Stormy winter weather always reminds some of us that our trees need some attention. Wind can break limbs. If the weather gets really nasty, trees can be destabilized by strong wind, particularly if the soil is moistened by rain. However, the truth is that arboriculture, which is the horticulture of trees, is important throughout the year. We just become more aware of it when weather threatens.
Not only is arboriculture important throughout the year, but it is also the most important aspect of horticulture in most gardens that are outfitted with trees. After all, trees are the most significant features of such landscapes. Their shade affects the homes and garden spaces around them. If they drop limbs or fall, they can cause significant damage. Many get far too big for us to maintain.
This is why we need arborists, the horticulturists who specialize in trees. Arborists can evaluate the health, stability and structural integrity of trees, and prescribe any necessary arboricultural procedures. In order to issue a permit to remove a tree, most municipalities require an inspection and report from an arborist who is certified by the International Society of Arboriculture, or ISA.
ISA Certified Arborists have passed an examination of their arboricultural expertise, and maintain their certification by continued involvement with ISA educational seminars, workshops and classes. The ISA is the standardizing resource for the promotion of the most important arboricultural technology, and maintains discriminating standards. ISA certification is quite a commitment.
www.isa-arbor.com, the website of the ISA, is an excellent resource for anyone in need of the services of a certified arborist. The registry of arborists can identify and find an arborist directly by name, or regionally by city or ZIP code. The site is also useful for information about proper arboriculture and trees, for those of us who maintain our own small trees, or want to select new trees.
Trusting the wrong professional to maintain trees can be very risky. Even gardeners who are proficient at mowing lawns and shearing hedges may not be adequately knowledgeable about proper arboriculture. Instead of correcting problems, improper pruning can disfigure trees and limbs, and actually compromise their structural integrity. Sadly, it is not uncommon for otherwise healthy, stable and well structured trees to be ruined by those hired to care for them.
Tony Tomeo 
Oh yes they do! Here in Austin ,we refer to the terrorism on trees by amateurs as the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”–beat that, Cali! 🙂
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That is not something to brag about!
Just like Austin, we have many very qualified arborists too. However, proper arboriculture does not get notices as much as the hack jobs that ruin trees. I do not inspect many trees that were tended to properly because they do not have many problems!
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Haha–not bragging, trust me on that! Just some cynical snark! You’re so right though, well taken care of trees don’t have the problems that those chainsaw victims have.
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Oh dear I could use you around here. We tend to just hack off. But over here a Certified Arborists is so expensive.
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We are expensive here too, but we are more educated than most of the people who can afford to live here. We certainly earn less than almost everyone else does.
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Have you ever read The Secret Life of Trees? I’m really enjoying it right now. One of the things the author talks about is that many trees stay healthiest growing close to other trees in the forest. Some species that are isolated in suburban yards are more vulnerable.
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Although I have never read it, I have heard so much about it that I feel like I read it. Some trees that live in isolation in the wild are more resilient in isolation in landscapes. Most trees prefer to live in forested situations, so naturally prefer to live with other trees in landscape situations too.
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We really have too many trees in our garden but with our current drought, people are ripping up gardens and putting in paving. We have a Magnolia tree that is dying a slow death and needs to be taken out, plus a Yellow Wood tree that is invading our sewerage system and also needs to go 😦
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Is yellowood the Podocarpus henkelii? I have never seen a big one.
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We have two Yellow woods in our garden. The one in the front garden is P. falcatus, which can reach 45m in the wild: http://pza.sanbi.org/podocarpus-falcatus The one in the back garden is the P. henkelli, which doesn’t grow as tall: http://pza.sanbi.org/podocarpus-henkelii It’s the P. falcatus that we have to take out at some stage – can’t afford that right now and it does give lovely shade over our driveway.
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Podocarpus falcata is one I am not familiar with. We have only a few podocarpus here, and Podocarpus henkelii happens to be a lesser common one of them.
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Getting your trees prunned as needs be to enable them to develop appropriately is phenomenal guidance. Keeping them trimmed is an extraordinary method to keep them sound. Finding an organization that has encounter working with your kind of tree would be valuable in getting them legitimately cut.
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