Several weeks ago, I was startled when taking a typical morning walk to find that a large and majestic white oak tree had been cut down and lay in the front of a neighbor’s yard. It was a shocking and sad sight, a tree I had admired almost daily, reduced to a pile of sawed-up … Continue reading A New Tree Ethic: What If Trees Really Mattered? →
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Are there any resources you can share or know of on assessing tree health and intervening to improve it? The public workers where I live also prefer a saw over anything else and I would like to avoid contacting them.
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It takes a practiced eye to diagnose many issues, unfortunately. That said, there’s a lot of stuff beginners can also look for.
Most helpful thing is to identify the species in question—knowing this will help you determine what a healthy example should look like. It also informs you as to the environment or care that species prefers, and if something does look abnormal, greatly narrows the potential issues.
Then I usually start with the canopy: is it full and green or discolored and sparse? Most serious issues will have be visible in the canopy, though sometimes the leaves can be damaged without serious impact on the tree.
Next you can move on to the large branches and trunk. Do they appear solid and healthy or are they soft, hollow, or decayed? Any abnormal leakage of sap or other liquid (note that for some species, sap leakage is normal). You can also look at branch attachments but that gets a little more advanced.
Finally the base and roots—these are the hardest to see but poor root health is the cause of many many problems. One thing you can easily check is whether the root flare is covered by soil or other materials—most trees should show a notable taper or flare where the trunk meets the ground. A trunk that goes straight into the ground with no flare might be buried too deep. For young trees especially, I also look for wounds at the base of the trunk. Young bark is thin and sensitive and can easily be damaged by yard equipment, which can have major effects on health and growth rate. Recent construction or grade changes can also damage the roots. Finally, it pays to look at moisture levels. Most trees like soil to be moist but not wet, though again this varies with species. I live in an arid climate, so if the weeds around the tree are dead, unless it’s a drought resistant species, it may need irrigation.
Those are some things I look out for but there is more as well. Arboriculture is a whole field of study, so there is a lot to know. But if you have specific questions, feel free to make a post to this community with some photos. I believe Treevan and myself are both arborists and there may be others lurking as well.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Sounds like you took a pretty interesting path.
I work for an urban forestry ngo so I do like my job but also looking to start a family in the near future so more money would be nice. Hence municipal forestry which looked like somewhat better pay.
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Basically I’m the arborist who consults on public tree plantings around my city. Usually members of the public want to plant trees at a school or park or wherever and I consult with them to navigate bureaucracy, select the proper species, and ensure the trees are correctly planted and cared for. I also end up managing a lot of the logistics and orders for volunteer plantings.
On the side I run a monitoring program to assess how the trees we plant are faring. I also try to lobby the various nurseries and tree orgs to use more climate ready species of tree, which is my real passion.