A growth anomaly that has become more common over recent decades is the Stem Girdling Root (SGR)

Here a large SGR has grown to a point where it is inoperable and a mature Norway Spruce must now be removed..
With development comes disturbance, and changes in grade resulting from excavation for septic systems, trenching for utilities, or simply grading for a lawn can have severe long-term effects on proper root development and overall tree health. The Girdling Root effectively strangles the tree by compressing the vascular tissues of the tree. Translocation of water and nutrients becomes difficult in the affected section of the tree, and can result in decay, dieback, and eventual failure.

If you recognize this issue on any of your trees, please consult one of our Certified Arborists for advice. You may have a potential hazard on your hands.

If this issue piques your interest, take a few minutes to read this terrific report from Gary Johnson at the University of Minnesota.

Recycle! Recycling takes many forms here at WI…we screen overburden and amend to make planting soils, compost the leaves from lawns, debris from perennial gardens, wood chips from pruning, and salvage the firewood from tree removal. Occasionally a client will ask if they can make something out of the larger trunks. That’s when Certified Arborist Will Conklin comes in with his trusty portable bandsaw–transforming trunks into beautiful boards, timbers and posts!

The transition from winter to spring this March has been challenging already. Here the combination of saturated soils and high wind gusts toppled this large White Pine in Sheffield, luckily it fell into a field. Inspect the root zone areas of your trees for cracks and fissures in the soil that may represent potential problems!

…is one of our passions here at Webster Ingersoll.  For shade trees, ornamentals and shrubs, good architecture is just as important as it is with our homes. Generally, the presence of a strong central leader, or there being apical dominance in a tree is part of what keeps a shade tree structurally sound.  Competing leaders–or Co-Dominant Stems–pose many problems. They will press against each other over time and compromise vascular flow, and they provide leverage for wind and snow to bear on low, narrow unions. 

This image shows a perfect example of a neglected landscape tree.  This Red Maple has had no training and has developed multiple leaders.  There is excessive branching from a point low on the main stem.  Notice the difference in trunk diameter at the base (green circle) as compared to only a few feet higher (red circle) above the branch union(s).  Trunk diameter should be more consistent and taper further up in the crown.  Instead, energies have been allocated to low branches to catch all the extra available sunlight.  This tree has had no competition from forest neighbors as it would have in nature, so it has grown more like a bush than a tree! 

Judicious pruning (yellow lines) will subordinate the competing branches and send the message that they are in a supporting role–not in charge.

Down Under…

When it comes to caring for a tree, we have as much work to do below grade as above.  So often we see trees of all sizes suffering from changes in grade, soil compaction, and root damage from excavation.  When asked to diagnose the health problems of a woody plant, we look down first:  Has there been a lot of traffic?  Has there been construction in recent years?  Trenching?  Paving?  Has the grade been changed?

Tree roots need oxygen as well as water.  When grades are changed and tree roots (sometimes trunks!) are buried, the tree's ability to draw in oxygen, water, and nutrients from the soil is significantly diminished.  Even a few inches can make a difference.

This is what we like to see:  Here is the Trunk Flare of an American elm.  This flare represents the transition from the main stem to the root crown just below grade. 

Ironically, easy access to the trunk flare of this tree will allow us to help protect it against another serious problem:  Dutch Elm Disease (DED).  But that's a story for another day.

Education education education…

We like to start training our future arborists early.  Here Tom and new friend Walter discuss how to train a young Red Maple at Muddybrook Elementary School's annual Mud Day celebration.

Walter learned how to make 3 Cuts, where and how to make proper pruning cuts.  Kids pick things up so fast!  Can't wait 'til Walter comes to apply at WI!

Our tree care team includes arborists Certified by the Massachusetts Arborist Association, The International Society of Arboriculture, and licensed in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and State of Connecticut.

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." — Greek proverb