March 25, 2020
This year we enter springtime with a sense of uncertainty, but blooming flowers and emerging leaves stand as a sign that life continues. Those of us working from home and practicing social distancing can take time to get outside and reconnect with our properties and trees. We hope that your home, gardens and landscape provide some respite from the stress of this season.
Winter can be stressful to your trees. During the winter months, trees are not producing new food or energy and therefore must use what they have stored, much like a bear in hibernation. If a tree is already under stress it may further deplete energy reserves as it “wakes up” in the spring. This is one reason your arborist pays close attention to our trees as they enter the growing season. As leaves emerge, it makes it easier to identify recently deceased trees or dead/dying branches that could pose a risk to our house.
The record rainfall this winter may lead to structural concerns for trees and soil. Saturated soils can cause an oxygen deficit which, if it lasts too long, can cause the roots to die. As leaves emerge, arborists can more effectively assess the health of a tree. Discolored leaves and branch dieback can be indications of root damage and structural concerns.
Spring is also a time when new signs or symptoms of pests emerge. While hard to find in the winter, new insect infestations can present themselves or leaves can show signs of a bacterial infection. Identifying these as early as possible allows for them to be treated to help prevent damage to the tree's health.
It is also extremely important to prepare for summer storms ahead of time. We want to take care of potential risks before they threaten your home. Take care to notice and schedule an appointment with your arborist to address any dead trees, identify trees that may have a significant lean (which does not necessarily indicate a hazard), come up with a plan to prune dead limbs out of trees, and eliminate stress factors that can weaken healthy trees.
We all know that going outside is beneficial to your physical well-being, but did you know it has been proven that trees are beneficial to your mental health? It can also be a fun activity for the family to do an inspection of your property and identify all the different species, compare leaves, notice what is blooming and what is not. We can teach our children and even ourselves about trees through a simple tree identification. There are many great resources online that can help you get to know the trees on your property. (Our favorite is the Seek app by iNaturalist)
As arborists, we are blessed to work outdoors and our team appreciates the opportunity to continue supporting Athens’ trees and local economy. New Urban Forestry is an Athens-based company, we have always been committed to the safety of ourselves and our community. We never thought that commitment would include social distancing from clients and one-another but we promise to catch up on all those missed high-fives and fist-bumps once this all blows over!
