Initial estimates from insurers indicate that Superstorm Sandy may be the second costliest storm in US history. A large portion of the damage attributable to Sandy and several of the deaths associated with the storm were due to falling trees. In many cases the winds were severe enough to topple healthy trees, but I’m sure many GP blog readers share my frustration in looking at storm-related tree damage photos and seeing obvious defects that a professional arborist would have readily spotted.… Continue reading this article “Superstorm Sandy aftermath: A modest proposal”
Tag: woody
What to do with storm damaged trees?
For those of you whose trees suffered storm damage this week, the ISA (International Society for Arboriculture) has an online article that may be of use.
If any of you have photos or questions regarding tree damage, please comment below. Photos can be sent to me (lindacs followed by @wsu.edu).
Tree research continued
Not to be outdone by Bert’s recent postings, I thought I’d show you what’s going on with MY tree research in Washington State.
As you might remember, we installed 40 1-gallon mugo pines and 40 B&B Japanese maples at the end of December 2011. Here’s a photo of the site in April of this year:
I’ve been collecting data on above-ground growth during this year, but have had an unexpected twist to my research, as shown here:
That’s a pine tree.… Continue reading this article “Tree research continued”
A guest blogger (sort of)
One of the best things about my job is I get to work around bright, enthusiastic young people everyday. And not just students here at MSU. Through conferences, meetings and other contacts I get to interact with students at other universities as well. Over the last couple of years I have had a chance to sit in on a couple talks by Alison Stoven O’Connor, who is an Extension Agent and Ph.D. student under the direction of Jim Klett and Tony Koski in Horticulture and Landscape Archetiecture at Colorado State University (and you thought you were busy!). … Continue reading this article “A guest blogger (sort of)”
SoMeDedTrees update
Things have settled down briefly here and I have had a chance to summarize some of the data from the container tree transplanting experiment we installed earlier this year. For those that aren’t familiar we installed two tests this summer using 96 ‘Bloodgood’ plane trees grown in 25 gallon containers that were leftover when we completed an earlier trial in our Pot-in-Pot nursery. I decided to use this as an opportunity to look at some tree transplanting recommendations. … Continue reading this article “SoMeDedTrees update”
When all else fails…
As someone who has had a foot in Horticulture and a foot in Forestry throughout most of my career, people often ask me to compare the two disciplines. One of the truisms that applies in both cases is, “When all else fails, blame the nursery.” I’ve seen this following seedling die-offs in industrial forest plantations and I’ve seen it many, many times after street tree or landscape planting failures. In fact, if you believe some people, tree nurseries are responsible for every plague and pestilence to ever afflict mankind. … Continue reading this article “When all else fails…”
Why it’s important to prune tree roots before planting
This week I discovered that one of our center’s landscape trees is ready to bite the dust. I was sad – but also happy. It’s a wonderful teaching moment and if the tree has to give up its life to save others, I guess that’s okay.
As the video will show you, this Japanese maple was planted some years ago with a root circling the trunk. As both the trunk and root have developed in girth, we’ve reached a point where the trunk is constricted and the weight of the tree is splitting this V-shaped specimen down the middle just like a turkey wishbone. … Continue reading this article “Why it’s important to prune tree roots before planting”
The good, the bad, and the ugly. A reply.
Ginny Stibolt of the Florida Native Plant Society recently posted Native Plant Issues: The good, the bad and the ugly, featuring me as the ugly. I posted a reply on her post, which I include here. To keep things in context, I encourage you to read her post first.
Enjoy your weekend!
Hi Ginny:
Some comments and a few points of clarification.
On the first item, as a Federal agency the USDA is bound by the Executive Order on Invasive Species which defines natives as species that occur in an ecosystem “other than as a result of an introduction”. … Continue reading this article “The good, the bad, and the ugly. A reply.”
Last minute advice about Christmas trees and other fun stuff
The next podcast is up and running for your listening pleasure. I’ve got an interview with Dr. Gary Chastagner, WSU’s Christmas tree expert. He’ll tell you about his latest research and share some tips for keeping your tree happy and your carpet needle-free.
Here are some photos from Gary’s “dungeon” where he’s been comparing needle retention with some new promising conifer species from other parts of the world:
In the dungeon with Gary Chastagner
What dungeon would be complete without a rack or two?… Continue reading this article “Last minute advice about Christmas trees and other fun stuff”
Opening up a can of roots (or worms as the case may be)
Blog reader Alan Haigh asked if we could start a discussion about tree planting recommendations. He sent along these guidelines from the Colorado State Master Gardener Program.
While I’m glad to see that the consensus now seems to be that burlap, wire, twine etc. do not belong in the planting hole, there’s still plenty of issues to contest. Here are just a few that I found on my first read:
1) Not mulching over the root ball;
2) Assuming that all B&B trees are “field grown,” which I *know* is incorrect for so very, very many B&B trees;
3) Not including the root-washing technique for B&B, which is not only research-based but is actively promoted through the International Society for Arboriculture’s workshops (see this posting for instance). … Continue reading this article “Opening up a can of roots (or worms as the case may be)”