We tend to love trees for their shade on a hot summer’s day and their colorful leaves in the fall, but hate them when those leaves need to be raked and snow and wind in the winter bring them down on our homes and power lines.
If you are planning to plant a tree near your home this spring, take into account that it may have the inherent potential to grow to more than 50 feet in half that number of years and produce a canopy width half its height. Its roots can spread unseen to occupy as much space underground as it does above ground. Undeniable facts of tree life are that they are under constant attack from insects and diseases and will — regrettably — eventually die. Bringing them down can be not only dangerous but complex and costly.
Here are just a few tips on planting and living with a tree:
– Don’t plant a tree where there are possibly buried utilities.
– Water it generously initially but then only when dry weather dictates.
– Put no more than two inches of mulch around — but not in contact with — the base of the tree, in the shape of a donut, not a volcano. (See “Looking Back,” page 36)
– Minimize pruning at planting. Trees need as many leaves or needles as possible to help it recover from the transplanting shock.
– With established trees, if you can’t prune a branch with both feet on the ground, hire an arborist. There are “right” and “wrong” ways to prune.
– Never prune branches that are within 10 feet of utility lines. Call your local utility.
– Don’t string ribbons, wire or pet leashes around a tree. They could eventually strangle it.
– Don’t nail or screw anything into your tree. Diseases would welcome this free entryway through the tree’s protective bark.
– Keep lawnmower and trimmer whips from injuring the base of a tree.
– Don’t let children climb trees that have branches within 25 feet of a power line.
– When hiring an arborist, select one that has general liability insurance of at least $1 million per occurrence.
For more information, consult a reliable arborist or reference the “Tree Owner’s Manual” U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service at www.na.fs.fed.us.
Ron Slinn
Vice Chair, West Windsor Shade Tree Commission
