Printed in the Mendocino County Observer and aired on KZYX&Z Community News.
Keeping Trees Healthy
Tree health, like human health, is influenced by many factors. We don't have a lot of control over many of them, but there are a few common-sense things we can do to keep our trees in good shape. Keeping them healthy and vigorous helps them look their best, in addition to making them better able to ward off insects and diseases.
--Watch the irrigation. Some trees love a lot of water. But others thrive in dry conditions, and too much water can make them less vigorous.
--Take care to not damage bark when using lawnmowers, weedwackers, or other equipment. Every injury to a tree's bark is like a cut on our skin. It's a place where insects or other injurious agents can enter.
--Don't girdle your trees. Wrap barbed wire for fences around fenceposts, not trees. And if you stake young trees, check the wires and loosen them as necessary. Unforgiving wires can girdle and kill trees, since trees grow larger in diameter but wires do not. Also, if you have animals (like goats) that would eat a tree's bark and cambium layer, protect the bark with wire mesh.
--Protect the soil around tree roots from compaction. Roots need to breathe, and they do so through the spaces in soil pores. The more compacted the soil, the smaller and fewer the pores, and the more difficult things are for the tree. If you use a parking space or trail under a tree, use only that space, and don't enlarge it more than necessary.
--When pruning, keep limbs on 30-40% of the bole of the tree. And don't cut off the tree's top.
Do your trees a favor by following these common sense steps. Your trees with show you their thanks with their good health.
Clare Nunamaker is a Registered Professional Forester and member of NorCal SAF and the Forest Guild.
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707-485-8788
