch No expensive tools are needed for this one—just a sketch pad, or graph paper, and a pencil. Identify each tree and plant grouping and look for ways to introduce a more diverse group of species. A simple tear-off pad with your company logo and contact information on it will help keep the notes you ...
Tree Services: Taking Tree Care To New Heights
Editor’s Letter It finally happened this summer. Standing on my porch, a flicker caught my eye and there it was—a spotted lanternfly (SLF). I had been reporting on these invasives for several years, but had never encountered a live one in my area, let alone my yard. But I knew they were coming. Inevitable. While SLF was new to me, I had been witnessing the impact of hemlock wooly adelgid (HWA) for months in my hikes along the Hudson Highlands in NY. Quiet, sacred stretches of forest, whose shady understory was once dotted with the gorgeous “redwood of the east,” were clearly showing the effects of this Eastern and Carolina hemlock-killing insect with no native predators. It’s heartbreaking. Factor in emerald ash borer (EAB) and other invasives and quite simply, the very existence of some native trees is at risk—as we learned with the catastrophic American chestnut blight. Yet in today’s global village, the influx of such threats is an ongoing problem. SLF, HWA, and EAB, are detrimental to our forests, yards, and communities, so learning early identification and proper treatment are key not only for your tree care clients but for ongoing biodiversity. When it comes to promoting biodiversity—and with the abundance of species selective insects—John Fech, a horticulturalist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, offers a perspective on the need for a greater variety of trees, or plant palette, on landscaped properties. Better yet, he takes you step by step through the process of performing a tree species analysis, ...
Evolution Of The Tree
The times are a changin’, and so is the climate. Tree planting, then, must also change if urban forests are to adapt to the uncertainties of our future weather. Are you still specifying your favorite trees from years ago? Then maybe it’s time to revisit your current selections with an eye toward optimum resiliency. Developing such climate-resilient trees is a top priority of the plant development program at J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co., a wholesale tree grower in Boring, OR. As a leading developer and introducer of new and improved cultivars of shade and flowering trees, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. must always look to the future in our efforts to select trees that will survive and thrive in challenging, changing environments. Successes over the past 50 years of plant development have included the introduction or co-introduction of more than 100 improved tree cultivars, most of which remain in the trade today. (The best known of these is Red Sunset® Maple, introduced in 1966 and still a top choice among red maples.) Growing Trends—Literally As J. Frank Schmidt prepares to celebrate 75 years in the tree business and plans for the future, our top goals for developing trees for modern landscapes include selecting varieties for heat, drought, and cold tolerance; low water requirements, low maintenance needs, and adaptability to varied soils and growing conditions. We are also always on the lookout for trees that are naturally pest and disease resistant in order to decrease, or hopefully eliminate, the ...
Tree Services: Taking Tree Care To New Heights
Editor’s Letter I admit I’ve got a thing for trees. What’s not to love? They’re beautiful, provide shade, and clean the air. I tend to find my greatest peace while in the woods, hiking under their canopy. Which is why I loved working with Nancy Buley of J. Frank Schmidt & Son for the “Evolution Of A Tree” article in this issue of Tree Services (click here to download PDF). She’s dedicated her career to educating people about trees and in these pages she reveals some of the best varieties to withstand climate extremes and changing needs. This reality was brought home when, while working together, wildfires raged through Buley’s county, the center of Oregon nursery production! But while trees are being bred for disease and weather resistance, they still need proper care. So we turned to Bartlett Tree Experts for fertilization tips from two scientists in their Research Lab. My mother worked at Bartlett when I was a child and her colleague soothed my distress over Christmas trees being cut down by explaining it makes room for younger trees…. which leads to our third article. Husqvarna discuss the proper way to fell a tree—from cut types to crucial safety precautions. Be it planting, maintenance, or removal, tree care is an important part of our landscapes. Chad Sugg of Backseat Goodbye said, “Love the trees until their leaves fall off, then encourage them to try again next year.” cmenapace@groupc.com TreeServicesMagazine.com Tree Services: Taking Tree Care To New Heights ...
For A Thriving Tree, Location Is Key
Location, location, location—the battle cry of the real estate agent. Of course, it’s not just for realtors, it’s for lawn care operators and landscape contractors too. Perhaps the most important element in the landscape in terms of location are trees, as it’s not easy to move one if it’s in the wrong place. The answer? Put it in the right place in the first place. Property Inventory For Potential Plantings The first step in the process of tree placement is to look at all the other woody plants on the property. This can be done with a legal pad and a #2 pencil, or by using the latest landscape design software. In the end, the step of acknowledging the existence and size of the plants already in place is much more important than the tool used. The key is to simply note, mark, or describe through a rough sketch where specific plants are and how much space they take up. Through this inventory process, “holes” or “gaps” in the landscape are identified. Open spaces don’t necessarily mean that a tree/shrub must be planted there, but it’s a good start. In addition to a gap or space, an existing tree in poor condition should be considered as a “hole,” in that it needs to be removed, and thus, an empty space for a new tree will be created. Site Assessment/Analysis For Trees The second part of this step is to document and analyze the specific set of influences that are present ...
