Don't Top Trees
Cutting branches back to ugly stubs is one of the worst things
you can do for your tree's health. Topping destroys a tree's
beauty and seriously reduces its ability to survive. Tree care
professionals say that topping - cutting main branches back
to stubs - is the worst thing you can do for the health of a
tree. Your trees will lose their natural appearance, and the
ugly, weakly-attached new limbs often grow back higher than
the original branches. And these new limbs are more likely to
be hazardous to people and property nearby. For a free copy
of Tree City USA Bulletin #8, Don't Top Trees!, write The National
Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, NE 68410.
4 Good Reasons Why NOT to "Top"
- Tree Starvation: Topping removes so much of the tree's
leafy crown that it dangerously reduces the tree's food-making
ability.
- Insects and Disease: The exposed ends of topped limbs
are highly vulnerable to insects or decay fungi.
- Weak Limbs: New branches that grow from a stubbed limb
are weakly attached and more likely to break from snow or
ice weight.
- Rapid New Growth: Instead of controlling the tree's height,
topping often results in more numerous, higher growing limbs
than before.
The natural beauty of songbirds, squirrels, and other wildlife
plays an important role in our neighborhoods and near our homes.
By understanding a few basic principles, you can help attract
desirable wildlife to your home or neighborhood.
Whether a song sparrow, a squirrel, or a butterfly, the key
to their presence is habitat - places that will supply three
essential elements for life:
- Food - each kind of tree or shrub has a different food
value and attracts different animals. Having a wide variety
of plants with high food value is the best single way to
increase wildlife near your home.
- Water is as essential for wildlife as it is for humans.
A small pond, a dripping faucet, or a bird bath will provide
this vital liquid.
- Cover - dense plantings will provide birds and animals
with the protection they need for breeding, nesting, sleeping,
traveling, and hiding from enemies.
Useful Vegetation Patterns for Wildlife
- To see more birds and provide for their safety, plant
cover trees or shrubs within 10 to 15 feet of water sources.
- When possible, provide unbroken travel lanes (rows of
trees, hedges, a brushy fence row, etc.) between wooded
areas.
- Provide "edge" areas where woods or shrubbery meet a lawn
or old field. Edge areas provide a combination of food,
sunlight, shade, and security.
For a free copy of Tree City USA Bulletin #13, Trees for
Wildlife, write to The National Arbor Day Foundation,
100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, NE 68410.
Planting a tree is an act of optimism and sharing. It is the
one act within reach of nearly every man, woman, and child to
improve the environment and make this world a better place.
Proper planting - the kind needed to give a tree a good start
and help ensure its continued health and long life - will help
your trees grow more rapidly and live at least twice as long
as improperly planted trees. Watering is the key to survival
of a newly planted tree. Be sure to water when filling the planting
hole to eliminate large air cavities, firm the soil around fine
roots, and make nourishment available to the tree. Water deeply
around your tree once a week during dry spells. For a free copy
of Tree City USA Bulletin #19, How to Select and Plant a Tree,
write to The National Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Ave.,
Nebraska City, NE 68410.
Mulch -- a Tree's Best Friend
Mulching -- by placing bark, wood chips, or other materials
on the soil around the tree -- will help retain moisture, control
weeds and grass, keep lawnmowers away, and simplify maintenance.
Keep mulch away from the tree's trunk.
Plant Trees to Conserve Energy
An evergreen windbreak on the north or northwest will help block
cold winds in winter. Large shade trees on the southeast, southwest,
and west sides of the house provide cooling shade in summer
but don't obstruct the low winter sun.
Maximum shade comes from deciduous (broad-leaf) trees, planted
close to the house (about 10 feet). Remember: short flowering
trees won't clash with utility lines. Shade from trees improves
human comfort, reduces air conditioning costs, reduces peak
electricity loads, lessening the chance of power outages.
Trees are an inexpensive way to save energy costs year-round!
Plant trees for winter warmth. Conifers form the best windbreaks.
Two or more rows are best if space allows, but even a single
row will help. Planting trees can produce significant cash savings
when they are properly used for shade and winter wind protection.
Studies show that shade trees can produce savings of more than
50 percent in air conditioning use and associated energy costs.
The contribution of trees in winter may not be as obvious, bust
can be just as dramatic. Homes that use windbreaks can save
as much as 17 percent on heating bills. For a free brochure,
How Trees Can Save Energy, write The National Arbor Day Foundation,
100 Arbor Ave., Nebraska City, NE 68410.
Plant the Right Tree in the Right Place
Tall Trees,
such as:
Maple, Oak Spruce,
Pine |
Medium Trees,
such as: Washington
hawthorn Golden
raintree |
Small Trees,
such
as: Redbud, Dogwood
Crabapple |
Taller trees should be planted away from overhead utility
lines.
Trees are prized possessions in our communities. They give needed
shade in summer, help clear the air of pollutants, provide a
home for songbirds and wildlife, and please the eye with the
beauty of their foliage and blossoms. But when a tree's branches
start to come close to or actually touch utility power lines,
a potentially hazardous situation is created. Trees and power
lines can co-exist, and potential conflicts can be avoided by
selecting and planting trees with size and growth characteristics
appropriate to their location. For the Low Zone (beneath
power lines and for 20 feet to either side of them) plant species
that will not exceed 25 feet in height. Taller existing trees
in this zone should be pruned to grow around the wires by the
utility company.
|
