TREEmendous Blog

The Effects of Extreme Summer Soils

7/18/2012

A few thoughts from Jeff for today:

Today, as I was looking for copy on a specific topic of Urban Forestry, I came across this outline written 2 years ago:

Negative impacts on trees in winter: waterlogged soils.

Water logged soils inhibit the soil ice, which is natural and needed, in “normal soil” for tillage.
Water logged soils inhibit root respiration in low oxygenated/anaerobic soils.
Water logged soils increase nutrient dilution and can kill micro-flora and fauna.

It is rather humorous to find this on a day when it is 106°F and we haven’t seen rain in 7+ weeks! While weather extremes are normal (cold, hot; dry, wet), the urban forest creates even higher levels of stress than in natural sites like forests and riparian locations (given the same weather).

Considering the weather we’ve had this summer, there are a couple facts we would like to present:

Soil temperatures over 90°F will kill roots! Dead roots kill trees.
Desiccated (extremely dry) soils will kill roots. Again, dead roots kill trees.

TreeMasters, Inc. is in the business of making a better future for your trees, and so in that spirit, we give this reminder: Please remember to water your trees! Particularly if they are new in your yard. Trees need, on average, about an INCH of water per week. And we don’t mean watering by dragging your hose to the base of your trees and putting it on a slow trickle. Use your garden sprinkler and plan to wet the entire root system of your trees. Place a cup on the ground in the watering zone. When you see an inch of water in the cup, you know you’ve got enough water.

If you have any questions about your trees, please call us and we’ll come take a look!

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Right Tree, Right Place

7/11/2012

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A derecho (from the Spanish adverb for “straight”) is a long-lived windstorm that forms in a straight line — unlike the swirling winds of a tornado — and is associated with what’s known as a bow echo, a line of severe thunderstorms.

Northeastern Indiana and Northwestern Ohio got hammered by some severe storms over the last couple of weeks. On June 29th, we got hit by what is called a "Derecho" (also known as a "Land Hurricane") which demolished trees, tore roofs off of houses and knocked out power for tens of thousands of people in our area. The severe thunderstorms of July 5th just added insult to injury!

It has been astounding to drive around the city and view the destruction that was caused by this brief storm - only lasting for about a half hour. Unfortunately, in our surveys of the trees around town, it looks like about 80% of damage was predictable: the trees had pre-existing conditions that could have been treated, preventing most of the damage. This is why regular inspections are necessary!

Jeff, our resident arborist, says that out of about 250,000 trees in Fort Wayne, 5-10% of them were destroyed in the storms. Even if your tree wasn't completely demolished, it may have damage that you can't see. Arborists have many diagnostic tests that they use to determine the health and viability of trees. Protecting your home and family is important, so you should have your trees inspected on a regular basis (at least once every 5 years if you don't have any pre-existing conditions).

If you're planning to replace trees you lost in the storm (and you should! Trees have many benefits aside from just producing a shady spot in your yard!), you need to consider the type of tree you like as well as the location in your yard where you want to plant it.

If you're considering planting a tree beneath or around power lines, I&M has created a handy little page to show the guidelines of planting around power lines. Of course, not every tree on the list will be ideal for your yard, so you should contact us before you plant anything!

If you don't have to be concerned about a power line that runs near your home, you can concentrate purely on aesthetics and benefits! The process takes some time:

Think about what you're looking for (Do you want gorgeous flowers? Shade for your house in the summer? A windbreak for the winter? An evergreen?). Jeff, our resident arborist, suggests taking a walk through the park for ideas.
Next, think about the location of the tree (Next to the house? Overhanging the deck? Shading the pool? Near the street?).
Think about the maintenance required by the tree you like (Does is drop a lot of fruit? Does it tend to branch low to the ground or require pruning to shape it? Will it need a lot of water?).
Finally, you need to know about the environment in your area. Soil density and composition as well as plant hardiness zones are important to consider.

All of these factors must be determined before selecting the perfect tree for your yard! Picking out the right tree is complicated, which is why we're here to help! Jeff says that at any given time, there are 300-400 trees available on the market: Don't get overwhelmed, just give us a call and we'd be happy to come look at your house and provide you with the perfect options for your home.

We're making a better future for your trees!

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The Effects of Extreme Summer Soils

Right Tree, Right Place

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