By Christie Bryant
I truly love to speak tree with anyone willing to listen, but I get even more excited when I turn any corner in East Atlanta and see the huge, beautiful trees. I love it even more when I hear the glorious question, “What can we do to help the tree be better?”. Let’s chat.
Mulch: It is best to match the mulch material to the tree. You should put pine straw underneath pines. Makes sense, right? Let’s break it down (pun intended). Where are trees the happiest? The forest! So, we imitate the forest where leaves and dead branches cover the forest floor. The mulch provides nutrients to the tree and insulates everything, encouraging microbes to make holes in the soil that trees use to grow their roots!
No large wound: We prune to train young trees to be great old trees, but like old folks, old trees can struggle with big change. So don’t remove that 10” thick branch over the house, just remove smaller branches closer to the tips.
Certification is key: Let only a certified arborist work on your trees. Each year, they complete 10 hours of continuing education and know the latest tree research.
Rethink removal: If you have an old tree deemed a hazard, you may be able to just reduce the wind potential or at least leave 10-20 feet of trunk as a home for birds and insects.
While planting trees is very important, let’s not overlook the value of saving the old ones. They do more to reduce stormwater runoff, improve EAV air, soil, and water quality, reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, provide wildlife habitat, increase property values, beautify the space, and promote human well-being than young trees. If you’re looking for someone to speak tree with or need a tree inspection, give me a ring.
(Christie Bryant is a Certified Arborist and President of Speaking for the Trees,
speakingfortrees.com (770) 823-5374)
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