Advice from Your Arborist: Plant Native Trees

Understanding what your plants need means having a yard that is both beautiful and easy to maintain.  We talked about how No Mow May results in a few extra hours for yourself and food for pollinators who will enrich our plants.  In this blog, we’ll talk about native trees.

You may be aware of the terms native and invasive when it comes to plants.  We all complain about weeds and how they can take over a garden but that’s not really the point here.  A weed is just any plant growing where we don’t want it to grow.  Even a blooming rosebush in the middle of a lawn is a weed because it doesn’t belong there.

An invasive plant is one that is brought into an area from somewhere else.  We find something pretty in a shop and bring it home.  The problem is, a lot of these plants don’t play nice with others and will take over in an aggressive way.  Bittersweet is pretty but can choke a tree as this vine climbs up a trunk and grows.  That kind of damage, and the associated tree service, is hard to reverse but can be avoided.

Learn the Benefits of Using Native Trees (Hint: Less Tree Service)

Native trees are those already at home in Connecticut.  They are comfortable with the weather patterns and have developed their own resistance to heat and cold, wind and water.  That makes them less fussy.

They don’t need special fertilizers and will generally save on water.  You don’t have to spend time and money making sure they have enough to drink because they like the amount of water that they expect to get in the Nutmeg state.  They also have figured out how to defend themselves from local bugs so you can skip the pesticides, which can be good for pets as well as your wallet.

Native trees are also good at controlling erosion below the soil and preserving biodiversity above it.  The birds and bees that we fed in May count on native trees to survive and we definitely benefit as we restore their habitats by offering shelter and food for wildlife and support pollinators.  (No bees = no pollination = no food.)

You may need to hire a professional tree service to prune a native tree but that work will be minimal compared to work you may need for a specimen that is struggling to survive in Connecticut’s climate.

Get Your Native Tree Advice from a Tree Service Professional

There are several native trees you can choose from: Red Maple, Black Birch, Eastern Hemlock, Sugar Maple, Northern Red Oak, Beech, Eastern White Pine, and Black Cherry.

Each can offer different ornamental value; a Sugar Maple in the autumn can present the most amazing shades of red and orange as the days grow shorter and the crisp air calls for a warm sweater.  As a setting sun provides a backlit atmosphere, you can be grateful for planting one near your home.

But, what to choose?  This is where an arborist comes in.  If you are lucky enough to be in the market for a new tree, pick the brain of your favorite tree service professional.  You can find the perfect tree for your needs: shade, privacy screening, decoration, even protection from the elements such as wind.  Someone experienced in tree service can teach you when each type of tree blooms so you’re always enjoying a beautiful show and feeding our winged friends, too!

Consultations are free and the advice from a tree service professional is priceless!

What Does a Difficult Take Down Look Like?

We thought we’d share some photos from a recent take down so you could see what the process looks like.

Just click on the photos below to step through the process. Notice the many safety precautions we take, including how we tie off the trunk so that it can be gently lowered to the ground. This 120 foot pine weighed several tons. To allow it to fall free would have been irresponsible and dangerous. By using the right equipment to take down this tree, we were able to ensure the safety of the people on the ground and the homeowner’s property, not to mention the lawn. Several hundred pounds of wood falling onto grass does nothing positive for lawncare!

In this case, the tree had been infested with carpenter ants and, although it looked healthy, was dying. As it was only a few yards from the house, there was the real possibility that it could fall and severely damage the home, possibly harming those inside.

Enjoy the photos and call us to learn more if you are worried about removing a tree that is close to your home.

The Woodpecker: Tree Service Professional

Woody Woodpecker is Just a Cartoon

The fame of one two-dimensional woodpecker has resulted in something of a phenomenon: people will use the word pileated in conversation.

The word refers to the red crest of the bird, from the Latin pileatus, which means capped.  Pileated woodpeckers are strikingly beautiful and hard to miss.  If you don’t see that bright red, you will definitely hear the rat-a-tat of that beak drilling into a tree trunk.  A longer lower beak reduces the strain that might otherwise be put on the bird’s head.  And, a hyoid bone wraps around the woodpecker’s skull to like a seatbelt to further protect the brain.  That’s why a woodpecker can strike a tree about 20 times per second yet no one has ever seen one of these guys at the pharmacy buying aspirin.

Real woodpeckers are much more amazing, and useful, than the televised version.

What Do Woodpeckers Do?

A woodpecker is doing what the name says, drilling into wood to find its food in the form of insects and tree sap.  The work it does to survive results in useful information for homeowners.  In essence, the woodpecker is a tree service professional, providing help just like your favorite arborist.

The birds don’t necessarily kill a tree.  A healthy specimen won’t be nearly as bothered by the jackhammering as you will be.  (That sound does get on the nerves after a while.)  And while the birds will remove some bark to access a meal, a healthy tree can easily survive.

However, a woodpecker’s preference for your trees might indicate a very real problem.  Trees can appear to be in good shape, producing foliage after winter’s harsh temperatures and winds.  Bark can appear unblemished and hide a sickly or even rotting trunk.  A woodpecker might be the first sign you have that insects are deep inside, eating the weakened tree from the inside.  The next sign you receive might be that tree unable to withstand a storm, falling on your lawn or, worse, house, garage, or car.

What Should You Do When You See a Woodpecker?

Take a photo.  They’re very pretty birds and really awesome to watch for a few moments (before the sound becomes annoying).

You can also take a little inspiration from a woodpecker.  They can see value in something like a dead tree and find life within it.  Trees are wonderfully generous, giving so much throughout their long lives and for decades after that.

Then call your favorite arborist, the human version.  There are ways to tell if a tree has been singled out because of illness and if that tree can be saved but that comes with experience.  An arborist with years of tree service experience can usually tell if a tree is going to be strong and healthy for years to come — or not.  Without that know-how, the only sure way to learn the health of a tree is to cut it down and look inside.  Then, you’ll know how old it was and if you should have done that.  But, it’d be too late for a good tree.

Enjoy the birds and thank them for their service to our trees.  Call Gerry and Brian for more information.

Trees and Our Mild Winter (so far)

Let’s take a moment to celebrate the mild winter weather we’ve had so far.  After the damaging storms of the summer and fall 2020, it’s nice to hear the quiet that comes from a lack of high winds and gusts.

As you might guess, those of us in the tree service business have been busy with cleanup after these storm events.  It’s heartbreaking to see beautiful, old trees broken or literally uprooted by Mother Nature and the recent cold weather only makes some trees, like spruce, more vulnerable because the deciduous trees nearby have lost their leaves.  These evergreens are facing the brunt of winter winds at a time when they can be brittle due to extreme cold.

When the worst happens, weight is an important factor when removing material.  The weight of a tree depends on the type and height of a tree, among other factors.  In the warmer months, a tree weighs more because of leaves.  If you want to satisfy your inner geek, this is a good resource for calculating the weight of your trees.  The quick answer is that trees are usually measured in tons and not pounds, unless you’re talking about a very young specimen.

Arborists want to save a tree if at all possible while making sure that people and property are safe.  Sometimes a tree will split so that its own limbs or the limbs of neighboring trees hold dead wood aloft.  To safely remove several tons of material from a precarious position in the air takes experience, equipment, patience, and more experience.  Never walk under a hanging limb because that could go at any time.  Dial your favorite arborist as soon as possible.

Material that has made it to the ground—usually with a sickening thud—is more stable, of course, but anyone who’s been through the experience knows that trees spread on the ground are met with the phrase, “It looks so much bigger now.”  It takes time and effort to cut trees and prep them as firewood and chip less desirable wood.  Here, the right equipment can save backs and therefore lives.

When trees hit homes and cars, the result is miserable but a little less so when you have your ducks in a row before the storm hits.  Check that you’ve bought the right homeowner’s insurance and found a trusted arborist, someone who is skilled in tree service and carries the proper tree work insurance.  Knowing who to call, like us at Tree-Scape and Fitch, will make dealing with tree damage easier.

And here’s hoping Mother Nature will continue to be kind to us in terms of good weather.

Trees and Storms

Storm damage from Tropical Storm Isaias was barely off the ground in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties before residents in Woodbury and Southbury were hit with high winds and more damage on August 27.  If you’re worried about the rest of hurricane season, then you’re in good company.  We’d much rather have gentle breezes than gusts and believe rain should not move horizontally.

But, for those moments when Mother Nature is less than ladylike, we’ve prepared a few tips that we hope will help our tree owners.

Maintain Your Friendships

Wait.  What?!  Nothing about filling the tub with water, checking batteries in the radio and flashlights?  Did we forget buying milk and bread?  Seriously, there are enough blogs out there telling you these things.  If you need a refresher, check out the FEMA guidelines here.

Our first tip is about human contact because that’s really important.  Do you know your neighbors well enough to ask for their help?  Depending on the electrical grid in your area and the availability of generators, a neighbor may have power when you don’t.  Or, the reverse may be true.  Checking in with them and family members and friends is also a good way to keep spirits up in an emergency situation.

Prepare Well Ahead of Storms

Just as utility companies do tree work in good weather, you, too, should be maintaining your trees.  Are there branches close to your house or driveway?  Are your trees healthy or do they need care?  A free consultation with a professional arborist will answer your questions and give you great peace of mind when the tracking models start appearing on your television.

Keep Your Cool

Know your tree service professionals are trying their best to get everyone back to normal as we leave our homes and families to take care of yours.  You’re welcome to watch us work from inside your homes but please don’t approach the work area.  We can work faster and safer if we can control who is in the work area.

There will be an end to the mess, just hang in there.  An emergency visit from an arborist will be to move a tree from the driveway and then we’ll leave quickly to help another person.  It’s critical to keep pathways clear in case an ambulance or fire truck needs access.  Once everyone has basic access to the outside world, we’ll return to your home chip wood, blow sawdust, and tidy the area.

Call us at 203-515-3051 before the next storm.  We’d love to help you.

Welcome to Spring 2020!

You’ve seen a lot of messages lately, telling you how businesses are reinforcing good habits like keeping surfaces germ-free or ramping up new practices, like marking lines so people stay more than six feet apart while waiting for service.

Have you ever tried to wipe down a tree with a disinfectant cloth?

Seriously, arborists have always made safety a priority.  Tree work is in any list of top 10 most dangerous professions.  Social distancing is just something we’re adding to the many ways we keep ourselves, our clients, and their property safe.  We’re also adding our families to this list; we don’t want to spread the coronavirus to them.

Six Feet Apart

As tree climbers, we move vertically as well as horizontally. We can easily keep at least six feet of space between our team members as we work. That means, you can call us to prune your trees, remove unhealthy specimens, or chip some of the bigger limbs that have fallen as a result of winter winds. Recently, we’ve used cell phones during our free consults, walking around the yard to evaluate trees while the homeowner remains safe inside the house. Our clients trust us to work when they’re not at home but it’s been a bit of a boon to have them on site and available to share their input on the work or just admire what we do. (One client was so in awe of our ability to climb well past the second-floor window of her home office that she missed a virtual meeting!)

Keeping Plants Safe Too

Some people worry that the ground becomes too soft during spring thaws to allow for heavy equipment on site. Not so. We use thick plywood to distribute loads and ensure that your lawn will not have any marks on it when we leave. Arborists love all plants, not just trees, and we want to protect your landscaping. Limbs don’t just fall randomly when we cut. We can place material where it needs to go and chip anything to either haul it away or rake it to your specifications.

The sight of us working to clean up your yard this spring might be just the sign of hope you need now. No one can say for sure how long our new reality will last as we try to avoid the coronavirus and the disease it causes, COVID-19. But we are doing the right thing and you should be prepared to welcome friends and family to your home for a really good time together, hopefully sooner than later.

Stay safe everyone.

What Does Tree Service Mean to Homeowners?

Tree service is often confused with landscaping services but landscapers cannot do what arborists do (and vice versa) because there are different skill sets and equipment required of each. It’s important to know when you should call a tree service professional for help.

Emergency Care

There have been some pretty memorable storms in the first two decades of this new century, including hurricanes and the tornadoes mixed into the microburst of May 2018. The latter storm caused some very impressive tree damage in upper Fairfield County, much of which can still be seen two years later. In fact, we just helped a family remove approximately 50 tons of pine from their yard. They’d managed to cut it up but noticed something that isn’t apparent until you experience it: trees will decompose but that process takes a long, long time.

Removing dead wood is important for more than aesthetic reasons. Termites will help break down the material but they don’t distinguish between a dead tree laying at the edge of your property and the wood inside your walls. Tree service in this case means preventing damage from critters as well as beautifying your property because professional tree service providers have the equipment and training to safely remove large limbs and trunks, whether they’re laying across your driveway right after your storm or an eyesore many months later.

Long Term Care

If you want your yard to look and feel like a relaxing, carefree park, you will need to put some work into it. Mother Nature is always changing. Trees grow older and drop branches. Some trees reach the end of their lives and die. Other trees compete with each other for light and water, growing in ways that may not be attractive or, worse, safe.

For one client in Litchfield County, tree service in this case meant actively keeping up with what trees need to be healthy and happy. We worked to remove select trees to ensure the future of the remaining specimens. Trimming and chipping limbs not only made the yard look better, there were fewer dense leaves that could act as sail to catch a high wind and break the trunk. A good landscaper will take care of your lawn but look up and you’ll see where you need a professional tree service provider to work tens or even hundreds of feet above the ground. An arborist will also carry the correct (and frankly more expensive) insurance for that kind of dangerous work, which can be very reassuring for a homeowner worried about liability and workers compensation should someone be hurt on their property. Finally, on those days when a tree does have to come down, you can access services like stump grinding to allow for some fresh grass or a new tree that will grow in the decades to come.

So, whether you need a professional tree service to access equipment that can move serious amounts of unwanted wood off your property without damaging your lawn, well, septic, or other features or you’re thinking about proactive about tree care, call 203-515-3051 for a free consultation. We can tell you if a tree has been compromised by a storm as we did in New Haven County, where one of the hurricanes left the tree standing until months later, when it fell on a car. Thankfully, no one was injured but we’d rather spend time walking around with you and leave knowing all was safe even though there was no job to be had. We love trees and are happy to share what we know.

Low Temps and High Flames: Tips on Firewood

We’ve been asked to provide some tips and tricks for burning wood.  So here goes!

There are three kinds of firewood: green, dried, and seasoned.  Green wood is freshly cut wood and contains the most moisture.  A freshly cut log is heavy and you should not attempt to lift one unless you know what you’re doing or like to visit the chiropractor.

Dried wood is anything that was cut several months ago.  This wood is much easier to lift because the moisture has left the wood but we would recommend you wait a bit longer before you throw this material on your fire.  Seasoned wood has rested for multiple seasons, possibly a spring, summer, fall, and two winters.  Because this has the least amount of moisture, you will get the best heat from seasoned wood.

How do you know if your delivery has dried or seasoned wood in it?  Wood changes color as it loses moisture over time, getting darker and darker.  That color can go from a light tan to a dark, almost black color.  If you’ve been burning fires for several years, you’ll develop a level of experience that will help you realize if you have received good value for your money.  If you’re as green as the wood you don’t want to burn, find a trusted arborist who will give you what you expect and need.

We have a few other tips for you.

• Be sure to regularly check and clean your chimney to reduce the risk of a flue fire.

• Pallets and branches will help keep your firewood off the ground and allow air to circulate, which will add to the efficiency of your firewood.

• Grab yourself a pair of thick gloves to wear as you tend your fire.  Welding gloves should allow you to pick up a hot log if you do your research and buy a correctly rated pair.

• Make sure your smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and carbon monoxide detectors are in good working order and never leave a fire unattended.

If you’re worried that mid-winter is too late to order firewood, fear not.  Tree-Scape and Fitch is busy taking care of trees all year round so we’re always ready to deliver pieces ready for your fireplace or wood stove.  Heck, we’ll even swing by with a load in the dog days of summer so you can enjoy s’mores and the glow of a fire as it matches the reddish hue of a late setting sun.

Connecticut's Arborist Law

Were you aware that there is a law, enacted in 1922, to ensure that trees and homeowners get the best care from those who would sell tree services? Or, that there are about 1,000 licensed arborists in Connecticut?

Thanks to the Town Times for printing an article that highlights this important law and the tree planting ceremony that will honor the passage of this legislation. If you don’t have a subscription, click here to open a PDF copy of the article.

Dealing with Hurricanes

Some people assume that the men and women who cut trees for a living are happy when a hurricane takes down trees, mostly because a major storm will mean a lot of work and therefore pay.  The truth is, we become arborists because we love trees.  We hate to see trees and shrubs damaged or killed.

We also feel for homeowners who see heavy limbs fall on their roofs or cars.  That’s why we keep an eye on the weather and prep when the weather models indicate we’ll get high winds.  Preparation is key to any response in a bad situation and anyone who’s lived in Connecticut for a few years knows we’ll get a memorable hurricane before too long.

Responding to Storms

There are two ways to deal with storms.  One is to respond quickly and safely to Mother Nature’s temper tantrum.  Irene and Sandy are still fresh in our minds.

If you need help clearing a damaged or dead tree, try to remain patient.  Tree services are in high demand just after a storm and every arborist will do his or her best to take care of customers while maintaining a safe work environment.  Pushing forward through fatigue or equipment that needs some TLC will just make a bad situation dangerous.

Preparing for Storms

The other way to deal with storms is to take action while the weather is good. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Find a good arborist when the sun is shining and you have the time to listen to more thane one, to learn what skills each offers to you and your family, and to make a considered decision when you select the arborists you want on your team as you maintain your home.  Then, if a tree falls during a storm or a large limb traps your car in the garage, you’ll know what to do and avoid adding to an already miserable time.

You can also ask a good arborist for a free consultation.  A skilled eye can evaluate how a tree has grown over time and propose ways to make it stronger or less susceptible to storm damage.  For example, a bush that is pruned on a regular basis will be healthier and stronger than one that has been left alone.  Pruning is not just for esthetic purposes nor is it just for bushes.  Thinning a canopy on a tree can allow winds to pass safely through branches, rather than pushing the trunk past its limits.  Bending branches can be scary to see from inside a house but a lot less so than a wood breaking off to become a projectile.

We’re fast approaching the end of hurricane season but that doesn’t mean we’ll never see another hurricane.  Take care of you trees so they can continue to take care of you—shading you from hot sun and offering sweet, fresh oxygen, not to mention the smiles you’ll get from seeing that beauty in your yard.  Call Tree-Scape and Fitch today!

It’s a poor workman who quarrels with his tools.

When most people think of a professional arborist at work, they picture him or her near trees.  That’s often the case but, without a lot of work in the background, that tree work is, at best, inefficient and, at worst, dangerous.

Take maintenance equipment for example.  When a storm hits an area and a tree falls across a driveway, a homeowner needs to get that area cleared as fast as possible to get back and forth to work.  That kind of damage happens to many homes at once so there is little time to deal with chain saws that stall or chippers with dull blades.  A good arborist will make sure that all equipment is in good working order and ready to go when needed, whether the need is an emergency response or scheduled maintenance.

The equipment used to bring a tree back to health or cut it down is varied and pretty serious stuff.  An aerial bucket is a great way to access branches high off the ground but an extended reach is its secondary purpose.  A bucket’s primary job is to keep the arborist safe in the work area.  When the person operating a chain saw feels confident with a perch, then there is also greater safety for those on the ground supporting the work done by quickly moving material from a drop zone.

Trees are very heavy and moving tree limbs and tree trunks can be back-breaking work.  When a tool like a winch operates smoothly, more branches can be dragged as the team remains fresher longer and can do more work in a day.  Homeowners are happier with a cleaner, more beautiful yard and families can enjoy weekends with their beloved arborist, who has the energy to lift kids and play games.

Many tools used to work with trees aren’t mechanized.  Climbing gear, including ropes and boot spikes, are vital to the safety of an arborist as he or she gains access to tree limbs that might be too far from a safe landing space to locate a bucket truck.

Speaking of trucks, even the vehicle that brings the team to a homeowner’s property must be reliable.  A professional will never want to delay or even cancel a job because the engine won’t start.  A true professional arborist will want to show up on time, work through the day on the job at hand and not the tools that should be running well all day long.  Just keeping blades sharp will mean healthier pruning cuts and better chips for property use. 

Tree care can produce a harsh environment, with sap and sawdust mixing with dirt and hard-earned sweat.  Tree-scape and Fitch wants to make life easier for everyone on the job and everyone who will enjoy the fruits of their labors as trees shade a beautiful parklike setting.

Spring Cleanup and Tree Care

There may not have been a lot of snow to clean up this winter but Mother Nature did blow hard enough to leave a lot of branches on the ground. If you own property with trees, you know you have a lot of cosmetic work ahead of you but are you ignoring a less visible chore?

Look for Signs of Tree Distress

How healthy are your trees? Take a moment to enjoy the first hints of warmer weather and slowly walk around your yard. Notice the bark on each tree and the earth over the root systems. Woodpeckers are very hard workers and if you’re seeing a lot of chips around the base of a tree, then they might be tearing apart the wood to get at bugs taking advantage of a sick or dying tree. Given the very real problem of Emerald Ash Borer in our area, you might see how the birds are trying to snack on these beetles.

Maybe you don’t have an ash tree. Then, check for other signs that can impact other species. Wings or carcasses of termites might indicate a serious issue with the health of a tree. Do the fallen branches around you look like they were dead before they fell and just too weak to stand up to the pressure of ice, snow, and wind? Or, did otherwise healthy branches snap and fall?

Help Your Trees

Don’t assume that an unhealthy tree is a doomed tree. You have more options than simply cutting and you should consider factors such as expense, loss of attractive features including shade, and possible advantages such as maintaining your property’s value by saving a beautiful, mature tree.

A professional arborist is trained to evaluate the health of a tree. Just as a doctor sees many cases and becomes adept at identifying problems and applying proven solutions, a good arborist can tell you how to protect your investment. The winter of 2019 had more than one storm where temps hovered at 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Maybe a tree limb didn’t break with the ice and heavy, wet snow that resulted but that same limb is sagging and might need the assistance of a cable to remain in good condition.

Enjoy Your Yard

These big, gorgeous plants filter our air and clean our planet as well as provide us with amazing summer days to remember. Imagine a glass of your favorite beverage and a tasty snack. The light dances on your patio or deck as the sun filters through leaves rustling in a warm breeze.

When you take care of your trees, they take care of you so make the time talk with an arborist to ensure that your trees remain healthy and provide you with pleasure for decades to come.