Urban Tree Hacks

It's hard to know where to start when you're embarking on urban tree care. Trees are long-lived organisms, and damage from improper treatment may not show up until years down the road. In order to help you cultivate healthy, mature trees, I gathered some tips and tricks based on FAQs. Still have questions? Use the contact form.

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A tree's root system is not a mirror image of its canopy

Tip: Many folks picture the root system of the tree being as deep and wide as the above ground portion. This is not true. Depending on the environment, a trees' roots may stretch out 3 times as far as the canopy's drip-line. In many urban landscapes, a majority of the roots will be in the upper 6 inches of soil!

Trick: After planting a tree, irrigate it slowly and deeply to encourage roots to grow out. Drip irrigation is a great method.

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Hurricane pruning your palms will not help prevent storm damage

Tip: Hurricane pruning, the common practice of pruning most of the large, living fronds off a palm's crown is outdated and potentially harmful. Some counties in Florida even ban the practice on municipal palm trees.

Trick: Choose storm-ready tree species. Prune in the winter when growth is slower. Prune completely dead (brown) or mostly dead fronds only. Palm trees naturally reabsorb the nutrients from dying leaves to recycle them. Pruning green leaves can starve your tree.

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A defect doesn't mean the tree is hazardous

Tip: Seeing a tree with a cavity, decay, conchs (mushrooms emerging from the tree), or a noisy woodpecker can be alarming--especially if that tree is in your yard. The truth is, knowing whether a defect is a death sentence depends on many different things.

Trick: If you're worried about a tree, hire a tree professional with knowledge of tree biology and risk assessment. Here in the USA, ISA Certified Arborists, especially those with Tree Risk Assessment Qualifications, are a good choice if you want to assess how risky your tree is.

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Tree roots don't search for water, but they can cause damage to infrastructure

Tip: Roots don't actually search for water. Instead they grow through a dynamic process of lengthening and dying back based on whether or not there is moisture in the soil.

Trick: Do your research to make sure there is sufficient space for the tree and fix your leaky pipes.

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If you want to grow a tree from seed, make sure to source the seed as local as possible

Tip: Plants are adapted to their environment, so getting seeds from far away can affect germination, flowering, vigor, and even long-term survival. The location where plant material is gathered is called it's provenance. For example, sugar maples are native to a large portion of North America. However, a seed from Canada won't grow well in Virginia (and vice versa).

Trick: Choose seeds from local nurseries or swap seeds with neighbors. Be careful to collect plant material legally and responsibly - harvesting from natural areas can be illegal and detrimental to the ecosystem.

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Trees grow by expanding in girth and length

Tip: You know that picture of a bicycle high up in a tree? No, it did not get carried up into the canopy over time. Trees don't grow like that. They grow from meristem located in the tips of roots and shoots (apical meristem) and in a ring around the stems (cambium).

Trick: When you are planning how to prune your tree, keep in mind that a branch 3 ft off the growth will always be 3 ft off the ground. And when you see a strange object high up in a tree, know that a trickster probably wedged it up there to confuse onlookers.

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