Treecare
A mentor of mine would say that "we love to love our trees to death" with unnecessary, costly and even harmful "treatments".
On the other hand, timely and appropriate interventions can be tremendously beneficial, improving tree health, minimizing damage, generating savings and increasing safety.
Knowing the difference between the two is expert tree care.
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Tips to help you get the best care from any tree company
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Tree Care Services
Expert Pruning
For the better part of a decade I cared for Brooklyn Botanic Garden's tree collection. In that time I came to respect plants' limits and learn how to help them manifest their essential character.
Great pruning works with plants' natural tendencies, both biologically and aesthetically, while accommodating site constraints and stakeholder interests. When done expertly, pruned specimens often feel almost magically better, often with no obvious signs of intervention.
COMMUNICATING IN TREE-SPEAK
My two home-bases - Baton Rouge and NYC - boast different tree species, but strategies for getting the best tree care trancend location. Whether it's with me or another company, try starting the conversation about your trees with feelings or objectives like, "I'd like more light" or "it's feeling chaotic". This allows for creative tree-healthy solutions. Prescriptions like "I want that branch removed" limit options and may result in damage where other methods may have met the same objectives with greater care.
PRUNING IS WOUNDING. CATEGORICALLY.
Where trees and people coexist, pruning is generally needed to assure a tree's long term viability while meeting safety requirements and aesthetic preferences. Nonetheless, when pruning it is essential to keep in mind pruning is wounding. Big cuts are big wounds and small cuts are small wounds. All things being equal, trees respond more effectively to small wounds, while big wounds can lead to disease, decay and increased risk.
Skillful pruning often involves making a large number of small cuts rather than a smaller number of large cuts. This can be labor intensive by comparison, but is much more refined aesthetically and can prevent serious damage that costs more to manage over time or even leads to premature tree removal. Trying to get from A-Z in one round of pruning can sometimes result in significant damage, where getting to the same place over the course of a few years may have a negligible impact.
REALLY SEEING TREES
Your tree pro should have things to say about your specific trees. Every specimen is very much itself. Two trees aren't the same simply because they're the same species. A tree isn't necessarily "young" because it was planted just a few years ago. (It may exhibit traits of old age as a result of stress). Nor is it necessarily dangerous because it's large, nor unworkable because the canopy is dense. Each specimen is unique, warranting sincere consideration before aligning its constraints with our desires. A skilled Arborist will take into account the species, the specimen, the context and the client. There is no one-size-fits-all in top-notch tree care. If you suspect that you're getting canned recommendations, consider getting a second opinion.
TOPPING TREES IS EXTREMELY DESTRUCTIVE!
If "pruning is wounding" then topping is just about the worst way to wound a tree. There are many ways to reduce a tree's size or risk profile without topping. Topping is so destructive that it is illegal in some municipalities, in part because it tends to INCREASE a tree's hazard potential. The International Society of Arboriculture declares that "Topping is perhaps the most harmful tree pruning practice known." One way to quickly weed out the worst of the worst tree workers is to ask if they'll top your trees.
Root collar excavation
Poorly planted trees often suffer from a host of problems including malformed roots. They are particularly susceptible to girdling roots which circle and constrict the trunk, interfering with a tree's ability to move water and nutrients. The effects of improper planting generally take years to manifest, surprising clients when a tree that has looked good for years suddenly shows signs of decline.
Soil Testing
Symptoms above ground often begin below. These Pin Oak leaves show signs of an iron deficiency. In this case the soil has plenty of iron but it's unavailable due to soil pH.
