You wouldn’t go to a physician without a license. So, why pick an arborist without a license to do tree care? The best services come from the most qualified tree experts. That’s why certification is so crucial. Below is the answer to the question, “Why is arborist certification important?” What is an ISA arborist certification? The ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) certification program guarantees arborists are schooled in every aspect of arboriculture. If an arborist is certified, it signifies they meet basic criteria like at least three years of hands-on, full-time experience in arboriculture or a degree in a related field such as horticulture, landscape architecture, or forestry. Applicants must pass an exam and keep their certification through ongoing education or retake the test every 36 months. Specialists can also further obtain and specialty certifications in subjects like tree worker climber, arborist utility, tree worker aerial lift, board-certified master arborist, and arborist municipal. What are the advantages of having a certified arborist? They satisfy arboriculture criteria: An arborist has passed a test crafted to cover all appropriate areas of knowledge to succeed in the industry. The process incorporates an application process, a test, and review after the exam. This connotates a certified arborist has met the ISA’s standards and have been approved and screened through their painstaking review process. They show commitment to continuing education: This certification means an arborist has tried to stay up to date and to attend continuing education classes. Certified arborists have satisfied the required amount of CEUs (continuing education units) over three years in addition to participating in local events, and taking computer-based training and seminars, staying current with first aid and CPR training, and taking college courses. They have relevant, significant experience: To get certified, an arborist must have at least three years in the field or a college degree in a related field. These experts aren’t beginners. They’re specialists who have put a lot of effort and time in the field and want to keep and build their experience during their careers. Also, the ISA encourages networking locally so specialists can work with each other to deliver top-quality service to everyone. Lightning is one of nature’s most potent forces. Lightning can have destructive effects on property, trees, and people. Every strike of electricity can go over five miles and create temperatures higher than 50,000 degrees F and an electrical charge of more than 100 million volts. Detection systems for lightning sense over 20 million lightning strike annually. This is why it’s crucial to understand how lightning damages trees and what to do to repair them. Trees have a particularly vulnerable position in the landscape since they are usually the highest objects. Tall trees are the most susceptible particularly those growing by themselves in open spaces like in pastures, near water, or on hills. Many of these trees frame the neighborhood streets and surround schools, businesses, and residences. The response of Trees to Lightning A tree’s structural integrity and biological function are affected by lightning. Along the lightning path, steam is produced, cells explode, and sap boils in the wood, making bark to be blown away. If only one side of the tree has evidence of a lightning strike, the odds of the tree surviving and eventually sealing the wound is solid. Though, when the lightning completely goes through the tree trunk with bark and wood exploding everywhere, trees are typically killed. Call a storm tree removal company if you have a dead or damaged tree in your yard. Many trees are brutally injured internally or underground by lightning in spite of the absence of external, visible symptoms. Lightning goes from the trunk of the tree through the roots and dissolves in the earth. Significant root damage from electricity might cause the tree to weaken and die without significant above ground damage. Fertilization and water are recommended to lessen tree stress. Trees Lightning Protection Systems Rare, historic trees, mainly when they are the center of landscapes, are treasured and can be safeguarded by a correctly installed lightning protection system. Trees that animals or people might hide under in a storm must be protected. Trees nearer than 25 feet from a structure or building should also be safeguarded to eliminate side-flash. Golf courses, public buildings, and parks must have big trees shielded to reduce liability risks. Not all firewood creates the same results, even if it’s correctly seasoned. You might want wood that burns efficiently while not giving off extreme heat, wood that gives the most heat per log, or wood that crackles nicely. The secret to choosing the best firewood for your fireplace is in understanding the different wood types and what their qualities are. Too much wetness in firewood of any kind reduces burning effectiveness. The smoke that comes off of unseasoned/green wood is energy that’s rising the chimney instead of being transformed into heat for your house. Not only is wood smoke a sign of unproductive fuel, but it’s also unhealthful. The smoke has little particles that are breathed in and can escape natural defense mechanisms in the body. Also, smoke creates a hazardous situation with your chimney, since too much smoke is the leading cause of the accumulation of creosote which creates chimney fires. A Crackling Fire If you like a fire that has lots of crackles, take a look at fir. It’s softwood that dry out swiftly, splits correctly, and produces fantastic flames. Best of all, fir fires have a fresh aroma that helps make the perfect holiday ambiance. Be sure you have a good protective screen or glass doors since the popping and crackling put out more sparks than other firewood types. A Hot Fire Trees are either softwoods or hardwoods. Hardwood has the highest BTU content, meaning it produces a lot of heat. Hardwoods are dense. A pile of hardwood weighs way more than the same collection of softwood and delivers twice the heat. Hardwood logs blaze slowly and are best for cooking and producing hot, intense fires. Though, it’s much harder to get a fire going with hardwood. It’s best to use softwood to get your fire going and then add the hardwood. Some hardwoods that are excellent for burning since they are easy to burn, offer high heat and create minimal smoke are:
Whatever sort of firewood you burn, it’s critical to get your chimney examined yearly. Call a certified tree care professional if you're interested in having some trees cut down for firewood. If you see peeling tree bark, you may be wondering why your bark is shedding. While this isn’t always a cause for panic, learning more about trees that naturally lose their bark can help bring some light on this problem so you’ll know what, if anything, should be done for it. Peeling Bark When the bark is shedding off a tree, decide if the tree is performing an ordinary shedding process or if disease or injury is the reason for the issue. If the old bark sheds and the new bark is over the wood afterward, this is its natural shedding. If you see fungus or bare wood under the peeling bark, the tree is enduring from disease or environmental damage. Trees with peeling bark A tree with peeling bark isn’t automatically an issue. As a tree flourish, bark layers thicken, and the dead, old bark falls off. It may fall away slowly so that you barely notice it, but some sorts of trees have a more interesting shedding process that may be disturbing until you realize that it is entirely reasonable. Several trees are prone to peeling and provide distinctive interest, particularly in winter. Trees that generally shed bark in huge chunks: Silver maple/ Scotch pine/Birch/ Sycamore/ Redbud/ Shagbark hickory. Environmental Causes Behind Tree with Peeling Bark Peeling tree bark is sometimes because of the environment. If peeling bark on trees is only on the southwest or south side of the tree and bare wood is visible, the issue could be frost damage or sunscald. This type of shedding disturbs the lifespan and health of the tree, and more prominent areas of exposed wood make it more expectantly that the tree will perish. Horticulturalists disagree about whether painting with white reflective paint or wrapping the trees aids in eliminating sunscald. If you cover the trunk of the tree over winter, be sure to remove the wrapping before spring so that it doesn’t offer shelter for insects. Trees with breaks in the bark can live for a long time if the damaged space is narrow. Call an arborist if the tree is leaning or appears damaged. Bark is essential for tree health, encasing a tree’s branches and trunk like a protective skin. Tree bark stores water and also work to protect the tree’s vital living systems from situational and environmental hazards like storms, insects, diseases, temperature extremes, storms, and attacks by animals. Some trees even have grown extra thick bark which can shield them from the results of brush fires. Bark also helps trees deliver nutrients and water. They can’t live without it. Inner Bark A tree’s inner layer of bark, the phloem, carries sugars made during photosynthesis in the leaves to the other tree parts. Phloem varies from tree to tree. Cambium The phloem on the inner side of the bark is divided from the outer living layer of the wood by a layer called cambium. It transfers water and dissolved nutrients from the roots of the tree to the leaves and makes a new layer of wood each year. This layer creates new xylem and phloem cells to replenish the ones that die. Outer Bark The outer bark (epidermis) safeguards all the inner layers of tree bark from damages. The outer tree bark is renewed continuously from within. When living phloem cells get worn, they convert to being a part of the dead outer bark. As trees flourish, the thickness of the trunk expands which causes the unique cracks visible in most tree types. The outer bark is nasty and indigestible which means that this part of tree bark has grown to dissuade animals and insects from eating it. However, some critters come to know that the inner tree bark is nutritious and sweet, finding a way to get past the outer bark. Get In Touch with a Syracuse Tree Service Company A Syracuse tree service company provides you with the necessary help in keeping any tree you plant strong and healthy for years to come. Call one and inquire about tree treatment programs and tree maintenance service. Any service you need, a tree specialist is the one to help! From storm tree removal to fertilization plans, they will help you with any issue that has taken root. As winter arrives, the soil is gradually freezing around the roots of your trees. How do trees handle the cold of winter? Do the frosty temps harm them? Roots can be harmed by cold temperatures. Certified arborists have concluded that roots are more likely to be damaged by cold temperatures than the above ground parts of a tree. But the soil doesn't get so cold, and its temperature doesn't vary as much as the air. Cold harms trees by turning water to ice in the cells, creating crystals that can harm them. Cold Weather Climates and Trees Trees in cold winter climates have evolved to endure winter by being dormant. This means not just dropping leaves and stopping or slowing growth, but also lessening the amount of water in root tissues and branches. The reduced concentration of water in a plant's tissue works as a natural antifreeze. It takes deep cold to create ice inside them. The water in the soil near the roots could freeze. However, the cold won't damage the roots until the water inside their tissues begins to freeze. Sometimes that can occur, particularly in a long spell of harsh weather when cold has lots of time to penetrate from the air low into the soil. Frozen at 30 degrees isn’t the same as frozen at 0 degrees. Some trees begin displaying damage when the soil temps fall to around 20 degrees. Some tree species are more sensitive than others. The temperature of the soil is not continual. There's always warmth in the earth. The ground could be freezing from the surface, but it's continually thawing from below. During winter, trees are adapting continuously to the changes. The main danger to trees is an abrupt deep freeze. As long as they have time to adjust, they're okay. It's when change happens unexpectedly that it can bring trouble. This is the main reason to keep a layer of mulch over the roots of your trees. Mulch protects the soil, maintaining the warmth when the air temp plummets. If you need mulch or wood chips, ask a tree care company to supply you with some. The winter temps are going up and down take their toll on trees. Even for tree types use to cold areas, this is a harrowing time. And this is mainly true for the isolated and exposed trees of the Syracuse homes. Some of this stress is inevitable. Tree owners have no control over the temperature and weather. Though, there are things that you can do to keep your trees healthy through winter. Cold Stress Problem Cold stresses take many forms. The first is the influence on older trees of a swift change between daytime heat and nighttime freezing and daytime heat. These temps changes can bring on stresses in the tree between the interior wood and outer bark, causing cracks called frost cracking. What to do There is very little that can be done to stop frost cracking. In many instances, the tree is capable of repairing itself even though the cracked area stays vulnerable and ensuing cracking at the same place can bring on significant damage. With young trees and tropical trees, the tree owner could wrap the bark. To further stop winter damage and diminish moisture loss, contacting a Syracuse arborist can be very beneficial. Problem Another cold stress is the effect of unexpected early frosts on late growth. Tree growth in the late season is susceptible since it doesn’t have the same time as established growth to get ready for the cold. What to do To avoid this, you shouldn’t prune until after the tree has begun dormancy in the fall. Pruning too soon might urge new growth and raise the risk of frost damage. Also, don’t use fertilizers with large amounts of nitrogen. Trees can benefit from correct fall fertilization. However, you should know what to avoid. Winter Drought Problem At some points in the wintertime, particularly with evergreens, drying out can be a serious issue. Winter drought happens when a tree loses more water than it can take in from the frozen ground. This is particularly accurate during the early spring when the ground stays frozen while the spring sun starts warming every part of the tree. What to do While there is no spot-on solution to winter drought, you can control the issue by putting down a layer of mulch around the tree’s base before winter. The mulch helps to decelerate moisture loss while working as a temp buffer for the roots. Older trees are just like older human beings. Those that have positively overcome challenges and get to maturity enjoy some unique advantages that come with being very grown up. Both also need some extra attention and love to stay healthy and enjoy an honorable old age. When it comes to longevity, trees have an edge over humans. Some, usually hardwood types like beech, oak, and maple, live up to 300 years. They are a gift from our ancestors to our children and coming generations. A healthy tree rises in value as it gets old. Our Syracuse community enjoys the bonuses, such as enhanced air quality, improved property values, modern temps, energy savings, wildlife habitat, moderate temps, and stormwater control. We are still discovering all the ways our older trees protect us. As the foundation of our community, our older trees warrant our care and respect as they pass their prime. Having grown as wide and tall as their species says, these mature trees unavoidably start to deteriorate. It has been stated that trees, like humans, have a middle age spread. As they mature, tree growth dwindles since they can’t store energy. They make fewer leaves, so they aren’t as effective at photosynthesis. They are less accepting of stress, either man-made stress such as compacted soil, pesticide use, and mower damage or environmental stress like insects, disease, or drought. If you are wondering how to care for older trees, regular preventative maintenance will guarantee that they live a happy, long life with dignity. Mature Tree Tips Routine Inspection: We don’t think twice about the importance of yearly checkups for our families and ourselves. Likewise, routine checkups for your trees by a Syracuse arborist every year or two is crucial, the arborist will recommend pruning when it's needed to keep the tree healthy. They encourage positive tree health by detecting minor issues before they get serious. Arborists are trained to look for illnesses such as discolored leaves, rotting bark, or reduced growth. If you sense any of these things on your trees, don’t wait for a checkup! Call an arborist ASAP. Correct Mulching: A layer of mulch offers numerous benefits, particularly to mature and young trees. Mulch aids trees to retard soil erosion, discourage weeds, stop soil compaction, and retain moisture. With long-term usage, the spinning blades beneath your mower become ow dull. This can cause them to tear the grass, rather than to cut it smoothly. This gives your lawn a raggedy look as well as making it more vulnerable to disease. Unless your blade is very damaged, to sharpen your mower blade necessitates some elbow grease and a few fundamental tools.
Sharpening Your Blades Preparation 1. Disconnect the power source and spark plugs. A mower can cause serious harm if it starts while you are working on it. Always cut off the power before taking apart your mower. The spark plug can be disconnected by detaching a prominent wire on the front or side of the lawnmower engine from its metal mounting. Once separated, the engine shouldn’t be able to cut on. For safety reasons, it's recommended you wear eye protection and heavy gloves during this job even if you're sure the spark plug is disconnected and cut the power off. 2. Put the mower on its side with its carburetor facing upward. To get to the mower blades, it has to be on its side. Though, due to the location of the mower engine, flipping the mower over could make the engine oil run into the air filter and carburetor So this doesn’t happen, make sure you turn the mower so that these are facing upward instead of downward. The air filter and carburetor on most contemporary mowers are typically located in a boxy plastic case on the engine’s side. If you’re not sure where these parts are on your mower, check your owner's manual, call your manufacturer, or get in touch with a tree care company. As more protection against spilling, you can pour the oil into another container or operate the mower until it's out of gas. This task is also an excellent time to check your oil and change it if needed. It's suggested you change your oil every year. 3. Mark the side of the blade that is facing downward. A common mistake made when sharpening a mower blade is to put it back in upside-down. If this happens, the blade will not cut the grass, regardless of how sharp it is. To get out of the extra effort used in removing and installing the blade again, make a clear marking on the bottom side of the blade before taking it out to sharpen. My lawn needs aeration? Why?
In the long run, your lawn could become compacted by heavy rains or just walking on it. The compacted surface stops air, water, and nutrients from getting to the tree’s roots. This is why there are many benefits of aerating your lawn. What is the best time to aerate? Aeration can be done at any point in the growing season. The number of times your lawn necessitates aerating depends on the soil compaction. The two most common times to aerate are fall and spring. Spring aeration offers grass plants with more boost and delivers faster greening. Fall aeration aids in toughening underground roots while providing an excellent bed for overseeding. Your tree service professional can tell if your lawn requires aerating and recommend the right time to get it done. How does an aerator work? There are many types of walk-behind and pull aerators in the industry. The most popular is core-type equipment that eliminates little plugs from the grass. Core aerators have access of 2 ½ inches and get rid of plugs from ¼ to ¾ inches in diameter. Spiky parts shove small tines into the turf without detaching soil plugs. A third type, slicing aerators, practically slices through the soil creating openings. What are some long-term and immediate benefits? Aeration quickly opens up the soil to water, nutrients, and air. The openings create better water movement and air penetration, giving roots room to stretch out and flourish, becoming dense and vigorous. Over time, aerated lawns are less predisposed to thatch buildup and diseases. In some instances, the process can even resolve small thatch issues. Moreover, aeration decreases water runoff and enhances turf tolerance to drought and heat. Aeration is a natural procedure that has no adverse side effects. Even the little plugs left behind by core-type aerators are valuable. In the process of breaking down, they put a light coating of top dressing that assists in decomposing thatch amassed at the base of the trees. Why is aeration needed? Aeration not only aids in reducing soil compaction, but it lets water get deep and in the root area. This helps microorganisms living in the soil. These organisms decompose current thatch, enriching soil quality and releasing more nutrients for healthy tree development. |
AuthorWe at Syracuse Tree Service want to help you with your tree service needs, our blog is where we provide helpful tips and ideas for the health of your trees. Archives
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