By Katie Wiswall, Urban and Community Forestry Partnership Coordinator Alabama Forestry Commission
I live in a condominium community that sits on about 8 acres of land, most of which is still natural forest. I wake up to birdsong at my window and return home from work to dappled shade in our parking lot. I have a pear tree (the real kind) growing by my back deck and a crape myrtle at my front door. I am, by training and vocation, a forester, and as you can imagine, I LOVE my little neighborhood.
During the early days of the pandemic, I walked to a neighbor’s door, and she asked, “What do you think is wrong with that tree?” I looked up and realized that a large ash tree overhanging the area where the children play was looking decidedly ill. Many of the branches at the top had no leaves; others had tiny leaves, and a couple of branches were obviously dead. One had even fallen within the tree and was lodged across a lower branch, poised to fall with the next good wind! How could I not have noticed that this tree had serious issues?
Simple – I was what my boss refers to as “tree-blind.”
Too often, we enjoy our trees but take them for granted and don’t really LOOK at them. To me and my neighbor, that tree was fine yesterday and a danger today, but honestly, that’s not how trees work. Barring a lightning strike or damaging wind event, trees don’t die (or get obviously sick) overnight. Most often, tree death is what I liken to being pecked to death by ducks – it takes a long time, and it leaves plenty of bruises along the way. I simply didn’t see the tree until I was forced to see the tree.
Thankfully, we took care of the tree before it caused any damage or injured anyone; however, that is not always the case. Some insurance studies have shown that most trees that fail during storms had pre-existing defects or diseases that could have been addressed. And early intervention starts with SEEING your trees.
This doesn’t mean your beautiful trees need to become just another daily or weekly chore. You and your trees can stay safe with only a little extra attention. Twice a year, take a really good look at the trees near your home. Doing this at the start and end of hurricane season is a good time because you will look at them once with all their leaves on (June 1) and once with no leaves (November 1). Perhaps your semi-annual “inspection” could be the beginning of a special scrapbook documenting how your family and your trees look over time!
When you look at each tree, look from the roots to the top. Does anything look different about it? Maybe some big fungi on/near the roots? A difference in the level of the ground on one side of the trunk? Are there new scars or splits on the trunk? Are the leaves a little different in color or size? Maybe there are more of them or less of them? Mistletoe up in the crown? Dead limbs or twigs? You do not need to be a forester or an arborist to notice these kinds of differences. But you MAY need one to help you diagnose and treat the tree if you do see them. Many times, tree life can be extended through the application of mulch, aeration of the root zone, the addition of nutrients, a change in the water regimen, or some judicious pruning.
We all benefit from the trees around us. Besides providing us with oxygen and shade, they provide habitat for birds, insects, and animals; they protect our soil and waterways; they give our children places to play, and they increase our property values. What’s not to love about a healthy tree? And that is why I have only one request: Check Your Trees, Please!
Trussville’s Tree Commission would like to thank Katie Wiswall for her support over the last two years in helping our city become part of The Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree City USA program and for her contribution to this column.