Tree Care Information from Experienced Certified Arborists

Despite the name, arsonists are not responsible for this condition! Fireblight is a bacterial disease that only infects members of the Rose family (Apples, Crabapples, Pears, Mountain ash, Hawthorn, Serviceberry, and some others are the most commonly affected, but the host list is quite long).

Ash trees were an important street and shade tree for many years. They were tough native trees that stood up to a variety of conditions with relatively few problems. Unfortunately, the introduction of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) from China about 20 years ago changed all that.

You have just purchased your dream lot dominated by a mix of mature and semi-mature diverse tree species. You have chosen your architect and builder, but before you go any further, one critical team member needs to be included; your ISA Certified Arborist!

Safety at Wachtel Tree Science is in everything we do. From starting each meeting with a safety topic to the intensive training program our production team goes through. From the first time you punch the clock here at Wachtel you know that safety is at the core of each and every team member.

One of the most common ailments for our evergreens is a class of diseases generally referred to as “needle cast”. There are several species of needle cast fungi that can infect pines, spruces, or fir trees. These fungi cause the inner needles to fall off prematurely resulting in trees that appear thin and/or “sick”.

If you are a client of Wachtel Tree Science, you likely receive an Annual Tree Care Prescription letter from your Certified Arborist. You may notice a new recommendation in your tree care prescription. This new service is called “Root Biostimulant with Biological Fungicide”.

There are risks that are inherent with living around trees, but there are many more benefits trees provide! With ongoing management, we can reduce this risk to an acceptable level where you can be comfortable and enjoy the benefits of your trees.

Economists, Meteorologists, and Sports Talk Radio Hosts often try to predict future events. Their goal is to help prepare us for these outcomes. Arborists make predictions to help guide tree care advice and avoid unwanted outcomes. Considering past events, local trends and past year experiences here are some highlights of what I predict for the 2019 Tree Care year.

Some of us may leave Wisconsin for the winter months to warmer climates. But our trees, shrubs, and landscape cannot leave. They must deal with whatever mother nature deals out, and whenever she chooses to do so. Trees and shrubs acclimate best to cold temperatures in the fall with a slow, steady drop in temperatures.

Like many of you, we all stayed home on the days in January when the temperature dropped to 20 degrees below zero. Days after this year’s Polar Vortex, we started to see various reports on the news about how the cold temperatures might affect emerald ash borer (EAB) populations, but we encourage our clients' look at the research.

In August 2018, the top 75 climbers from 21 countries from around the world all came together in Columbus, Ohio for The International Tree Climbing Championship. For us at Wachtel Tree Science, this was a very exciting year because for the first time a Wachtel Arborist competed in the championship.

Pruning is an important part of a tree’s life. Structural pruning is a type of pruning that focuses on improving the architecture of the branches within the crown of a tree. This kind of maintenance for a young or middle-aged tree will attend to the pruning needs of the tree.