Identify
hazards such a dead branches, old stubbed cuts, and pealing bark.
Identify
hazards such a dead branches, old stubbed cuts, and pealing bark.
Healthy
trees should look symmetrical and have even growth like this Douglas
fir.
|
Are
Your Trees
Ready for Winter?
By Michael C.
Mills
Fall in the Pacific
Northwest is the most wonderful time of year. The corn is tall, the
pumpkins fat and orange, and yes, there are leaves all over the place.
Fall is the time
of year when one wonders what winter will bring, ice storms, wind,
torrential downpours — the list goes on. Conditions change from
one extreme to the other within a 25-mile radius. It could be snowing
in the West Hills, while Gresham is sunny and 20 degrees with 50-mile
an hour winds.
Adverse weather
conditions can have a dramatic effect on trees. Location and species
play a big part. A tree in a natural area with little human impact
will withstand adverse weather conditions and cause a lot less damage
than the big leaf maple on the corner lot growing into the overhead
wires.
Trees in the city
require a much greater amount of maintenance on a regular basis. Monitoring,
proper pruning (I can not stress this enough), and the right nutrients
are vital in maintaining a tree’s health, beauty, and structural
integrity.
Cleaning the dead
wood out of trees at least once a year helps reduce damage caused
by falling branches. Cleaning up fallen leaves helps to reduce insect
activity and composting around the tree helps to protect roots while
giving it the nutrients it needs.
However, watching
your trees year-round is the best preventative maintenance there is.
Certain signs that may indicate problems are: dead or diseased areas
in the tree, mushrooms around the tree trunk or on the tree itself,
excessive water sprouts, and cavities — are just few things to
watch for. Other indicators such as construction around the tree or
the tree has been topped in the past are also things to take into
consideration when assessing a tree’s health. Some species of
trees are more prone to disease and infestation. Proper care and maintenance
can help keep the trees immune system strong, which helps reduce the
chance of these problems occurring.
Improper pruning,
such as topping, excessive amounts of the branch structure being removed,
and other forms of canopy removal damage the tree and can introduce
disease and cause decay in the trunk. Also, excessive water sprouts
grow out of these cuts. These sprouts are often weak and break easily
in adverse weather conditions. In the long run improper pruning not
only ends up costing much more than if it had been done properly the
first time. It can also cause the tree to fail, in which case the
tree may have to be removed completely.
Okay, so your
tree has a few dead branches, now what? First you will want to call
your local Certified Arborist to have the tree assessed. You can call
your local International Society of Arboriculture (ISA). For the Pacific
Northwest Chapter call 503-874-8263 or logon to www.isa-arbor.com
to get a list of the arborists in your area. They will talk to about
your tree and some of the options you have. Check with your city or
county to see if they require a permit to do street tree pruning.
Most require a permit to remove a tree and you will have to replace
it with a city-approved street tree. A Certified Arborist will have
a list of trees that are approved by the city.
Also, there are
volunteer organizations such as Friends of Trees that help plant trees
during the winter months at a greatly reduced cost. You can also call
them for a tree species list. Winter preparation is vital to a tree’s
health. It also adds to the value of your property and a beautiful
addition to your winter landscape for years to come if properly taken
care of.
Michael Mills,
owner of Autumn Arbor Care, has been a certified arborist for nine
years and has worked in the tree and landscape industry for fourteen
years. He has also been a volunteer tree planter and crew leader at
Friends of Trees, an organization that helps plant trees in the city,
urban and natural areas to help reforestation. For more information
call 360-944-1778 or email at mmills7306@aol.com |
Overthinning
a tree is a common problem. This can cause the tree to lose nutrients
and weaken its defense system.
Some
species like these cedars (Portorford) can be susceptible to root
diseases and can spread from one tree to the next.
Overpruning
and topping trees can cause trunk and watersprout, also sunscald and
trunk decay.
Planting
the wrong type of tree in the wrong place can have negative long-term
problems for both the tree and sidewalks. |
