How can I tell my ash tree is infested?

It can be very difficult to tell if an ash tree is truly infested. Even for a very qualified arborist, the signs of emerald ash borer may be too small to notice without a thorough canopy inspection and branch sampling. Once signs are obvious to a qualified arborist or to a tree owner, the tree has been infested for many years and is too far gone to do anything with, other than removal.

The best course of action if you have an ash tree is to determine if you want to treat and save your tree or remove it before it is heavily infested. Once EAB finds a tree, it will kill it. Therefore, the need to determine if a tree is infested or not is irrelevant to know. Unless it is a new infestation area.

I don’t see dead or sick ash trees. Is EAB still a problem?

Emerald ash borer is a problem and will be more and more of a problem in Sioux Falls and surrounding area for many years to come. We are still in the early stages of the problem and that is why there is little notice of it.

The problem of EAB is a slow burn until the flame gains enough heat to explode into a bone fire. In large areas like Sioux Falls with as many ash trees as there are, the spread and significance of EAB to the community will be slow. Emerald ash borer is just about everywhere across Sioux Falls and of course is confirmed in Brandon, Canton, Crooks, Baltic, and now Lennox (as of 4/1/24). It is possible it is in other nearby communities nearby or cities farther away, but it usually takes 3-4 years of being in a community before it is noticed and confirmed.

Knowing that, emerald ash borer is doing a similar slow move all across Sioux Falls. There are so many ash trees in Sioux Falls that the overall population of EAB is being spread out. Plus, many ash are being proactively removed and treatment rates are really good in many neighborhoods. All of this slows the increase in EAB populations. But once the beetles start to get hold of untreated ash trees, their population will explode over a few short years. Right now in Sioux Falls, we are right at the point when the beetle population will explode soon. Within the year or the next few, more and more dead and dying ash trees will be visible around neighborhoods.

Are the treatments effective?

Yes. If done correctly and professionally, the treatments have an efficacy of 99.9%. But the key to those statements is “correctly.” There are many contractors offering treatments. Many of those contractors started treating trees once EAB was found with no prior experience. Injecting and protecting an ash tree from emerald ash borer is not as simple as spraying. Chemical rates, timing, and tree condition matter.

Also, care of the tree matters as well. The tree needs water when its dry, proper pruning, and to be healthy enough to fight off other fungal diseases. EAB treatments only protect against insect attacks.

Are the soil based treatments effective? Can treat them myself?

This is nuanced answer. But the short answer is, No.

There are products sold at hardware stores and online that claim to protect against EAB. And technically, they are not wrong. The insecticide in them CAN kill EAB, but WILL it is far more variable. There are a few shortcomings with it and that is why its not used professionally.

First, it is not potent enough to fully protect the trees when there is high pressure from the insects (a lot of them). Even if you can purchase the professional strength products, during peak EAB populations, it will not fully protect the trees. Think of mosquitoes. A citronella candle works when the mosquitoes aren’t that bad. But it isn’t going to keep you from getting bit up when walking through the woods after a wet spring. Only 100% DEET will protect you. And even, then its variable. The soil based products are like citronella.

Second, the over the counter products are often not potent enough to protect larger trees (those over 8-10 inches in diameter). Those bottles at the hardware store are only 10-20% active ingredient whereas the professional stuff is 40% or more.

Third, the label states you can only apply so much in the soil per acre, so in larger areas like yours, you would be off label and potentially causing more environmental harm. When you put it in the soil it can wash away or be absorbed buy the other plants in that area. And if those plants, flower, you can harm bees or other pollinators. And following the label, is the law.

Lastly, these products ahve to be applied yearly. If you miss a year, the tree will be open to attack. Once attacked the products will work less and less due to the potency issues I mentioned above.

Now these products have merit in a rural setting with a single tree to bridge the gap before and after infestation to nearby trees, but during peak infestation, it will not work.

How do I know if my ash tree is a good tree to protect or not?

Not all ash should be protected. But is a personal, value based decision. Its your tree. If you value the tree and its shade or benefit to your landscape, then protection may be the best bet. But if you have 4-5 or more ash trees in your yard, it may not be financially prudent for you to protect them all.

If you want to protect the tree, first consider these points:

• Is the tree structurally sound? A tree with a split or other defect can fail in a storm, wasting your treatment investment.
• Is the tree healthy? If the tree is not healthy and well cared for, the treatments can be less effective and of course other diseases may still cause tree decline and death.
• Are there signs of decay? Trees with heart-rot decay of Fomes decay signs should not be treated. Those trees will have a hard time distributing the insecticide to protect the tree due to the decay of sapwood, plus they will possibly be prone to failure in storms.
• Is the tree growing in a good place? Trees near or under power-lines or in poor growing locations where they will have to significantly cut back or prevented from being good healthy trees, should not be protected long term.

How long do I need to continue to treat my ash tree(s)? This is getting expensive.

The tough part with this pest, is you will have to either pay to treat the tree or remove the tree (there is no wiggle room long term). Tree injections need to be done indefinitely (for the life of the tree). During periods of active emerald ash borer infestation within your neighborhood or town, treatments are going to be needed every 24 months (every other year or every 2 years, however you want to phrase it). There is NO NEED to treat an ash tree if you do not have a confirmed EAB infestation within 15 miles. After EAB has worked its way through a community and all the untreated ash trees are dead and gone, then treatments can be spread out to every 3 to 5 years.

It does not make much financial sense to pay to protect a tree for a few short years, then have to pay for its removal. Each situation is different. But in most instances, it really boils down to one of those two cost options. My advice; Do not make a rash emotional decision, but to take your time and decide what is best for you financially, long term. EAB does work fast in tree terms, but in human terms, it takes years to kill an ash tree so take a few weeks to decide what is best for you when EAB is announced near you.

How will I know the treatments are working?

Your ash will remain healthy with a full canopy of leaves. Remember, other diseases and environmental stress (drought, etc.) can still occur, but a well treated ash tree will have full protection from any insects trying to suck, chew or bore into the tree.

All of this will be very obvious once insect levels get high enough to start killing nearby untreated ash. They will decline and die and your treated tree won’t.

Will drought prevent the treatment from working?

No. If that were the case, the tree would die from drought stress and not from EAB. Drought stress could slow the distribution of the chemical within the tree. But it will not prevent the overall treatment from working.

Again the trees still need to be cared for (watered, etc.). But other environmental conditions or pest population levels will not affect how well the treatment works or not. The key is that the treatment is done well initially and that the tree is cared for. That will provide the best protection from EAB.

Can I treat an infested ash tree?

Yes. But it depends on how heavily infested the tree is on the effectiveness of the treatment. The treatment effectiveness is far more variable than if done preventatively.

Generally, a tree with only 20-30% canopy loss from emerald ash borer could be recovered. However, do not rely on this as a way to wait for protecting your ash trees.

Infested ash trees that are recovered with treatment will have an uphill climb to be healthy again. Plus they will have other issues during recovery that a preventatively treated ash tree will not. The recovered tree will have dead branches to be pruned out, sprouting of new branches that will be more susceptible to breaking in storms, and the stress of the initial decline to recover from. Those factors can lead the tree more open to decay and other diseases that can cause decline or kill the tree.

In early detections of EAB or a new discovery, often times many of the existing ash in the area can be quickly treated and protected with little visible damage to the trees. It is those trees left unprotected in areas of high infestation that will likely be too far infested to save.

How long will it take EAB to kill an ash tree?

This depends on the amount of insects there are in the area (yard, neighborhood, city) and the health of the ash tree when initially infested. Ash are normally a very tough tree and can withstand more abuse and stress than other species of trees. But not emerald ash borer. Once found by a single EAB adult female, a healthy ash will fully die from the pest within 3- 5years. Obvious signs of decline will start at about 3 years.

A drought stress or ash in poor condition could decline within just 2 years. But initially, it takes time for the insects to go through a few life cycles to damage the tree enough for there to be decline within the tree.

At high insect population levels (peak of the bell curve) then even a healthy ash can fully die within 2- 3 years. Signs of infestation can be seen within a year or two of the tree being found by adult female beetles. Why females? They lay the eggs. And its the larvae that hatch that cause the damage to the trees, not the adults.

Why is an ash killed by EAB such a big concern?

The largest concern over the mass loss of a lot of trees, is pubic safety. When an ash does from emerald ash borer it becomes very brittle and unpredictable. The trees can fall over without warning on even a nice day or parts of the tree can drop without warning.

Because of this removal costs can skyrocket. There is considerable risk to the person or crew doing the removal. Often times the tree cannot be safely climbed or rigged off of. And in severe cases, the only safe way to remove the tree is to push it over with heavy machinery.

It is highly recommended that a tree owner not attempt to take down their own infested ash tree. Hire a qualified and insured arborist. A license to operate from a city or state is not a verification of competency. You will want a minimum of an ISA certified arborist to perform removal of infested ash trees.

I have ash that I don’t want to treat, should I wait to remove them?

No. It may be a hard pill to sallow, but the sooner you remove your ash now, the sooner you can start re-planting. But maybe even more important, you will save money and be safer without having to worry about removing an unpredictable infested ash tree when it does come.

I was told by someone my tree is infested with EAB. How can I know if they are creditable?

Identifying if an ash is infested or not is not a skill anyone can easily learn and with any degree of certainty. I suggest being very skeptical of anyone telling you an ash tree is infested. In fact, I will not tell someone that with any certainty that they’re ash is infested, unless it is very obvious and I can confirm it with visual signs of the beetle (exit hole, galleries in the wood, etc.). There are many many signs of tree decline that COULD be EAB, but often times are not. Any blanket statement about infestation to a tree without data to back it up, is likely a guess or a lie to scare you into doing something outside your best interest. Lastly, I will say that only a entomologist from the State and/or USDA can confirm EAB in a new area.

Will EAB only attack sick ash trees?

No. EAB will kill all unprotected ash trees. There is no natural immunity and no scientific proof or instance of a resistant type of North American ash tree.

Can I keep my ash wood for firewood? Take it camping?

The short answer is NO. Certainly do not move any ash wood you have off your property or outside your community. Many states have county wide moving bans in place, just for this reason. If you take an infested ash log with you camping, you just brought EAB to a new area. This is how EAB spreads, through firewood.

EAB is in a neighboring town, but not mine. When do I start treating my ash trees to protect it?

Treat your ash trees once there is a confirmed EAB infestation within 15 miles of your property. Emerald ash borer is a poor flying insect. They will fly to a nearby tree first before going off searching. If it needs too, it can fly up to 20 miles in a year. But cars and firewoood is usually how EAB is spread long distances.

I found a small green bug, is it EAB?

Very likely not. Its not say it couldn’t be, but these adult bugs are very small and live the majority of their life in the upper canopy of the trees. If you are concerned, take a clear and crisp photo of the bug and send it to the state for identification.

More Information

If this article does not answer your question, please contact me www.aspenarbo.com/contact

You can also find more resources for EAB here: https://www.emeraldashborer.info/

For more on where EAB is in Sioux Falls, read that Blog article here: https://aspenarbo.com/emerald-ash-borer-sioux-falls-south-dakota/

The post Frequently Asked Questions about Emerald Ash Borer. appeared first on Aspen Arboriculture.

Background

Biology

Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) is a small insect that attacks trees in the ash (Fraxinus spp.) genera. This includes such trees like green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), white ash (Fraxinus americana), and black ash (Fraxinus nigra), which are native to North America. This will be such a devastating issue for ash because emerald ash borer (EAB) is non-native to North America. Native ash have not evolved with the non-native EAB. The trees do not have the natural necessary chemical defenses to fight off the EAB attacks like they can with our native insects like red headed ash borer (Neoclytus acuminatus), lilac borer (Podosesia syringae), and other native insects. Without any natural protections against attack, the ash are vulnerable to attack from EAB and slowly die (2-5 years) as a result.

When EAB first finds an ash tree its usually by just one or a few adults. A female will lay eggs (about 80) in the cracks of the bark. Its the larvae that will feed on the sapwood just under the bark that damages and eventually kills the tree. And although the adult insect can fly, they are not aggressively flying around to other trees. They typically will stay in one tree (laying more eggs each year) until its just about dead before searching out a nearby tree.

Initially finding EAB in an area can take 4-5 years or more before its obvious to tree owners that the tree is dying. But once that happens, the population has quickly exploded in numbers of adults and larvae (like doubling a penny), and then spreads quickly to surrounding trees just due to shear volume of insects. Click here to learn more about EAB http://(http://www.emeraldashborer.info/)

Professional chemical injections are available to protect the ash from attack. They are very effective if done correctly (99.9%) and maintained on a regular schedule (every 24 months).

History in Sioux Falls

The initial find of EAB in northern Sioux Falls in 2018 was determined by researchers at South Dakota State University to have been there for about 4 years before discovery. Since that time EAB has spread throughout Sioux Falls (more below) and discovered in nearby communities (Canton, Brandon, Crooks). Those “satellite” populations of EAB in surrounding communities got there not from insect flight, but from unintentional human movement through moving ash wood (firewood). It is important to remember these are only the areas that have been discovered. It is very possible and likely EAB is in other communities or surrounding areas. But insect populations are low enough to not suspect infestation.

Known EAB Locations

Below is an aerial view of Sioux Falls with dots representing the known areas with EAB infested trees as of fall 2023. Much of this information was graciously shared with me from researchers at South Dakota State University as part of a research study (Thank you!). Click on the photo to enlarge it. The red dots represent areas with at least one infested ash tree. The big blue dots represent areas with heavy infestation of multiple trees. Those blue dot areas I have personally observed dead and or visibly dying ash from EAB.

Analysis of the Map

There are a few things to consider when looking at the dots on the map. First, the red dot locations are just from random sampling (research). Meaning the ash that have EAB is from random chance finding, not because the researchers are out looking for infested ash in every location. I selected to only show the infested locations and not all the sampling locations.

Secondly, the red dots are not representing severity of infection. I added in the Blue dot locations because I have personally observed severe infection in those locations. The red dots COULD be a single tree discovered by sampling and not showing visible signs of infection yet, or COULD be multiple trees with visible signs of infestation. The take away from the red dots, is that EAB has spread all throughout the city.

Lastly, the blue locations are likely much larger than what the dot represents. Once EAB takes hold in an area like that of one of the blue dots, the population has spiked to its peak. This will kill untreated trees in 2-3 years versus 4-5 years and spread outward much faster than it initially took since 2019. You likely have an infested ash if you live close to one of the blue dots and its untreated.

Trends

An interesting trend you might have noticed on the map is there are no dots south of I-229 between I-29 and Southeastern Avenue. First, I caution being complacent thinking there isn’t EAB infested trees in that area. It is far more likely no one has found an infested tree in that area, YET. But another good reason is that that area has a very high concentration of preventatively treated ash trees. High treatment rates significantly slow the growth and spread of EAB since any adult or larvae that feed on a treated ash are killed.

This second map is of all the known EAB locations in South Dakota. I made the blue dots larger to show the extent of the higher infested areas. I want to point out too, this is largely based off my personal observations along with the data points shared with me for in Sioux Falls. The red dots outside Sioux Falls are my own from observations or the state department of Ag. confirmed locations.

The spread of EAB out from Canton is significant and moving northward. Also, the spread north and west from the I-29/I-90 interchange area is also expanding quickly.

Reporting

It is very possible there are more “satellite” infestations within this map that just are not known about yet to me or the state. If you think you have an infested ash outside of Sioux Falls or the known communities, contact the state Department of Agriculture (https://emeraldashborerinsouthdakota.sd.gov/sight.aspx).

Future Expectations & Recommendations

The progression of EAB is going just as expected. Now that EAB has spread just about everywhere within Sioux Falls its only a matter of a year or so before the overall insect population hits its peak and untreated ash will start to die in large numbers within a few short years.

Immediately treat any untreated ash you want to keep. Do not wait! If you have ash you do not plan on keeping, cut them down immediately!

Treated Trees

If you have trees you have been treating, continue on an every 24 month schedule. Of course I cannot confirm this, but the map appears to show that neighborhoods with high treatment rates will slow and prevent the spread of EAB better than those were treatment rates are less. What has happened in Canton also supports this. That community has/had very low treatment of ash. And now within about 4 years almost every untreated ash in Canton is dead or heavily infested.

If your treatments are professionally performed with the recommended rates of Emamectin benzoate (5ml/inch DBH) your trees have a very high chance of surviving EAB attacks. The treatments are not a guarantee. Trees with other health issues, very old trees, improper treatments, or other unforeseen reasons are a reason a tree could die from EAB after being treated. But this is very rare. Its about 1 in 1,000 treated trees might die. I don’t know about you, but I’ll take those odds (especially if its the Twins winning the World Series!).

Untreated Trees

What about the trees you don’t want to treat? Its OK, not all ash should be treated. Cut them down BEFORE they are dead or heavily infested. ALL UNTREATED ASH WILL DIE. As ash dies from EAB the wood gets very brittle and kind of like rotten styrofoam. It does not react like live wood does and can crumble without warning. Not only does this mean a dead ash in your yard can be a risk to you and your property but also a risk to the arborist doing the removal. Removal prices will go up. You will save money by losing the ash now rather than later.

Closing

The next five years will be an eye opening experience with the ash trees in Sioux Falls. You will know your money is well spent on treatments when nothing continues to happen with your ash. In neighborhoods with high treatment rates, you may not even notice the few untreated ash dying. But in those neighborhoods with a lot of untreated ash, it will eventually be very noticeable if you look. And eventually very noticeable when they are all dead and gone.

If you have any questions regarding your trees, I am hear to help. www.aspenarbo.com

I’ll leave this article with a photo (click to enlarge) from a fellow certified arborist of an exit hole from an adult EAB in a Sioux Falls green ash. If you see this in your tree, you very likely have EAB.

The post Where is Emerald Ash Borer in Sioux Falls – 2024 appeared first on Aspen Arboriculture.

Most common tree issues are easily preventable with the proper care. If you’re a tree owner in the greater Sioux Falls area, keep reading to learn a few of the crucial things that you can do to prevent tree health issues.

The Best Preventative Tree Care Practices

• Water When Needed – Trees of all ages need plenty of water to survive and thrive. Stress from lack of water is one of the most common and harmful problems that can afflict trees in the Sioux Falls area. Many property owners make the mistake of thinking that they only need to water young or newly planted trees, and that larger trees will take care of themselves. However, during a hot summer drought, even the oldest, tallest trees on your property may need to be deep watered to beat the heat. (** Overwatering is also an issue. If you are reading this and thinking I water and my trees still are sick, perhaps it is too much water, or watering too frequently!).
  
  
• Protect the Root Zone – In an urban environment, soil compaction and root damage is the leading cause of decline and early death in trees. Trees are reliant on their roots to absorb key nutrients from the soil, allowing for the growth of healthy branches and foliage. If the roots of your trees suffer severe enough damage, they may no longer be able to sustain the trees, causing them to deteriorate and die. This protection extends to competition from grass. Tree roots need a favorable place to grow (see mulch).
  
  
• Proper Pruning – Pruning is a simple form of preventative tree maintenance that is often overlooked (especially in young trees). Urban trees will need to be pruned from time to time, either for clearance from nearby buildings or to shape the structure of the tree. Having a long term pruning plan in place to shape the growth of a tree is probably the most overlooked yet most beneficial tree care practice for ensuring long-term health.
  
  
• Use Mulch – Placing an even layer of mulch around the base of trees is greatly beneficial to their health. Mulch prevents competition for nutrients from grass and weeds and also retains moisture in the soil, keeping your trees hydrated. Proper mulching is a great form of preventative tree care. Be sure there is no barrier between the soil and mulch or you do not get the full benefits of the mulch and could even be causing stress depending on the barrier used (weed fabric/plastic)..
  

Let a Consulting Arborist Create a Tree Care Plan for You

If you have trees, and want them to look their absolute best for the long haul, consider hiring a consulting arborist who can develop a long-term care plan to prevent the majority of problems before they occur. Connect with Aspen Arboriculture Solutions today if you’d like to work with a professional arborist in the Sioux Falls area or the greater Midwest!

The post A Comprehensive Guide to Preventative Tree Maintenance appeared first on Aspen Arboriculture.

We need moisture.

We could use some snow, and a lot of it! I know its a pain to deal with, but a large reason why our conifers (evergreens) and other trees are struggling around the region, has a lot to do with the fact that we have seen many mild winters recently. Especially winters with little to no snow (or at least no snow until later in winter).

Snow acts as a great insulator along with recharging soil moisture levels as it melts. The roots of trees benefit from that insulation during the severe cold snaps. Cold hardiness for most plants relates to the threshold of how cold the soil and roots can handle, not the air temperature (although that does play a factor). Additionally, the soil temperatures fluctuate a lot more during warm stretches with no snow, causing it to dry out. This can kill sensitive roots or lead to stress when the ground thaws come spring.

What I’m seeing.

Death and damage to spruce and pine trees is still the most common thing I’m coming across. The stress caused by excessive rains in 2019, followed by drought starting in mid summer 2020 and continuing now through the winter, is creating pest and disease conditions we normally don’t have to deal with.

Last season was the first time that I have seen large amounts of spruce tree tops dying from engraver (ips) beetles. These are native species of beetles that can pile on to a sick spruce or pine tree and cause major damage. The most obvious sign is the dead top of a spruce tree.

In years past, it was not recommended to preventatively spray for engraver beetles because populations were low and the death to the top of a spruce trees was very low risk. However, this year, it is my recommendation that if you have spruce trees of value that you have them sprayed this spring to protect them from the high amounts of insect pressure that is out there.

What to expect this year?

Unfortunately, more and more trees will be getting sicker and showing signs of the drought stresses. Trees are very slow motion plants when comparing how we live day to day. It can take up to 3 years before a tree would show signs of stress from something like a drought. It all depends on how healthy the trees were going into the stress event.

We can expect more trees to show signs of the drought stress (especially conifers). I anticipate a lot more spruce to decline and succumb to the drought within this year. Those that do make it, will have a good chance of being attacked by Valsa Canker(formerly Cytospora) and engraver beetles. The impact of the drought may be seen in faster growing deciduous trees too. Trees like silver maple, may end up with die-back in the upper canopy if they didn’t get enough water last summer.

What to do?

There isn’t anything we can do about the weather. But we can water (correctly) and provide mulch. And those two things are usually the largest limiting factors to tree health in our region. Lastly, for the valuable spruce, again I do recommend considering spraying them this spring to protect from engraver beetles.

Watering

Watering your trees when it’s dry is very important. But care must be taken to water with intent and so it is available for the trees. Also, be sure to not overwater. More often in not in the urban areas of Sioux Falls, I run across over-watered trees than under-watered.

When thinking about watering, think of the soil like a sponge. You want the sponge to be wet enough that you could wring water out of it if you picked it up. But not so wet that water runs out of it if left on the counter or picked up. The best way to get that sponge to hold as much water as it can, is not to dump all the water on it at once, but to apply it slowly. In other words, water your trees with drip irrigation, a soaker hose, or a tree watering bag.

Lastly, water only once or twice a month. Again, overwatering in our soils is very common.

Mulching

Mulching the critical root zone (area under the canopy) is the other part to watering where the trees will benefit. Grass will outcompete a tree for water and nutrients. The difference between a tree that performs well and a tree that struggles is often the difference between good mulching and reducing turf competition.

There should be 2-4 inches of mulch on the ground, evenly spread out, going from an inch from the trunk out to the drip line of a tree (edge of the canopy). If you don’t want to lose that much lawn, at least go out 2-3 feet radius from the trunk (5-6 foot diameter circle).

I like a shredded hardwood mulch. For spruce and pine trees, the mulching should go out past the drip line. Any less and the trees WILL struggle as they get older. Lastly, no weed barrier or anything like that should be between the mulch and soil. The weed barrier fabrics negate the benefits of the mulch (you may as well have grass).

Closing

Thank you for reading! Having healthy trees in South Dakota can be a challenge. Especially when the climate favors grass and is as erratic as it has been the past number of years. But it is not impossible, it just takes a little more effort and care than other parts of the country. If you have questions on the care of your trees, you can find more resources on my website. Or can reach me via email: sam@aspenarbo.com or call/text 605.759.6020

The post Tree Health Update – Winter 2022 – Sioux Falls appeared first on Aspen Arboriculture.

Pruning Vs. Trimming

First, I want to cover the semantics between these two words and why they are important to proper tree health care and structure.

Pruning – removing branches from a tree or other plant using approved practices, to achieve a specified objective. In other words, pruning is carefully removing a part of the tree with a clear plan in mind and in a way that is best for the tree to handle the loss.

Trimming – removing branches from a tree or other plant in order to accomplish an overall plant shape or appearance, usually involving cutting at random or indiscriminate places along the branch. The best example of this is trimming a hedge to be a certain shape or size (shrubs can thrive off trimming, trees cannot). The tool cuts wherever it needs to make the plant a certain size.

So why does that matter?

Trees compartmentalize. They grow over long periods of time (years) and have to stay strong to grow tall. To try and slow decay they grow in sections. Think of it like a ship. Ships are built in compartments. So if one floods, that compartment can be closed off and the whole ship doesn’t sink. A tree behaves in a similar way. There are only certain spots on a tree where we can remove a branch and have the rest of the tree grow over that wound and compartmentalize. If a cut is not made at one of those locations (node or branch collar), then the rest of the wood can decay and enter the rest of the tree. Once decay gets into a tree, there is no getting it out. Then caring for the tree gets more difficult.

In other words, pruning is what you want to do to your tree, not trimming.

Large pruning wounds made on a tree may never fully close. This leaves the tree open to decay, like what happened here.

Types of Pruning

As was described in the definition of pruning, there should be an objective. A plan. Never will I prune a tree just for the sake of pruning. The trees don’t NEED it, we WANT it. There should be a plan for every tree. Here are some of the common (industry approved) types of tree pruning. (Did you know there are actually industry standards for Pruning and other types of arboricultural practices?)

Reduction

Reduction pruning is when the tree is maybe too tall for an area or a long limb is too big to remove but is hitting the house. The end of the limb will be reduced back to a proper lateral branch. That way the branch can compartmentalize the wound. This pruning can also be done to slowly remove a branch, over time, that maybe has a defect but is too large to remove all at once for overall tree health.

Canopy Raising

Raising, or sometimes called lifting, is one of the most common types of tree pruning. Raising a canopy creates clearance for vehicles or people along streets and sidewalks. Young trees perform the best with canopy raising since the wounds are small enough so the trunk can grow around the wound.

Caution should be taken to not raise the canopy too quickly while the tree is young. The trunk needs to develop a taper to handle wind loads higher up, the lower branches help with this taper. But overall, pruning off branches while the tree is young and smaller is far better for the tree, versus waiting until the lower limb is an issue and making a larger wound on the trunk.

Pruning cuts should be clean and made as close to the branch collar without damaging it.

Thinning

Thinning out a canopy is tricky process. It has its benefits, but one has to be careful not to prune out too much. The process is used to encourage other branches to grow larger or to prevent tightly growing branches from being too close together. Thinning must be done with care though, so the tree doesn’t respond with extra sprouts or reaction growth due to the stress. Traditionally, thinning was used as a way to open up the tree and get more sunlight to interior leaves. This is not a standard practice anymore. That kind of thinning is stressful and usually results in reaction sprouts.

Canopy Clean (Deadwood)

Canopy clean tree pruning is another common pruning practice. Its objective is to remove all the dead, diseased, and/or broken limbs from a tree. Usually it is specified out in a work order that it would be removing limbs greater than one or two inches in diameter and larger. Otherwise, it could be very tedious and expensive to remove all the dead twigs. Canopy cleaning (or Deadwooding) is something I encourage most tree owners to have done with their trees every five years or so. It makes the trees look very clean and nice. Plus it really makes a difference in the amount of twigs you’ll spend picking up after a storm.

Last Few Tips

This article has reviewed the basics of what pruning is and why it’s important. It also has describe the main objectives there should be when deciding to prune. I also want to share these last few tips when pruning trees:

• Avoid any type of wound dressing or covering. It’s against industry standards and actually does more harm than any sort of benefit.
• Use sharp tools designed for pruning.
• Be safe! Hire a professional if you have to get off the ground to prune!

When is Pruning Best Performed?

This is better answered in another article I wrote. You can read about it HERE.

Was my Tree Pruned Well?

Again, this is best answered in another article. Find it HERE.

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Trunk Cleaning

I made up this term because I don’t think it has a name. It is when a mature tree has all the lower and interior small branches cut off the trunk. The owner wants the trunk to look clean and free of leaves and small branches along the trunk and major limbs. This type of pruning only makes those types of branches come back worse and thicker than before. That “hairy” or “fuzzy” appearance on some mature trees is normal and how the tree should look. Also, those small branches will not grow into large branches (which is often the thought). Removing them has no purpose other than for looks.

If that is the look you want, know that you are weakening the trees health. It creates more pruning as time goes on, and potentially shortens the life of the tree. Decay will eventually make its way into the large wounds that will be created. Those types of branches should rarely be removed in any type of proper tree pruning.

A wound on the tree was not able to seal properly from a poor pruning cut. This allowed decay to get into the tree.

Lions Tailing

This is a very common practice among inexperienced or improperly equipped tree workers. It refers to when all the lower and/or interior branches on a tree or large major branch are pruned off except for the ends or top. It makes the branch look like a lions tail where the only fluff is at the end. I most often see this in combination with the trunk cleaning. Done by tree workers who have no clear plan and are only cutting off tree parts where they can reach. Lions tailing can create several issues, including; weak branches prone to breaking, severe sprouting of shoots, sun scald, and tree stress.

Trimming

If you have read my other article on tree pruning basics, you will have read the part where trimming is different from pruning. I have this in here though, because it is a major issue in trees. I often see trimming on the lower limbs and overhanging branches where the tips are trimmed back for clearance instead of the branch being pruned off to give proper clearance. Clearly there is not a plan to deal with the lower branches and the trees health suffers as a result. A well trained arborist can fix the clearance issue while providing proper pruning.

Topping

A older practice that is becoming less common, but still a major issue if its done to your tree. This is where the tops of the tree are cut off at a certain height (usually where the worker can reach) to reduce the height of the tree. The tree response with a flush of thick growth giving the tree a fuller look. This practice could not be worse for a tree.

Closing

What I hope you are able to take away from the description of these common bad pruning practices is that they are often done by people with a common theme; Limited skill, limited knowledge of trees, and limited equipment. I’m guessing you wouldn’t hire someone to only paint the lower 2/3 of your house because they can’t reach any higher. Then why hire a tree contractor who can’t reach the necessary branches to cut?

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Watering Trees: How often?

The frequency of watering trees is very important. It is important to remember that your trees are not anything like your lawn when it comes to water. Trees prefer, and do best, with large amounts of water that deeply saturates the entire soil profile up to it being soggy (its called field capacity). Then long periods until the next watering. Versus grass, that prefers and performs best with relative small amounts of water but done frequently (daily or so).

Watering trees with traditional lawn irrigation settings designed for green grass can be troublesome and tough on trees. First, it promotes shallow tree roots that have to compete more with the turf. It also lends the trees more susceptible to drought due to the shallow roots if the irrigation stops. Lastly, the amount of water reaching the tree roots varies greatly throughout the season. Often too much water in the spring and fall when the grass uses less in cooler weather. And then too little in the summer when grass uses a lot but the amount of watering stays the same.

If you have lawn irrigation, your best option to help your trees is to set your irrigation up to water once a week at the most. Or have areas where the trees are not watered by your lawn irrigation near the trunks. Have those areas mulched and water them separately.

If you don’t have lawn irrigation, an area of mulch under the drip-line is still recommended with separate watering from your lawn.

Watering Trees: How much?

The amount of water provided to a tree (too much or too little) is usually one of the more common baseline issues to a sick tree. As mentioned above frequency is an important factor when watering, but amount is more critical. Knowing how much water to provide can be tricky if you don’t know your soil type or how it drains. Poorly drained soils (clay or compacted) are more difficult to water effectively. Whereas well drained or sandy soils are difficult to provide enough water sometimes.

The main goal when watering trees is to fill all the small micro-spaces in the soil, but not the larger air spaces. This will allow the roots to breath. So in other words, do not water until the soil is soaking wet or squishy. And since soil types vary, the best advice I can give that will yield the best results across all kinds of soil types, is to water very slowly over a longer period of time. I tell my clients to imitate a drizzly, rainy day where about an inch of rain falls. Give time for the water to soak in slowly. An old school impact sprinkler set up until a dish is filled with an inch or so of water has performed the best.

Watering trees quickly, like with a hose (even on the slowest trickle), bucket, or by hand can often lead to the water running off. Or, to soak through too quickly for the roots to absorb it. Either way, you’re probably wasting a lot of water.

Young Trees

The best solution is a tree watering bag for trees up to 6 or 8 inches in diameter. These are durable plastic bags that zipper on around the trunk and hold up to 20 gallons of water. They slowly drip out water over about 8 hours to water a tree almost perfectly. New trees needing to establish need watering about once a week for a few years. Water young, established trees about twice a month in the hot dry summer months (July, Aug., Sept.).

Watering trees with a tree watering bag is probably the best method out there besides rain.

Mature Trees

For larger trees, a soaker hose placed around the trunk within the drip-line works well, or as mentioned above, use an impact sprinkler. Just have the water barely on so the water slowly drips out of the soaker hose. Space these waterings out during the hot summer months or drought conditions. Again, this will depend on the soil, but be careful not to water to frequently or too often. When in doubt, go stick your finger in the dirt, you will learn what you need to know.

Other Watering Tree Tips

Lastly, there are a few other items which need addressing when watering trees:

• Avoid getting water on the leaves or needles of trees.
  • Water the soil and roots. Doing otherwise invites disease.
• Only water when it hasn’t been raining.
  • Overwatering of young trees is a very common problem in Sioux Falls due to often poorly drained soils. If it has rained within the week more than an inch, do not water the tree again. Roots need air to breath.
• Water your trees, not your lawn during drought conditions.
  • Grass will go dormant and come back later during a drought. Drought is very stressful for trees. Protect that long term investment. They don’t grow back as quick as grass.
• Water all your trees well in the Fall. Especially if it is dry.
  • Tree roots grow in the fall, so having good soil moisture is very beneficial to trees. Also, conifers need the extra moisture to make it through harsh winter conditions in our area.

Here are some other blog topics you might find interesting:

• 3 Tips to Identify a Sick Tree
• 12 Steps to Planting a Great Tree
• 3 tips to Managing Emerald Ash Borer in Sioux Falls

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Its been a rough few years.

Remember how wet 2019 was? If not, we received over 300% of our annual rainfall that year! It was very wet. And then, southeast South Dakota especially was categorized into a severe drought beginning last late summer (2020). And even though we just got a few much needed weather events to provide some moisture, its not been enough. We are still in drought conditions.

The excess water in 2019 was just as severe and hard on most trees as the drought we are in now. Plant roots need to breath in order to absorb water and nutrients, and they can’t do that if the little air pockets in soil are full of water. So the affect is the same as drought, no water into the canopy. So in reality, the trees have essentially now been in severe drought conditions for more than 2 years!

What I’m seeing.

What is most obvious right now are the spruce and pine trees. Especially those planted within the past few years. I’m seeing spruce dead and dying this spring that looked healthy last fall. Most customers are telling me the trees were green and normal in the fall and by late February the needles were brown and falling off. What happened was the trees were on the verge of death last fall with no moisture. This winter finished them off by sucking the last of the water in the needles out with those few cold windy snow storms we had. Plus, very little snow cover and mild temps, made the water loss within the needles even.

What to expect this year?

Unfortunately, more and more trees will be getting sicker and showing signs of the drought stresses. Those that have already died were the extreme cases. Trees are very slow motion plants when comparing how we live day to day. It can take up to 3 years before a tree would show signs of stress from something like a drought. It all depends on how healthy the trees were going into the stress event. That is why we are seeing the recently planted trees show signs of stress first, they were already stressed from being transplanted.

We can expect more and more trees to show signs of the drought stress (especially conifers). I anticipate a lot more spruce to decline and succumb to the drought within this year. Those that do make it, will have a good chance of being attacked by Valsa Canker(formerly Cytospora), among other diseases. The impact of the drought will be seen less in established deciduous trees. But without a turn around in weather this year, the impacts will be greater.

What to do?

There isn’t anything we can do about the weather. But we can water (correctly) and provide mulch. And those two things are usually the largest limiting factors to tree health in our region.

Watering

Watering your trees when its dry is very important. But care must be taken to water with intent and so its available for the trees. Also, be sure to not overwater. More often in not in the urban areas of Sioux Falls, I run across over-watered trees than under-watered.

The water needs to be applied slowly (over the course of hours) but in large amounts (think of an inch of rain). So your lawn irrigation is not adequate and often detrimental. My advice, cut way back on the lawn watering and hand water your trees. Use a tree watering bag, 5 gallon bucket with tiny holes in the bottom, or a soaker hose. Water no more than every 10-14 days after providing as close to what you think an inch of rain would be.

Don’t overthink it, just do your best to make the soil wet and keep it wet. Not soggy, but just wet enough to stick together slightly if you squeeze it in your hand.

Mulching

Mulching the critical root zone (area under the canopy) is the other part to watering where the trees will benefit. Grass will outcompete a tree for water and nutrients. The difference between a tree that performs well and a tree that struggles is often the difference between good mulching and reducing turf competition.

There should be 2-4 inches of mulch on the ground, evenly spread out, going from an inch from the trunk out to the drip line of a tree (edge of the canopy). If you don’t want to lose that much lawn, at least go out 2-3 feet radius from the trunk (5-6 foot diameter circle).

I like a shredded hardwood mulch. For spruce and pine trees, the mulching should go out past the drip line. Any less and the trees WILL struggle as they get older. Lastly, no weed barrier or anything like that should be between the mulch and soil. The weed barrier fabrics negate the benefits of the mulch (you may as well have grass).

Closing

Thank you for reading! Having healthy trees in South Dakota can be a challenge. Especially when the climate favors grass and is as erratic as its been the past number of years. But it is not impossible, it just takes a little more effort and care than other parts of the country. If you have questions on the care of your trees, you can find more resources on my website. Or can reach me via email: sam@aspenarbo.com or call/text 605.759.6020

The post Tree Health Update – Spring 2021 – Sioux Falls appeared first on Aspen Arboriculture.

Business Partnership

We have now partnered with Action Lawn and Action Tree Service. We have worked out an agreement where they will be providing most basic plant health care services for my customers. Those services will be under my direct control. Everything my customers have experienced with spraying or treatment services in the past will be exactly the same, except I won’t be doing the work. Action will be using my science based protocols. I will be also providing consulting, training, education, and oversight to Action’s employees and treatments, so they can better serve their customers. I will also be providing tree care consultations to Action’s customers.

The largest change my customers will see is that Action will be billing for the services they perform directly. However, if there are any questions or concerns with the treatments or level of care your trees are getting, you can talk directly with me (Sam 605.759.6020) or Ryan (Owner of Action 605.231.1425 or 605.498.9510).

Additionally, I will now have a tree care company (Action Tree Service) to refer pruning or removal services. They will be able to perform work at my direction and within my specifications. This will help with you being able to find a company to perform quality pruning, removals, or other tree work, and to ANSI A 300 standards.

Why the Change?

Last year, I was inundated with request to diagnose and look at customers sick trees in Sioux Falls. At one point I was booked out a month. Also, given my levels of experience and qualifications, the demand for additional consulting from other businesses are becoming more in demand. I made this change because it will give me opportunity to provide more consultations and less time providing treatments.

This change also will also allow me to separate more from the services side of tree care and to be more of a consultant and information provider. My goal is to be the source for unbiased and accurate tree care information. So that you, the tree owner, can make a decision on care that best suits your needs, budget, and goals for your landscape.

Also, this partnership allows Action to grow and serve by having my knowledge and expertise be the driving support for proper and accurate care among the other services they provide. They have the drive and ability to become very professional in the services that I recommend and prescribe. A large concern that I had when making such a partnership was that treatments would be done up to standards that I expect. And Action has made that commitment. The employees are becoming ISA Certified Arborists. They have attended training sessions with me to learn the proper treatment techniques. And Ryan is a good and honest person and businessman, he does what is right and not easy. He treats his customers with respect and wants to provide accurate and quality service. I feel my customers will be happy with the service they receive.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact me: Sam Kezar,  605.759.6020 sam@aspenarbo.com

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Sam Kezar, owner of Aspen Arboriculture Solutions, has recently received the designation of Registered Consulting Arborist® (RCA) #705 through the American Society of Consulting Arborists (ASCA). A Registered Consulting Arborist, “has demonstrated higher skills in certain technical areas related to trees and tree care, providing objective, independent opinions, with training for higher communication, presentation, and/or report writing skills.” Holding the RCA title means that Sam is, “committed to providing excellence and has achieved a high level of experience, knowledge, and education in the industry.”

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