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Tree
Troubles
Your big beautiful oak tree is thinning quicker than an aging baby
boomer’s hair. Brown leaves and
bare branches seem to be more abundant every day. (We are talking about the
tree here.) So how do you figure
out exactly what is going on and if you should do something about it?
Summer’s heat is not only hard on us, but on
plants as well. This is
especially true for shade and ornamental trees whose hydration requirements
are similar to those needed to float a small yacht.
If you are simply watering your grass, you are probably ignoring the
water needs of your trees. And
problems that began two or three years ago might just now be showing up, your
treeing telling you that it cannot make it through another summer.
Certain varieties of trees will
slough off leaves early in an effort to survive a drought period like we have
seen in the past years. Trees
with larger leaves --- including cottonwood and silver maple --- are notorious
for this shedding, allowing them to discard the extra baggage of abundant
leaves produced during wetter conditions so there is not as much to feed when
the well runs dry. If you know
what variety your tree is, you might be able to self-diagnose this natural
shedding occurrence. However, some of these same trees have a life span of less
than twenty-five years, so depending on how old it is, the tree could be at
the end of its life expectancy.
Damage to trees from disease and
pests can also be the source of leaf drop.
Sometimes the disease or pests (insects) come first, but often
homeowners inadvertently cause the problems themselves and the disease and
pests are secondary. New
landscaping around an old tree might require additional soil or mulch be
brought in, changing the grade or drainage patterns.
Either of these changes can be lethal, even to well established plants.
If you see no signs of disease,
pests, injury or poor cultural conditions, and the tree is small and poses no
danger of falling on to buildings or fences, you might choose to wait until
spring and see what happens. It
is possible that although stressed, your tree will recuperate nicely and give
you many more years of enjoyment.
It is a difficult armchair
decision, determining whether to remove an item that adds so much value to
your home, both financially and aesthetically.
And don’t forget the environmental effects, losing a possible food
source and home for wildlife. So
make your choice based on as much information as you can get, which will
probably include getting a professional’s opinion.
An arborist is trained to look for specific problems inherent in
certain varieties of tree and may suggest that the tree be removed for the
safety of your home or trees around it or that an alternate treatment will
suffice. After they have surveyed the situation and laid out the evidence,
then you are prepared to make a decision that you are less likely to
second-guess later. If it is a
fast growing, short-lived tree, spraying might be more expensive in the long
run than simply replacing the tree with a better variety. (Be sure that if it
necessary to take it down, the person who removes it is insured.
And always ask for references.)
Saving
a tree at any cost is not always the best solution.
Often just keeping an eye on your investments will prevent things from
spiraling into a no-win situation. Watching
for changes will help you see the patterns and peculiarities in your trees
enabling you to maintain healthy plants for many years and preventing
expensive emergency care or the necessity of replacing the trees God planted
for free.
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