Hurricanes and violent storms

“It is important that people who live in the East and Gulf coastal areas be prepared,” says Tchukki Andersen, BCMA, CTSP* and staff arborist with the Tree Care Industry Association. “Even people in the Midwestern states should heed the warning. Right now, get your trees as ready as they can be to survive a major storm. Don’t wait until the storm is headed your way.”

One of the greatest dangers to life and property during hurricanes is posed by falling trees and limbs. “Larger trees in leaf will ‘catch’ more wind and be subjected to increased mechanical stresses. These stresses increase the chances of either branch or whole-tree failure,” explains Andersen. “Preparing trees for a high-wind event should be done well in advance of the storm season. However, it’s not too late to start preparing, now. To help ease these dangers, have a qualified tree care provider evaluate your trees. Doing this will help determine potential weaknesses and dangers.”

Examine your trees for the following danger signs:

• Wires in contact with tree branches. Trees may become energized when they are contacted by electric wires.
• Dead or partially attached limbs hung up in the higher branches that could fall and cause damage or injury.
• Cracked stems and branch unions that could cause catastrophic failure of a tree section.
• Hollow or decayed areas on the trunk or main limbs, or mushrooms growing from the bark that may indicate a decayed and weakened stem.
• Peeling bark or gaping wounds in the trunk could also indicate structural weakness.
• Fallen or uprooted trees putting pressure on other trees beneath them.
• Tight, V-shaped branch unions, which are much more prone to failure than open, U-shaped unions.
• Heaving soil at the tree base is a potential indicator of an unsound root system.

A tree is a living, growing, changing thing, and its integrity and stability could change over time. Don’t assume that a tree that has survived nine severe storms will necessarily survive a tenth. Simultaneously, not all large trees are dangerous. Contact your tree care expert for an onsite examination.

Find a professional

A professional arborist can assess your landscape and work with you to determine the best care for your trees.

*Board Certified Master Arborist, Certified Treecare Safety Professional

The post How to Prepare Your Trees Before the Tropical Cyclone Season appeared first on Tree Care Tips.

Stop! Just don’t.

Yet another storm has brought distress into your yard in the form of large branches and even entire trees that have broken and fallen into your world view. Before you dig out your brother’s old chain saw, the first question should be, “Am I capable of removing this large tree/limb myself or should I seek professional help?” Major tree-damage cleanup will undoubtedly require the use of a chain saw and climbing equipment. Unless you are experienced in the use of such equipment and comfortable working off the ground, it would be best to have the work performed by a competent professional.

Wind places loads on trees, including trunks, branches and roots, leading to higher stress. The varying lengths and sizes of tree branches tend to dampen the overall effects of wind; however, as wind speeds increase, the loads placed on stress points within the tree increase exponentially. When the loads exceed trunk, branch or root strength, various types of failures occur.

But my brother’s chain saw is right here – it wouldn’t take me long at all!

It might be tempting to get out there with your brother’s old chain saw and do the work yourself. And this is where so many homeowners get into trouble. Run an internet search for videos of “tree cutting gone wrong” to see just what can happen.

I’ve used a chain saw before to cut up an old fence. What could possibly go wrong if I cut up this giant tree branch in my yard?

Professionally trained tree workers have to know what to look out for. Do you?

• There could be overhead and/or nearby electrical wires that create potential hazards and limit the options for tree cutting. Torn, hanging limbs overhead could make it extremely dangerous to cut downed limbs underneath them.
• Most chain saw work on large limbs or trees requires the experience of a trained operator to prevent injuries. Wood under tension (one or both ends of the fallen tree or branch pinned under other branches or debris) can have different types of binds at different places. Releasing that tension with chain saw cuts is extremely dangerous and can seriously, or fatally, harm the chain saw operator.
• Uprooted root plates or root balls are unpredictable. Cutting the trunk of a fallen tree from an uprooted plate releases the pressure holding the root plate. The roots are still anchored and may have enough tension that they will pull the stump and root ball back into the hole. It could suddenly sit back into the root hole, trapping anything nearby underneath it.
• Slope and uneven footing surfaces are dangerous while operating a chain saw.
• Watch that bar tip! Cutting branches on the ground can cause you to bury the saw bar in the dirt or hit hidden obstacles, causing chain saw kickback.
• Many homeowners injured doing their own tree work were working alone at the time, significantly lengthening emergency response time and hospital stays. Always have at least one other person work with you. In case you get trapped or injured, there’s someone to call for help.

Removing large, fallen trees should always be done by an experienced professional.

Find a professional

A professional arborist can determine the best way to accomplish the task at hand, and has the experience and proper equipment to do the job. And in doing so, he or she just may prevent an injury or even save a life. Search for a qualified tree care professional in your area.

The post Leave Storm-Related Tree Work to Professionals appeared first on Tree Care Tips.

Tree Identification Guide: Guest Post

It’s easy to go through life with what our third-grade teacher taught us about trees. What we ‘half remember’ is enough for us to happily relegate trees to the background of everywhere we go and everything we do.

It isn’t until something – or someone – gets us to look at a specific tree, or knowingly spouts the name of a tree because of its leaf shape, that we take a closer look and start to marvel at the diversity of shapes, leaves, branching or barks. Then we want to know more.

 

So, if we’re going to start learning to identify the trees around us, what comes first?

FIRST, WHAT EXACTLY IS A TREE?

Sounds obvious, but officially it’s a woody plant with a single vertical trunk that measures a minimum of 3 inches in “Diameter at Breast Height” (DBH).

 

WHAT IS NOT A TREE?

A shrub or bush, on the other hand, is a woody plant that grows low and has multiple stems. No trunk.

A vine, also a woody plant, cannot stand on its own but needs to support itself on something. Again, no trunk.

And a palm is not woody.

 

 

SPECIES? WHAT IS A TREE SPECIES?

It’s “an individual kind of tree that shares the same general appearance and the same characteristics of bark, leaf, flower, and seed.”

Nearly 1,200 species of trees grow naturally in the U.S. To that we can add all the trees that people have brought here from elsewhere and planted where conditions are similar enough for the trees to thrive.

(That accounts for hundreds of more species of ‘naturalized exotics.’) All told, worldwide we have about 50,000 species. With that many species, we’d better have a good way to name them.

HOW DO WE NAME TREES?

We refer to trees by a double name, made up of their genus and species. A species is the most specific level of classifying living things. A genus brings together a group of closely related species.

The post How to Identify Trees appeared first on Tree Care Tips.

“Planting evergreen trees and shrubs in certain areas around your house can create an effective windbreak,” says Tchukki Andersen, BCMA, CTSP* and staff arborist with the Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA). “Generally, most cold winds come from the north or west. An option for those sides of the building is to plant a dense row of evergreens. This will provide additional insulation for your building. Be sure to plant them far enough from the foundation to allow for growth.”

Creating a windbreak

The ultimate goal of planting a windbreak – or living snow fence – is temperature control. A planting design that takes into account wind speed and direction can offer homeowners benefits ranging from reduced energy costs to more efficient landscape water management.

“Wind barriers can channel winds away from your house and cut down on cold drafts getting in,” Andersen advises. “In addition, shrubs, bushes and vines planted near a house can help keep the house cool in summer.”

How far away should you plant?

Allow enough space in the tree’s root zone for roots to grow. A qualified tree care provider can assist you with tree selection if you aren’t familiar with how much room a mature tree’s roots will need. Install physical root barriers if concerns about the foundation arise.

How dense should the windbreak be?

Whether your goal is to reduce the chilling effects of winter winds or control the accumulation of snow, the density of the plantings is key. A rough estimate of density can be determined by estimating the ratio of the “solid” area (branches, trunks, leaves, etc.) to the total area of the barrier.

For example, a row of deciduous trees might offer a density of roughly 30 percent. This means that the row consists of 30 percent trees and 70 percent open space in winter. By comparison, a row of conifers might have a density of 50 percent or 60 percent in winter.

Higher-density windbreaks are better at slowing wind speed enough to cause snow to drop to the ground. Therefore, snow will accumulate both on the windward and leeward side of the row (or rows). These types of living snow fences are extremely useful for keeping roads, driveways and other high-use areas clear of drifts. This means less plowing, less shoveling and less aggravation.

Every location is different, and there is no perfect design that will be effective in all situations. A professional arborist can evaluate your planting sites and help plan an effective windbreak that will offer homeowners a variety of benefits for years to come.

What can you do?

A professional arborist can assess your landscape and work with you to determine the best trees and shrubs to plant and to care for in your existing landscape. Search for a qualified tree care professional in your area.

*Board Certified Master Arborist, Certified Treecare Safety Professional

The post Planting to Reduce Those Winter Heating Bills appeared first on Tree Care Tips.

According to an article by Maria Hakki for I Heart Intelligence, the rusty patched bumble bee, native to eastern North America, is a vital pollinator. “Without them, food wouldn’t grow,” says Hakki.

With a simple Google search, you will find many lists of plants that are great for attracting bees, but not many of these lists are specific to bumble bees. Take this a step further – you’ll be hard-pressed to find a list of trees and shrubs that are bumble bee friendly.

Bumble bee-friendly trees

• Fruiting and ornamental varieties of apple, cherry, plum and pear
• Willows (Salix)

Bumble bee-friendly shrubs

• Viburnums
• Barberry (Berberis)
• Cotoneasters
• Japanese andromeda (Pieris)
• Escallonia
• California lilac (Ceanothus)

What else can you do?

The USFWS recommends a variety of efforts to help the rust patched bumble bee, including growing a garden, using native plants, providing natural areas and limiting the use of chemicals and pesticides.

Not only will your efforts help the endangered rusty patch bumble bee, all other pollinators will be helped, as well!

Additional resources about pollinators

• S. Department of Agriculture – Forest Service
• Pollinator Partnership
• Pollinator Conservation Resource Center

Have questions about the trees and shrubs in your landscape?

Contact a qualified arborist in your area. Not only can they can help you identify your existing trees and shrubs, they can also recommend new plantings that will work well given the light, soil and hydration conditions of your landscape.

The post Bumble bee-friendly trees and shrubs appeared first on Tree Care Tips.

“Wouldn’t it be better to know the condition of large trees on a property before the purchase-and-sales agreement is executed?” asks Tchukki Andersen, CTSP, BCMA and staff arborist with the Tree Care Industry Association. “When homebuyers contemplate owning a home for many years, the quality and safety of the trees is usually overlooked in the negotiations.”

There are many factors to consider when assessing the trees and landscaping on a property, but many homeowners overlook these unless there is a serious, visible problem. Some of these concerns include:

• poor past care or previous topping;
• improper planting of the trees;
• too much mulch on the root system;
• damage during construction;
• wrong tree in the wrong place;
• insect or disease damage;
• overwatering from the lawn’s irrigation system; or
• limbs rubbing on the siding or roof.

All of these things can be dealt with after the purchase of a home, but can be expensive. According to Lew Bloch, a registered consulting arborist in Potomac, Maryland, “Large trees are usually an asset and a valuable amenity to the property, but weak, damaged or diseased trees are actually liabilities.”

“If a large tree has a serious defect, removal may be the best option,” advises Andersen. “Quite often these defects are hidden from view. They may be underground in the roots, or they could be hidden in the tree trunk. Depending on the location of the tree and other factors, treating or removing the tree could cost thousands of dollars.”

This situation becomes dangerous when the hidden defects are so serious that the tree falls over without any warning. This can happen during a severe weather event or even on a calm day. It can cause heavy property damage or personal injuries or fatalities. If your tree falls on a neighboring home, there may even be a negligence lawsuit.

Therefore, before purchasing a home with large trees, always have the trees inspected by a qualified arborist. Most home-inspection companies do not even look at the trees or have the expertise to analyze them. An experienced arborist can often detect the hidden problems mentioned above and outline remedies.

“Obviously dead or declining trees are easy to spot – at least when leaves are out,” says Bloch. “Healthy-looking trees with structural defects, however, require a professional diagnosis.”

A professional arborist can also advise the purchaser of a new home about future maintenance the trees will need and how to care for them.

Find a professional

A professional arborist can assess the trees in your landscape and work with you to mitigate hazards. Search for a qualified tree care professional in your area.

The post Home Inspections Outside the House appeared first on Tree Care Tips.

Millions of Americans pay their respects each year at national and state veterans’ cemeteries and properties. Saluting Branches brings together arborist experts to improve the beauty and safety of the trees located in these hallowed sites. With support by industry leaders; including Rainbow Treecare, ACRT, Inc., The Davey Tree Expert Company, STIHL®, SavATree, Petzl®, and others, Saluting Branches will be caring for thousands of trees at 51 VA national and state veterans cemeteries across the country this year.

“I’m a fourth-generation veteran and am honored to participate and say thank you to our country’s finest by providing them the beautiful resting places they deserve,” said volunteer Will B. Another Saluting Branches volunteer, Stephen D., feels it’s “…important to show our respect and support for America’s heroes by giving back in this very tangible way.”

Rainbow Treecare, located in Minnetonka, Minn., created the Saluting Branches Day of Service in 2015. Since its inception, thousands in the industry have joined together to donate an estimated $4.5 million in services at veterans’ properties across the U.S.

“We developed Saluting Branches as a green industry project to honor veterans and improve the environment through the science of tree care,” said Deb Peterson, Saluting Branches coordinator. “This is an important event for the arborist community and allows us to give back to those who have served us.”

Visit www.salutingbranches.org to get involved with Saluting Branches. There are volunteer, donor and partner opportunities available for both industry and non-industry supporters.

The post Tree Care Industry Honors Veterans appeared first on Tree Care Tips.

First, stop worrying. Most trees in residential settings are sound and have many years of healthy life before becoming a hazard to your home. However, if your tree is unsafe it could be a threat to lives and property. How does a tree become a hazard?

“Many shade and ornamental trees are damaged throughout the year by windstorms, lightning or ice and snow accumulations,” notes Tchukki Andersen, CTSP, Board Certified Master Arborist and staff arborist with the Tree Care Industry Association. “Damage usually consists of a few broken branches. However, more severe damage – such as splitting or pulling apart of branch unions, removal of large areas of bark, twisting and splitting of the trunk or even uprooting – pose possible dangers.”

A few tree species, including Chinese elm, silver maple, boxelder and various poplars, have brittle wood that is easily broken. These rapidly growing trees cause a considerable amount of damage to homes, cars, buildings and utility lines each year. Homeowners should be aware of these characteristics and avoid planting them close to potential targets. If such trees are already growing in these locations, preventive pruning, bracing or cabling may help reduce storm damage this winter. This is particularly true as the tree grows in size and the weight and surface of the leaf and branch area increases.

Over the years, growing trees will add more leaves, become heavier and “catch” more wind, so they are prone to increased mechanical stresses, thus increasing the chances of failure.

Larger trees will also affect an increased area should they or their larger limbs fall. This means that homes, other structures and power lines that might not have been threatened a few years ago might now be under threat by a tree that has grown.

Preparing trees to better withstand these natural events is necessary and should be done well in advance of storm season. To help ease these dangers, have a professional arborist evaluate your trees. Doing this will help identify potential weaknesses and dangers.

Look at your trees for the following warning signs:

• Dead or partially attached limbs hung up in the higher branches that could fall and cause damage or injury
• Cracked stems and branch forks that could cause catastrophic failure of a tree section
• Hollow or decayed areas on the trunk or main limbs or mushrooms growing from the bark could indicate a decayed and weakened stem
• Peeling bark or gaping wounds in the trunk also indicate structural weakness
• Fallen or uprooted trees putting pressure on other trees beneath them
• Tight, V-shaped forks, which are much more prone to failure than open U-shaped forks
• Heaving soil at the tree base is a potential indicator of an unsound root system

Remember, too, that a tree is a living thing, and its integrity and stability change over time. Don’t assume that a tree that has survived 10 severe storms will necessarily survive an eleventh.

Find a professional

A professional arborist can assess the trees in your landscape and work with you to mitigate hazards. An easy way to find a tree care service provider in your area is to use the “Find A Tree Care Company” program. You can use this service by calling 1-800-733-2622 or by doing a ZIP Code search for qualified tree care in your area.

The post When Will My Tree Fall on My House? appeared first on Tree Care Tips.

Florence is just one storm at the start of a long season that will surely see many more storms.

The Tree Care Industry Association, a national trade association of professional companies, urges homeowners to be safe and avoid injury during the post-storm cleanup. Your landscape may have sustained damage from fallen trees and limbs, but do not attempt to clean up this debris yourself. Hidden dangers such as fallen power lines and unpredictable tree mechanics can harm untrained civilians. As you assess your post-storm landscape, consider the following:

First, if a utility line is down:

• Do not approach. Assume any downed line is energized.
• Avoid touching anything near the downed line and make sure nobody goes near the line. Contact with energized lines can result in electrocution.
• Be aware that downed power lines can be hidden in brush and foliage. Play it safe; call a tree care professional.

Second, when deciding whether to try removing a tree or large branch yourself:

• Consider the size and location of the tree. If the work requires you to leave the ground or if the tree is more than 20 feet tall, call a tree care professional. Do not attempt any tree work from a ladder!
• Examine the shape and lean of the tree. Inspect the trunk for decay, weak spots, hanging limbs, and for any metal or concrete in or around the tree. If any of these features are present, the tree is unstable and extra precautions need to be taken before removing the tree.
• Carefully inspect the tree and the surrounding area for anything – utility lines, structures, vehicles, shrubs – that might interfere with the removal of tree pieces.
• Note other people in the area, particularly children. You don’t want anyone to wander near the drop zone.
• Even small trees bent under tension can be extremely hazardous. Do not cut wood that is under tension (one or both ends are trapped under something).
• Ask yourself “What will happen when I cut this branch/tree?” Consider all the possibilities. If you don’t know what to expect, perhaps you should not be doing the cutting!
• Plan an escape route from the falling tree before cutting.
• Do not use a chain saw for tree removal unless you have years of experience. Even tree care pros face risk of injury using chain saws. Tree and branch removals are very unpredictable. Don’t take unnecessary chances!

Third, consider hiring a tree care professional:

There are inherent dangers for one attempting tree care or tree removal — pruning large limbs, felling trees and especially climbing into trees are hazardous activities even for trained professionals. Untrained civilians should think twice before trying to duplicate the work of professionals. For safe and efficient post-storm work, hire a tree care professional with the experience, expertise and equipment to safely take down or prune damaged trees.

Homeowners looking for tree care companies should:

• Be wary of tree care scammers. Don’t just hire someone with a chain saw who knocks on your door. With hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars at stake, not to mention the integrity and appearance of your property and your personal safety, make sure that you take your time in deciding which company you should hire. To report a tree care scam, call the FBI and National Center for Disaster Fraud’s (NCDF) hotline at 1-866-720-5721.
• Be aware that price gouging is another form of tree care scamming. The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office is the best contact for information on and to report possible gouging. If you believe you are a victim of price gouging, you can file a consumer complaint with the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
• Ask for current certificates of liability and workers’ compensation insurance, if applicable. Be aware that if the tree care company you hire doesn’t have insurance or is not a legal company – you, the homeowner – could be held responsible as a contractor.
• Ask for local references, and check on the quality of their work and level of service.
• Verify professional affiliations the company might have, such as memberships in business and/or professional organizations, or Accreditation with the Tree Care Industry Association.
• Insist on a signed contract as to cost, dates when work is to be performed, and exactly what is to be done.
• Get a second opinion and quote.

An easy way to find a tree care service provider in your area is to use the “Find A Tree Care Company” program. You can use this service by calling 1-800-733-2622 or by doing a ZIP Code search for qualified tree care in your area.

Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) has been a public and professional resource on trees and arboriculture since 1938. TCIA has more than 2,400 member tree care firms and affiliated companies. All member tree care companies recognize stringent safety and performance standards and are required to carry liability insurance and workers’ compensation insurance, where applicable. TCIA has the nation’s only Accreditation program that helps consumers find tree care companies that have been inspected and accredited based on: adherence to industry standards for quality and safety; maintenance of trained, professional staff; and dedication to ethics and quality in business practices. For more information, visit TCIA.org.

The post Consumer Safety Alert: Cleaning Up Trees Damaged by Hurricane Florence appeared first on Tree Care Tips.

There are many reasons that you might like to hang a birdhouse in trees on your property. These reasons could include bringing colorful wildlife into your yard for viewing pleasure, and attracting birds to your yard for natural pest control.

Here’s a quick guide for hanging a birdhouse.

Picking your tree and birdhouse

Without going into too much detail, there is a method for selecting the right tree and house for the birds that are attracted to your yard. Not sure which birds you have? Download the Audubon Bird Guide app, available on the iPhone App Store, Google Play and Amazon.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a comprehensive list of types of trees, the birds they attract and the benefits the trees offer to their residents.

Sialis.org has a nice nestbox specifications guide for many different types of birds to help you select the right-size birdhouse and know how high to mount it.

The best time to put up a new birdhouse is in the fall or early winter.

What not to do when installing a birdhouse

Do not nail a birdhouse to a tree. Nails can cause damage, and over time could introduce wood-decay fungi that will rot the tree.

Do not hang a birdhouse on a branch using a tightly wound string, cord or sling. As the tree grows, it will grow around the cordage, which will cause girdling, or choking, of the tree’s cambium (the cambium is the tree’s pathway for fluids and nutrients). Girdling will cause a wound that could either promote tree breakage at that point, or branch die back from lack of water and nutrients.

Birdhouse installation options

The best way to mount a birdhouse without damaging your trees is on a standalone post. The post could be located under a tree for the shade and safety, but you’d have to be cautious of not disrupting the root zone. Not only does this method take steps to protect the health of your tree, this also protects the birds from predators by making their home difficult to access.

Remember… squirrels and cats can climb trees!

The next best option is to suspend the birdhouse from a branch with cordage that can expand as the tree grows. This would require that you loosen the cordage as the tree grows. We recommend checking the wraps at least once per year to ensure they aren’t fraying or breaking down, and to ensure they aren’t girdling the tree branch. While you’re at it, you can also clean out the birdhouse.

Birds generally don’t reuse nests, so your birdhouse will have more visitors if it is kept clean! While not all nests are used for breeding, it is safest to clean birdhouses out by mid-August to ensure you’re not disrupting a nest of new birds, but there are exceptions. Mass Audubon has a great guide for cleaning birdhouses.

If you are unable to avoid affixing a birdhouse to the trunk of the tree, use stainless steel or a galvanized threaded rod to attach the structure to the tree. To do this, drill into the tree with a ship auger to the depth of the bolt, then insert the bolt and attach the birdhouse. Be very careful not to damage the bark or cambium surrounding the drill hole.

When in doubt, contact an arborist. They can help you identify the trees in your yard, as well as provide guidance on how best to avoid disrupting the root zone if you decide to install a post for your birdhouse.

The post So you want to hang a birdhouse appeared first on Tree Care Tips.