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 Browning or bleaching of evergreen foliage during winter occurs for four reasons:

1. Winter sun and wind cause excessive transpiration (foliage water loss) while the roots are in frozen soil and unable to replace lost water. This results in desiccation and browning of the plant tissue.
2. Bright sunny days during the winter also cause warming of the tissue above ambient temperature which in turn initiates cellular activity. Then, when the sun is quickly shaded, foliage temperature drops to injurious levels and the foliage is injured or killed.
3. During bright, cold winter days, chlorophyll in the foliage is destroyed (photo-oxidized) and is not resynthesized when temperatures are below 28° F. This results in a bleaching of the foliage.
4. Cold temperatures early in the fall before plants have hardened off completely or late spring after new growth has occurred can result in injury or death of this nonacclimated tissue.

Foliar damage normally occurs on the south, southwest, and windward sides of the plant, but in severe cases the whole plant may be affected. Yew, arborvitae, and hemlock are most susceptible, but winter browning can affect all evergreens. New transplants or plants with succulent, late season growth are particularly sensitive.

There are several ways to minimize winter injury to evergreens. The first is proper placement of evergreens in the landscape. Yew, hemlock, and arborvitae should not be planted on south or southwest sides of buildings or in highly exposed (windy, sunny) places. A second way to reduce damage is to prop pine boughs or Christmas tree greens against or over evergreens to protect them from wind and sun and to catch more snow for natural protection.

Winter injury can often be prevented by constructing a barrier of burlap or similar material on the south, southwest, and windward sides of evergreens. If a plant has exhibited injury on all sides, surround it with a barrier, but leave the top open to allow for some air and light penetration. This will also help keep the deer away from their midnight snacking when winter food gets scarce.

Barts Tree Service insurance declaration page (PDF)

Barts Tree Service insurance declaration page 2 (PDF)

Inquiry: If my tree is blown over by the wind and damages my neighbor’s property, does my policy pay to fix the damage? What if the tree damages my house? What if the tree is blown over but no structure is damaged?

Answer: The policy does not automatically pay for the neighbor’s property. The neighbor should file a claim with his own insurer. If the owner of the tree is sued by his neighbor, the liability section of the homeowners policy will respond with defense coverage, and payment if the owner is found negligent. This is where the “Act of God” phrase applies. The tree owner is legally liable for the damage only if his negligence caused the tree to fall. Otherwise, it is an “Act of God” which would be covered under the neighbor’s Section I Property Coverage of the homeowners policy.If the tree falls on your own house, damage to the house is covered. The insurance policy covers the cost to remove the tree from the house. Generally, the cost to remove the tree from the premises is covered up to $500 so long as the tree damaged a covered structure
 

Contact Barts Tree Service for any emergancy tree removals or insurance quotes you might need.

Reference: Connecticut Insurance Department Website – Homeowners Storm Claims

Ash tree that fell on a roof during a windstorm in Danbury causing significant roof damage.

It is a fact, hazardous weather conditions can cause trees to fall and create extremely dangerous situations. For this reason, dying trees that cannot be saved or dead trees in close proximity to residential properties should be removed before a windy storm can potentially knock them down. Every year, a significant number of trees fall on houses, automobiles, buildings, structures, power lines, etc. Barts Tree Service of Danbury CT is highly specialized for this very type of tree removal service. 

Barts Tree Service performs many tree removals that fall during these dangerous conditions each year. Many homeowners who face the unfortunate occurrence of a tree that has fallen and damaged their property are frantic and unaware of what to do. They think, hmm;


 

1. Should I call my insurance company? Is this covered by my insurance company?
2. Is this my neighbor’s tree or my own?
3. If my tree falls into my neighbor’s yard, am I responsible and liable for the damage?
4. What about damage to my own property – am I covered?
5. Is a local tree service available immediately to remove the large Oak tree that fell on my house?
6. How long will it take to fix the whole in my roof?
7. Who is responsible for fixing the whole in my roof, and at whose expense?

These are all very good and common questions that arise during an emergency tree removal situation. In most cases it is the insurance company that will be responsible for footing the bill for these expenses. Some local reputable tree companies are on the insurance companies list for handling emergency tree removal.  In many situations, a homeowner will call their insurance company and the insurance company will provide the name of a local tree service to handle the emergency tree removal. If a tree falls through a house, the job is usually performed within hours of the occurrence, unless it is pouring down rain at 3am when it is dark outside. In that case, a tarp is usually put on the home, an estimate will be completed during this time, and the emergency tree job will be completed when the sun rises that morning. There are many emergency tree removal scenarios, and local tree removal companies are immediately available for the customer.

To perform emergency tree work, the appropriate skills are critical. Barts Tree Service has the skills and manpower to complete these emergency tree removals in a timely and efficient manner. There has been many times when large storms sweep through Connecticut and New York  and cause major tree damage by way of wind, rain, ice or snow. During these times, it is often that local tree companies refer homeowners to Barts Tree Service to handle these emergency jobs.  It is a fact that tree care is the 2nd most dangerous industry in the world. Hiring a licensed bonded, and insured professional service tree service is an absolute necessity. Lives are lost, and major injuries occur every day in the tree service business.

Tree that fell on a church roof during a windstorm in Danbury

Tree being removed from church roof

The fact is that trees growing in the wild drop branches, split or fall all the time. It is perfectly natural. But as we have moved into the environment and surrounded ourselves with nature, we are walking a fine line between allowing nature to take its course and curtailing it for our own use. A large bough falling from a tree can destroy a home or a car, or worse, it can cause injury or even death. So tree trimming is an essential maintenance task that all homeowners should practice.

Tree trimming is a dangerous task and should only be undertaken by an expert. Your local tree expert will climb high into the boughs of the tree and selectively cut branches to remove rubbing and damaged branches. The tree will be revitalized and will continue to grow even healthier than before. This is especially important for trees growing in close proximity to homes and other structures. Keeping your trees strong and healthy can protect you from potential property damage or worse.

All trees growing near your home should be regularly inspected for disease. Your professional tree expert can check your trees for hollow or rotten trunks or other major problems that can create an imminent hazard. Once identified, the offending tree should be removed immediately. Tree cutting, like tree trimming, is highly specialized and dangerous work and should only be performed by a professional. Once the tree is cut to the ground level, a stump grinder can be used to remove the stump, allowing for a smooth yard to fill the space once occupied by the tree.

As an added bonus, and to make the destruction of the tree a bit more economical and environmental, the entire tree can be ground into mulch for use in your landscaping endeavors. Some trees can also be recycled as firewood, for those with working fireplaces or wood-burning stoves or furnaces. Other woods, like apple tree wood for example, make excellent additions to barbeque grills. Always try to make use of the tree you were forced to remove.

Our need to surround ourselves with elements of the natural world grows ever more important. In the future, the only place we might find living trees could be in our own front yards. Therefore, the need for tree maintenance is greater than ever. Keep your trees healthy and your environment safe. Keep your trees trimmed.

Example of over mulched tree

Mulching your landscape trees and shrubs can potentially kill if done improperly. A recent and serious trend has been over-mulching landscape plants also called mulch valcanoes. Not only is over-mulching a waste of mulch, (and a potentially costly one at that), it is rapidly becoming the number one cause of death to shrubs and trees.

One of the most common causes of stress by over-mulching is suffocation of plant roots. Repeated applications of mulch can contribute to a waterclogged soil and root zone by slowing soil water loss through evaporation. Roots must respire (breathe) and take in oxygen unlike leaves which give off oxygen. When oxygen levels in the soil drop below 10 percent, root growth declines. When too many roots decline and die, the plant will eventually succumb.

It is most important to remember that the problems caused from yearly over-mulching are not immediate, but progress slowly with time. The symptoms may take 3 – 5 years to express themselves and sometimes longer, depending on the species and sod type. Unfortunately, by the time the symptoms are recognized (off-color foliage, abnormally small leaves, poor twig growth, and die-back of older branches) it is generally too late to apply corrective measures. At this point, the plant has usually gone into an irreversible decline and will most likely die.

A second major cause of plant decline and death from overmulching comes from the piles of mulch being placed against the stems of trees and shrubs. The above ground stem and trunk tissue is very different from root tissues. Roots have evolved many mechanisms to survive in continually moist environments, the trunks of most woody species have not. Above ground stems must be able to freely exchange adequate amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide through lenticels. When mulch is piled onto the trunks, gas exchange decreases with phloem tissue eventually becoming stressed and later dying. When the phloem dies, roots are malnourished and weakened to the point where they suffer reduced water and nutrient uptake, which subsequently affects the health of the whole plant.

A third mortality factor which is associated with the application of mulching next to stem tissue involves fungal and bacterial diseases. Most plant diseases require moisture to grow and reproduce. Trunk diseases are no exception and will usually gain entry into the stressed, decaying bark tissue caused by the homeowners unknowingly piling the mulch next to the tree trunk. Once established, even secondary fungal invaders such as Phytophthora and Armillaria species will eventually kill the inner bark, thereby starving the roots, and ultimately killing the plant. Many times, bark beetles and borers (which are also attracted to the stressed trees) will assist in the decline of the tree and allow other fungal pathogens entrance into the tree. This has been observed with clearwinged borers which normally attack higher on the stem.

Excess heat can also be generated when wet mulch layers placed up against the stem begin to decompose. Similar to composting where inner mulch layers may reach 120°i; to 140°i; F., the heat may kill young tree and shrub phloem, or, may prevent the natural hardening off process plants must go through to prepare themselves for winter.

The continuous use of the same type of mulch may also contribute to plant stress by ultimately changing the soil’s acidity level, commonly referred to as soil pH. Acid mulches like pine bark may have a pH of 3.5 to 4.5 and when applied year in and year out, may cause the soil to become too acid to grow many alkaline requiring plants. Due to the increased solubility of many micronutrients in acid soil, toxic levels of nucronutrients may lead to additional plant stress which in turn allows secondary pathogens and insects to invade. Conversely, hardwood bark mulch, which is initially acidic, may cause the soil to eventually become too basic or alkaline causing acid loving plants to quickly decline because of micronutrient deficiencies. Soil pH’s above 6.5 – 7.0 usually create micronutrient deficiencies of iron, manganese, and zinc for many common, acid-loving, landscape plants. Small changes in soil acidity can be avoided by periodically monitoring soil pH and rotating the type of mulch used.

Mulch should not be touching the trunk and trunk flare should be visible

Placing piles of mulch adjacent to tree trunks can also kill plants by providing cover and habitat for chewing rodents such as small mice, meadow voles, etc.. With lots of cover from predators, the rodents will usually live under the warm mulch in the winter and chew on the tender and nutritious inner bark to get at the sugars. This chewing off of the bark many times goes unnoticed until the following spring or summer when the tree doesn’t look good. If the chewing is extensive or goes around the whole tree, there is little that can be done to save the tree. Bridge grafting with strips of bark over the girdled area can be done but is time consuming and most arborists are not willing to go to those extremes.

Finally, many fresh or non-aged mulches may cause nitrogen deficiencies in young trees, shrubs, and flowers. Decomposing bacteria and fungi which ultimately break down mulch must have an ample supply of nitrogen to do their job. Most landscaping mulches are comprised of bark or wood which have high carbon to nitrogen ratios and have very little nitrogen available for the decomposing bacteria. Hence, the bacteria in the soil utilize the existing nitrogen to break down the mulch. This process may cause nitrogen deficiencies on new growth. Although nitrogen deficiencies may occur, they are usually considered temporary as the mulch will eventually release its nutrients into the soil and the decomposition will taper off.

Allelopathic mulches are mulches which contain toxic elements which will inhibit the growth of other plants. These toxic chemicals can be produced in the leaves, roots, trunk, or fruit of some plants and will slow the growth of some plants and in some cases, kill the competing plant. The classic case of allelopathy found in nature is the black walnut. This species along with other close relatives produce the toxic chemical juglone and juglonic acid which inhibits the growth of many trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. Juglone is found in all parts of the plant including leaves, twigs, trunk and roots. Hence, fresh wood chips and sawdust should not be used as a mulch unless adequately composted and even then, small amounts of juglone can be detected. Besides Black Walnut, other allelopathic mulches include sawdust of Redwood and Red Cedar and the bark of Spruce, Larch and Douglas Fir. All of these materials may reduce root growth and deform or kill some trees and shrubs. Evergreen bark sometimes releases toxic volatile gases that can be especially harmful to plants including tomatoes and other vegetable crops as well. To neutralize the allelochems found in these toxic species, compost the mulch with nitrogen at two pounds of actual nitrogen per cubic yard of mulch.

If you have shallow rooted species and those species are growing on somewhat poorly drained soil, mulch depths should not exceed a 2 inch depth. For perpetually wet soils which need as much oxygen as possible, it may be more advisable to control weeds with a combination of a systemic post-emergent herbicide and pre-emergent herbicide such as Round-Up and Surflan herbicides.

On the other hand, if you have more deeply rooted species growing on well drained loams or sandy soils, your plants would benefit from a 2-4 inch depth of mulch. With coarser textured mulches you can go a bit deeper due to the better oxygen diffision through the mulch and ‘into the soil. Be more cautious with the finer, doubleshredded mulches on the market. A 2 inch layer may be all you need to keep weeds down and prevent unnecessary soil drying in the summer.

The best way to determine if you have a problem with excessive mulch piling in your landscape is to go out and simply dig through the mulch layer to see how thick it really is. A light raking of the existing mulch is all that is needed to break up any crusted or compacted mulch layers that can repel water and to give it that finished landscape appearance. As a rule-of-thumb, keep the mulch a minimum of 3 – 6 inches away from the trunks of young trees and shrubs and 8 – 12 inches away from mature tree trunks.

Conducting a visual inspection of the root flare is the best way for an arborist to check a tree or shrub for a possible root collar disorder. If no root flare or buttress roots are found, the chances are good that at least some of the root crown has been buried. When burial is suspected, the arborist must first carefully probe downward to determine the extent and depth of burial. If the root collar is buried, you must remove the soil or mulch below the surface of the Junction of the roots and the trunk collar (without damaging the roots or collar) to expose the root collar. This is necessary to allow the collar to dry out and begin respiration of essential oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Arborists may also take a small strip of bark and sapwood from the root collar following excavation to determine the presence of fungal pathogens such as Phytophthora or Armillaria species. The resulting exposed well must be left open unless the root collar disorder is so severe that the resultant tree decline or hazard potential warrants tree removal.

According to tree expert scientists, an amazing number of plants have improved rapidly in color and vigor within months of a root collar excavation. Observations also indicate far less winter injury in such plants because the healthy roots, once an excavation has been conducted, produce the growth regulators responsible for above ground winter hardiness.

Of course, pruning of any dead and or dying branches should be conducted to reduce the introduction and spread of disease in treated trees. A light fertilization with a low salt index, slowrelease, nitrogen fertilizer (at 1 – 2 pounds of actual nitrogen per 1000 square feet) may also be required of trees treated for root collar disorders to renew vitality and growth.

In summary, over-mulching and root collar burial is needlessly killing many landscape trees and shrubs by oxygen starvation of the roots, lack of gas exchange and death of inner bark, promoting stem and root diseases, prevention of hardening off via increased mulch temperatures and declining root vigor, rodent girdling, development of water repelling mulch layers, allelopathic mulches, potential short-term nitrogen deficiencies, and nutrient and acidity problems from sour mulch.

Fortunately, most of these problems can easily be prevented with periodic inspections.