Why Choose a Certified Arborist By Percival Q. Abernathy
S
t. Louis has nearly as many tree-services as the roadways bear potholes. Plucking a professional treeservice from the hordes on offer might be intimidating, but could also seem rather fruitless? Why hire a professional arborist for a 25-100% greater cost when there are cheaper alternatives?
cents can be consequentially short-sighted.
I’ll tell you. In the face of increasing deforestation, the preservation of our urban and suburban forests can no longer revolve around a purely aesthetic or economical ethic. Arborists should now be selected for the merits of how their practice promotes the health of trees and the forests they make up. I contend that professional arborists should be hired for any tree work, full stop. This is typically the most expensive option. However, the unprofessional tree cutters can end up costing irretrievable losses. Did you know that one pruning cut made with an infected saw, is enough to kill a mature tree within 1-3 years? Therefore, if you have a specimen oak (white, post, red, bur) in your yard the benefits of which could be valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, you should entrust its care to an arborist. By hiring a non-professional who wields an infected saw against the vascular cambium of your specimen oak, the lifespan your tree could have had has just been cut short. Decisions governed solely by the practice of saving immediate dollars-and-
Around eighteen months ago we removed a red oak (Quercus rubra) in Kirkwood. Standing directly adjacent to the client’s newly constructed house, a low lateral limb was previously removed to accommodate the structure. A single [infected] cut was made on the mature tree by a non-professional. Due to the way trees translocate water and nutrients, this tree had pumped all its remaining resources into an awkward limb shooting off the back, away from the infected cut. The oak was no longer an economic asset, and in short order would be a large over-hanging hazard. Hypoxylon Canker from the infected cut had ravaged this red oak, cutting short what easily could have been 10-50 years more of economic value and environmental service. The pruning of the non-professional was cheap, in terms of price, but ended up costing in areas where recompense became impossible. Pruning is one operation that distinguishes professional practitioners. From fine, Felco-sized snips to large 36” diameter cuts with rigging, pruning is a specialist’s operation. A tree that has been properly pruned retains the natural form and appearance of a tree. Proper pruning regimens never include topping or removing more than 25-33% of a tree’s living crown. Additionally, the professional ensures that trees are pruned within their appropriate KOI and POND CLUB MEET & GREET DAYS
Sat. June 5, 11am-2pm Timberwinds Nursery, 54 Clarkson Road, Ellisville, MO 63011
Sat. June 12th, Noon-3pm Effinger Garden Center, 720 S. 11th Street, Belleville, IL 62220 Sat. June 19, 11am-2pm Ponds Plus Water Garden Center, 1757 S. Old Highway 94, St. Charles, MO 63303
Gateway Koi and Pond Club members will be on hand to answer your questions on ponds, fish, and plants, and to give information about their club and the many fun activities they have planned. Isn’t it time you thought about adding a soothing water feature to your landscape that the entire family will enjoy? Come to one of these locations and visit the GKPC Info Table. www.gatewaykoiandpondclub.org, on Facebook or call 314-276-9461 PLUS, mark your calendars for the KOI SHOW & POND EXPO, September 24-26 at Timberwinds Nursery
18
The Gateway Gardener™ SUMMER 2021
