Do you need a certified arborist to document your loss??  Call “Doc” Pickhardt at 1-800-404-3033 or e-mail info@organicpestcontrolmichigan.com

So far this month I have been asked by various law firms to appear as their expert witness in three separate instances. One case involves a tree that broke and fell through the roof of a house and permanently disfiguring a man who was asleep in his bed. Another case involves a power company who was forced to over prune the owners trees so as to clear the easement space around their wires. The most recent case involves an accidental death caused by a fallen tree limb across a primary road.

So what? All of these cases will cost considerable money and distress to the tree owners and could have been prevented. The care of trees is seldom considered because they are perceived as large trouble free plants growing in concert with lawns and gardens that require constant care- until one comes crashing down. A visit from a certified arborist at least once per year is inexpensive, get to know one.

Doc Pickhardt
Consulting Arborist

Need Additional Help?

If you have any questions or would like further information on Doc’s expert witness services or a free tree estimate, contact American Lawn and Tree Arborists at: info@theamericanlawnandtreearborist.com

A sound tree becomes potentially dangerous when the trees woody structure is weakened by one or more defects including decayed wood, cracks, weak branch unions, cankers, poor tree architecture and dead tree tops and branches.

Healthy well maintained trees growing on suitable sites will be able to lessen the extent of decay and other defects. Trees that are stressed have reduced energy reserves and therefore have less ability to deal with wounds and ensuing decay.

Tree failure is a major cause of residential property damage. Home owners worried about their large trees should consult with a certified arborist. In fact the International Society of Arboriculture recommends you have large trees inspected by a certified arborist at least once per year in any case.

American Lawn and Tree Arborists

For more information on our organic tree care services visit: www.theamericanlawnandtreearborist.com

Usually in my reports about “bad bugs” and trees the culprit is some exotic import. Not this time. A tiny native walnut twig beetle found in California, Arizona, and New Mexico known as “Pityophorus juglanois” was first discovered in 1959 as just another bark beetle, has recently been associated with the death of walnut trees all along the west coast as far north as Washington and Oregon, as for east as Idaho and Utah.

The little critter doesn’t do much harm, but it is suspected it carries a new disease coined “thousand cankers disease.” There is concern that the disease itself is exotic and that it may spread east to the white (English) walnut industry (where our edible walnuts are grown) and to the Black walnut trees of the northeast praised for its wood in veneers and furniture. So far No control is known… Stay tuned.

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American Lawn and Tree Arborist
800-404-3033

Find out if it’s an American Elm. If it is, consider having is injected by an ISA Certified Arborist. There is no silver bullet but several systemic fungicides injected directly into the buttress, area of the root system may keep your tree alive for many a years. Once the tree becomes infected from the European bark beetle, all is lost. Dutch Elms Disease (OPHIOSTOMA or CERATOCYSTIS ulmi) can not be cured.

The loss of a beautiful shade tree can reduce your property values drastically. Large trees are very expensive to remove and nobody wants to see a huge bare spot where a beautiful tree once stood.

Elm Tree Injections

For more information on tree injections call American Lawn and Tree Arborists for a free quote at 800-404-3033.

Flowering crabs throughout the midwest usually drop their leaves early due to a disease called Venturia inequalis commonly known as chronic apple scab. The disease is most severe when humidity is high and temperatures are moderate during spring and early summer. Host plants include nearly all apple and flowering crab trees as well as others in the “Mallis” family.

Treatment options include:

• 1) Apply appropriate fungicides as a drench at bud swell, bud elongation and bud break
• 2) Fertilize the trees in spring or fall
• 3) Do nothing

If you elect to do (1) the tree should maintain most of its leaves until normal leaf drop in the fall.
If you choose to do (2) the leaves will still drop early but the tree will be better able to cope with the leaf loss.
If you choose to do (3) the tree will likely survive unless it is in poor vigor.

However you choose to deal with the problem, be sure to remove as many dead leaves as possible in the fall because that is where the disease lives in the winter.

“Doc”
American Lawn and Tree Arborist

Palms are grown all over the world. Canada serves a Northern reference point and many types of palm trees can grow there. The main factors affecting hardiness are the minimum winter temperature, the number of hours of cold every winter, the amount of heat every summer, and the relative wetness or dryness of the climate. In general, palms are not particularly hardy. Many are actually injured by a single freezing night. Others can withstand zero degrees F for short periods without damage.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has developed a system of cold hardiness zones based on the average annual minimum temperature. The zones that are considered “borderline” are the following:

• 10 to 15 degrees F = Zone 8a
• 15 to 20 degrees F = Zone 8b
• 20 to 25 degrees F = Zone 9a
• 25 to 30 degrees F = Zone 9b

How do I get a palm established in a “borderline” area?

Most hardy palm growers recommend protecting the palm from the climate for at least the first two years that it is in the ground. The palm should be mulched with a deep layer of fall leaves or other material. The palm can then be wrapped in burlap, bubble plastic, a spun landscape material such as “remay” or “garden blanket”, or even an old sheet or blanket. If you use a non-porous material such as plastic, it is best if air space is left between the palm and the material. This air space may not be needed if you only protect the palm during cold spells. It is best to stay with palms that grow in your zone.

Hardy Palms

The hardiest arborescent (trunking) palm is the Windmill Palm – Trachycarpus fortunei. They are grown as far north as parts of British Columbia in Canada. They have a fuzzy trunk which can grow twenty feet tall. They do not need a hot climate, and seem to thrive in cool, moist weather.

Sabal palmetto (Sabal palm, Cabbage palm) is the state tree of Florida and South Caroline. It has been known to survive between zero and five degrees when well-established . It cannot survive these temperatures on a regular basis, and is probably best rated as a zone 8a. It is a large fan palm which takes many years to form a trunk. It can be found in the wild as far north as Bald Head Island, North
Carolina, near Willmington.

Chamaerops humilis (European fan palm/Mediterranean fan palm) is quite hardy in areas which have a dry climate. It is usually rated as a “zone 8” palm. In areas with wet winter soil (like the eastern U.S. and the Pacific Northwest). It seems to be less hardy. Planting this palm in a well-drained bed (such as a bed prepared for a cactus garden) may help it survive in these areas.

Washingtonia robusta, Washingtonia filifera, and Brahea armata are western desert palms which are fairly hardy in their native environment (zone 8, zone 9a).

Phoenix canariensis is a large date palm which can grow in zone 8b areas.

The root system of a tree is not a mirror image of the top. The roots of most trees can extend out a significant distance from the tree trunk. Although the guideline for many maintenance practices is the drip line – the outermost extension of the canopy – the roots can grow many times that distance. In addition, most of the fine, absorbing roots are located within inches of the soil surface. These roots, which are essential for taking up water and minerals, require oxygen to survive. A thin layer of mulch, applied as broadly as practical, can improve the soil structure, oxygen levels, temperature, and moisture availability where these roots grow.

Benefits Of Mulch

• Retention of soil moisture
• Weed and grass control
• Protection of the trunk and surface roots from mowing equipment
• Erosion control as mulch breaks the impact of rain
• Increased soil fertility when organic mulches placed directly over the soil decompose
• Improved soil structure (better aeration, temperature and moisture conditions)
• Simplified maintenance
• Improved appearance
• Reduced soil cracking that can damage small roots and speed drying
• Help in preventing soil compaction

For more information visit:  American Lawn and Tree Arborist

I was asked by an arborist at Forest Keepers in Milton, Georgia to stop by and see if I could identify the cause of death of all the Red Bays in his area. Upon arrival we searched for three days in an unsuccessful effort to find a live red bay. I was able to find a stain under the cambium tissue of one of the dead trees which suggested a fungus was involved but I was unable to identify it with my limited library. When I returned to Florida I contacted the University of Florida and found the following information.

The disease “Raffaelea lauricola”, commonly called laurel wilt is vectored by a tiny exotic ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus) which, until now, has been found only in Asia. Apparently it was brought to this country through Savanna, Georgia in a wood product about five years ago. Since then it has moved southward at a rapid pace.

It appears this beetle feeds on any of the laurel family and that includes the avocado! I look forward to providing some fungicide injection treatments in an effort to control this devastating disease.

“Doc”
American Lawn and Tree Arborist