Tree Care Information from Experienced Certified Arborists

I first met Neal & Nancy Paisley at a home and garden show at State Fair Park. I remember well as I was just a few months pregnant and hadn’t told anyone other than my husband and mother. It was a slow evening and the Paisleys were pleasant and interested in trees. So we talked trees for a while.

When it comes to hiring an arborist to manage your trees, remember that efforts performed on a tree can last for years or even decades, which is why doing it right the first time is so important. Here are some points to consider before choosing an arborist.

Every spring has its wet weather and needlecast is always brewing at some “normal” level. What is different this time is the sheer numbers of trees showing the infection and the speed at which it has progressed from last year. This is an alert and call to action: if your Spruces have deteriorated, but still retain green ends on most of the branches we can help.

Evergreens are commonly planted trees throughout our Wisconsin. They are an excellent choice for your property, but unfortunately fungal diseases can affect their health and result in unsightly landscapes. The susceptibility of an evergreen to disease is a result of not only the species but also the growing conditions inflicted upon trees.

The unwanted insect Emerald Ash Borer was an unexpected arrival from Asia in 2001 and it has been progressing across the country as the experts have predicted. As other deciduous trees leaf out this spring, it will become obvious how the problem has spread by the increased number of dead or thin trees seen.

Summer is in full swing and your yard is looking beautiful. Then you notice one of your tree’s leaves have been almost completely destroyed with just the leaf veins remaining, giving the leaf a skeleton appearance. Unfortunately, your tree has been infected with Japanese Beetles.

Thoughts from an experienced arborist: Working with trees is certainly a rewarding endeavor. However, really what makes it so rewarding is working with the people who care for their trees. I could say I am in the tree business, but in reality I am in the people business, we all are.

The role evergreens play in the landscape has always been a prominent one. Their beauty often frames the remainder of the landscape, home, prominent features, or are some of the prominent features themselves.

Charlie Brown helps us all fall in love with a thin and weakened evergreen tree during the annual holiday special “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. However, most of our client’s would prefer their own evergreen trees retain their needles for a thick canopy.

ZPM is short for Zimmerman Pine Moth, which is a serious pest of many species of pine trees. Austrian and Scots pines are the most commonly affected species in our area.

No individual species takes this saying to heart quite as literally as the Crabapple.  Numerous cultivars are readily available and viable for our landscapes.  A quick check of a local nursery inventory revealed 39 possible options.

Most trees and shrubs should have an even green color when healthy. Some exceptions to this rule are varieties whose foliage may have another color (e.g. yellow, reddish) or be variegated (multi-colored leaves). But if your tree is supposed to be green and isn’t, it may be suffer