Tree Care Information from Experienced Certified Arborists

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.

Is my tree or shrub too big? This is perhaps the question homeowners ask me most frequently when requesting pruning advice. The short answer is “no” – trees and shrubs are programmed to grow to their ultimate size and can do so with beauty, strength and grace if we allow them to. What follows gets more to the point of the request: “Can my tree or shrub be made smaller?”

This spotlight focuses on one of Wachtel Tree Science’s newest employees, Luke Scheberl. Luke joined our team in May 2018 following his graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Forestry and Master’s Degree in Soil Science. Luke’s insight helps us as Arborists see problems below ground that are exhibited as stress in trees above ground.

Maintenance programs should be developed for trees and shrubs in both residential and commercial landscapes. A good maintenance program includes: monitoring and controlling insect and disease problems, making timely applications of water, mulching, and fertilizing.

There are so many oaks dying across the state that scientists have begun using the term “oak decline” to describe this phenomenon. These oaks are often declining from multiple issues and must be assessed by a Certified Arborist to correctly prescribe a treatment plan.