Dear Reader,
Here we are, fresh out of the holiday season, and the end of January is in sight! I wanted to reach out to you with some timely advice concerning trees, some reminders of why trees are so essential to life as we know it, and perhaps some other thoughts that might sneak out through my fingers as I type.
I recently shared some of my experiences dealing with invasive plants with a nice group of folks who are part of PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management). At the end of my talk I went off topic for a moment to leave these people with a warning concerning Oak trees. Those of you who have been following our emails for a while probably recall we have devoted two separate issues entirely to oak wilt, since we had a laboratory confirmed case in Franklin County several years ago with one of my clients. I am disturbed by how many oak trees are still being removed and pruned within the window of time that is considered high risk for spreading the disease.
At Russell Tree Experts we decided that oak pruning would be scheduled in the fall and winter months, between October 1 and March 15, in order to avoid the time when Nitidulid beetles are active, attracted to pruning wounds, and potentially vectoring the disease pathogen from infected trees to healthy trees.
My purpose here is simply to remind you to please spread the word to raise awareness of this disease. I recently met a new client who had someone offer to prune his Red Oak for him. He politely inquired of the person making the offer if he was aware that it was not the proper time of year to prune oak trees because of the risk of oak wilt. The would-be tree pruner was not aware of this. Good job, Tom! If only more and more tree managers were able to do the same thing perhaps awareness of the fact that central Ohio residents know and care about their trees will eventually raise the standard of tree care in our communities. I am happy to say that reputable tree care companies are aware of oak wilt in our area and are able to communicate the proper way to deal with this problem.
I end this note with a quick reminder: If you have an oak tree you need to prune, please have the work done before March 15! Otherwise plan for a fall/winter pruning. Incidentally, the same practice is advisable if you have an elm tree. Dutch elm disease and oak wilt are very similar diseases on different species of trees.
On to other things
I attended a tree root seminar hosted by the Ohio Chapter of the ISA some weeks ago. Much of the material presented came from a resource that was new to me. I spoke to the moderator about this book and ordered it from Amazon before the lunch break was over. The book is called Applied Tree Biology, by Andrew Hirons and Peter Thomas. I was impressed at the amount of current information that has been brought together into one volume centered around the theme of how to use all the good research that is out there in order to promote tree health. I wanted to share several bits of information these authors put into their book, which was published in 2018.
From the first chapter (facts are italicized, followed by my comment in parenthesis);
There are three trillion trees around the world. (And just think, we actually need to plant more!)
Forests hold around 45% of the carbon stored on land (2780 gigatons).
Forests help determine weather patterns by how they can evaporate large amounts of water which form clouds, producing rain downwind. Recent discovery of a chemical made and released by trees called pinene can help clouds form to produce rain by acting as nuclei for water to form around. (Are you blown away by this? I was. There is so much we still do not know!)
All the world’s forests hold more than 80% of the world’s species.
The same chemicals that can cause cloud formation are known to reduce tension and mental stress in humans, increasing feelings of well-being and decreasing aggression and depression.
Over 100 million ash have been lost in the northeastern USA since 2002 due to the emerald ash borer. This loss of trees in urban environments has been linked to increased human mortality as a result of higher levels of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Increases in crime have also been linked to the loss of ash trees to EAB. (This brings it home, doesn’t it? I found it strange that one of the most present problems during my career as an arborist has provided study opportunities for learning about the seemingly intangible values of trees in relation to human society).
Incredibly, this book is in the format of a textbook. The authors are from the UK, and I am finding their writing style to be refreshingly accessible for a topic that can become rather dry even for an arborist who loves his work. Right before the table of contents there is a page titled “Epigraph” with a quote taken from a work from 1664 titled Sylva, by a fellow named John Evelyn. I was frankly astounded that I found such a quote in a textbook written in 2018. I will share it with you at the end of this installment. Some of you may like it, some of you may not. I merely share it as found. Reading the quote made me wonder what this textbook was going to be like. It also reignited in me the sense of a deeper mystery surrounding our everyday life that keeps me looking ahead for more. More of what? I don’t know exactly. Perhaps more of the mystery. This undercurrent of the ever present unknown is easy for me to lose sight of, but when I take the time to listen to a client, seeing the person rather than the tree that needs to be pruned, treated or removed I am reminded that all we do should be centered around the things that have value.
What has value? My neighbor. The animals and plants that are also struggling to make a life not very far from where you are seated right now. The fact that all this is something we have been given, not something any of us planned for before we entered the world. Think about this: Life has been given! Don’t miss it.
Your friendly neighborhood arborist,
José Fernández | Regional Manager, Russell Tree Experts
José became an ISA Certified Arborist® in 2004, and a Board-Certified Master Arborist® in 2015. Currently he is enrolled at The Ohio State University pursuing a Master’s Degree in Plant Health Management. José likes working around trees because he is still filled with wonder every time he walks in the woods. José has worked at Russell Tree Experts since 2012.
Epigraph
In a word, and to speak a bold and noble truth, trees and woods have twice saved the whole world; first by the ark, then by the cross; making full amends for the evil fruit of the tree in paradise, by that which was born on the tree in Golgotha.
From “Sylva”
by John Evelyn, 1664
(Shared directly from Applied Tree Biology, Andrew D. Hirons and Peter A. Thomas. Wiley Blackwell, Oxford, 2018.)