How to Keep Your Trees Healthy This Spring

As your trees begin budding and leafing out this season, don’t miss the opportunity to gather some key information about your tree’s health and vigor which may allow you to catch any pest and disease issues early. This can be the difference between saving or losing a key tree on your property! With a little attention to your trees, you can learn a lot about their health and when to offer them a little support…or when it may be time to contact an arborist.

Take a look at your trees and notice:

1. Is this tree doing what other trees of the same species are doing on my property/in my neighborhood?
2. Do these buds/leaves seem to have normal color and density throughout the canopy?
3. How does this compare to last year?
   Tracking changes in your trees over multiple growing seasons is the best way to understand and care for your trees!

When to ask an arborist or tree service for help:

1. Late leaf out in the spring or early leaf drop in the fall. This can be an indicator of a stressed tree! Compare to other trees of the same species in your neighborhood.
2. Leaves look discolored, sparse, damaged, or misshapen. Your tree may have a pest or disease issue, or it may not be getting access to the nutrients it needs to thrive, which can be due to a wide variety of factors such as poor soil structure (like compaction), root damage, etc.
3. Things are different than last year. Pro tip– take photos of your key trees at the same time each year and take a look to compare if they seem about the same, or if subtle signs of decline may be going un-noticed day-t0-day.

Keep in mind there will be some natural variation each year (some years we have more or less rain, or hotter or colder temperatures), but you may notice clear trends when you notice key indicators of tree health year over year. This ongoing monitoring and photo-taking is the pillar of our Tree Healthcare plans. If you’re not sure how to answer these questions, or if you notice anything abnormal, call an arborist!