What Your Arborist Wishes You Knew
If you are like most homeowners, you wait until a tree is noticeably leaning, branches dropping, and shedding debris everywhere before you think about calling an arborist. Believe it or not, certified arborists are not just for clean-up and diagnosis; they provide ongoing care and maintenance of trees to ensure their health and the beauty and value of your property.
What is an arborist?
An arborist is a professional who specializes in all aspects of arboriculture, or the study and care of trees. They are highly trained to provide all aspects of tree care, including planting, cultivating, diagnosing, disease and infestation management, and removing dead or diseased trees. If you have trees on your property, you should consider employing the services of one of these highly trained professionals to preserve and protect the health of your trees. Don't wait until you have a pest infestation or a fallen tree to call an arborist; act now to invest in your property and the value of your home.
What your arborist wishes you knew
Although their work is not meant solely for cleanup or removal services, an arborist does an important and valuable job. Here are some things your arborist wishes you knew about tree care and tree health that would significantly contribute to the value of your home and property:
1. Many different factors influence tree health.
Whether or not a tree has ever been serviced is definitely a factor that contributes to its health. Other factors that influence tree health include the composition of the soil around your home, surrounding foliage, and any treatments you may have done to your landscape and trees. An arborist will likely ask many questions at an initial appointment to determine what kind of care is needed and what conditions he should look for when diagnosing your trees' state of health.
2. It all starts with your soil.
Roots and soil are the first things that an arborist looks at when diagnosing an issue with your trees. Environmental and natural stressors will affect your tree's root system first, and disease spreads through the tree's vascular system, doing damage at a cellular level. A weak and susceptible tree becomes subject to disease and infestation, which can affect surrounding trees and foliage. A trained arborist can evaluate your soil's health and make recommendations for fortifying and improving the nutrition of your soil, thus improving the health of your entire landscape.
3. Native trees are better for your property.
A tree that is native to the environment will grow and thrive in its natural surroundings. Its ability to heal, protect, and defend itself against native threats is most effective in its intended environment. Any attempt to incorporate exotic or foreign trees into your landscape will result in an imbalance of a natural ecosystem that could have significant negative consequences to the vegetation on your property.
4. There is a wrong way to prune trees.
Let's face it---if you haven't been trained to prune trees properly, you're most likely doing it incorrectly. Different species react differently to pruning, and a certified arborist has detailed knowledge of how to properly remove branches and foliage while preserving and protecting your tree's health. Failure to correctly prune will result in injury and make your tree prone to disease and infection.
5. A tree doesn't die from a single event or insect.
Trees become stressed and compromised for several reasons, and this becomes a slow death as tissues become weaker and more susceptible to damage. Insects and disease are secondary stressors, which means that the underlying cause of weakness needs to be addressed for a tree to be brought back to health.
6. Planting shrubs in combinations with trees can be beneficial.
Planting vegetation under a tree can be beneficial, as it can break up compacted soil and allow a root system to be more effective at gleaning air and water from the earth. Start with small shrubs that do not interfere with root system growth and top the surface with two to four inches of mulch to prevent moisture loss.
7. Your yard actually has a microclimate.
Temperature, surrounding vegetation, sunlight, and moisture all contribute to a series of microclimates throughout your yard, and a tree thrives in one corner may struggle in another area of your property. A trained arborist can assess factors that will affect tree growth and make recommendations that will allow all of your vegetation to thrive, regardless of where they are placed.
Fey And Sons; Your Best Choice For Tree Care
Hiring an arborist to maintain and properly care for your trees is simple with Fey and Sons. Our professional and caring staff are trained in all aspects of tree care---planting, pruning, restoration, and removal are all done with one thing in mind---improving tree health and adding to the value of your property. Trust us for all tree care needs; visit https://www.sarasotatreeservice.com/ for more information.