The “Glossary of Arboricultural Terms” (ISA, 2014) defines “sudden branch drop” as follows: “Sudden, unanticipated failure of a tree branch with little or no discernable defect; often associated with long, horizontal branches and warm temperatures.”…
The Ojai Valley is blessed with several native tree species, some of which grow to become large and iconic. Among those, three in particular stand out: valley oak (Quercus lobata), coast live oak (Q. agrifolia),…
Soil compaction is the loss of “spaces” between soil particles. These spaces are where soil moisture and air necessary for trees’ survival reside. Soil compaction can be caused by many things, but today let’s just…
Recently overheard: “Aren’t the squirrels cute? They are adorable, and so friendly! We love to feed them so we can watch them. One even came up to me and almost took food from my hand.”…
Unlike your brother or your cat, a healthy tree isn’t necessarily fine. When examining a tree, arborists typically evaluate a tree’s health and its structure, among other things. However, there is often confusion regarding the…
It’s been awhile since I posted a new entry, but I’ve been thinking about this issue for years. So-called “street trees”, or those trees that are generally in the right-of-way of a municipality, have many…
Many things people do to trees annoy me, but one that always hits me hard is the slow death of trees caused by being wrapped with wires and other injurious materials to fasten a tree…
Part of me wants to say that we shouldn’t be burning firewood in our home fireplaces because it’s the fastest way to convert sequestered carbon into atmospheric CO2. Maybe I’ll save that discussion for another…