May Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month

Magnolia • Magnolia soulangiana

by Lesley Bruce Smith

ISA Certified Arborist

Saucer Magnolia by Lesley Bruce SmithMagnolia’s are so beautiful this time of year with their uncommonly huge pink and white flowers they seem to just be the loudest voice of the heralders of spring. The Saucer Magnolia we most commonly see planted in our area is a hybrid of two Chinese magnolias, the Yulan Magnolia and the Lily Magnolia. We also see an equally popular, Magnolia stellata or Star Magnolia.  They are all cousins of the only true North American magnolia native, the huge Cucumbertree, Magnolia acuminata, which is struggling from near extinction.  The Magnolia family gets it’s current name from a botany professor, Pierre Magnol who became facinated with it’s species in the 17th century.

Magnolia stellata by Lesley Bruce SmithLong before professor Magnol was interested, the aboriginal peoples of N. America revered the Magnolia acuminata for use in medicines, for inland canoes as the wood is soft, heavy and close grained making it perfect for flotation, and as a sacred wood for carving masks used in ceremony.  A quinine like molecule occurs in all magnolias and so in the South it was used as a substitute for quinine in the treatment of endemic malaria.

Southern Magnolia fruit by Lesley Bruce Smith

Star magnolia in full flowe by Lesley Bruce SmithThe Cherokee people also used a bark decoction as a gentle action skin wash for rheumatism, sores and ulcers. Today, we utilize the Magnolias almost entirely for ornamental purposes but they have a long history of ethno-botany and have been used widely throughout history for many beneficial medicinal purposes.  All the more reason for us to be more protective of our native species.  We never know where the next cure for cancers will arise.

Wildflower Alert - An invitation to join the party!

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith 

ISA Certified Master Arborist

Trillium in Daniel Wright Woods, Mettawa, ILThere is a wild dance being held in the woods.  It is held every year in early May and most people miss it completely.  The invitations go out in early April when the soil warms enough for microbes to begin breaking down leaf litter, releasing nitrogen essential to plant growth.  The normal spring rains would wash the nitrogen away if there were no plants to capture and use it.  But, thankfully, nothing is wasted in the forest.

Native Bloodroot photo by: Lesley Bruce SmithThe forest floor is covered with native Illinois wildflowers like Bloodroot, Hepatica, White Trillium, Bellwort, Toothwort, Anemone, Jacob’s Ladder, Waterleaf, Wake Robin, Trout Lilly,  May Apple, Wild Geranium, Wild Ginger, Solomon’s Seal, False Solomon’s Seal, and Buttercup.  In order to capitalize on the nitrogen and sun light energy, they need to act fast.  

Meanwhile high above the forest floor, in the canopy, the trees are in flower too.  To capitalize on spring winds, on which they depend to spread their flower pollen,  there is also a desperate race to release their pollen before the leaves come out, because the leaves impede the wind that spreads their pollen.  

The wildflowers that hug the forest floor are insect pollinated, some smell sweet to attract native bees and little wasps while others, like the Wild Ginger, are deep red, smell like garbage and are pollinated by maggots.  However, what they all must have is sun light.  It takes a great deal of the sun’s energy to to produce leaves, flowers and fruit.  By mid May the tree canopy is filled with leaves shading out 98% of the sun’s life giving energy.  The wildflowers have to live their lives fast!  They shoot out their leaves, produce beautiful flowers, are pollinated, produce fruit, store energy and die down for next years wild party, and all of this has to happen in 2 to 3 weeks. Gilbert A Smith leading the wildflower walk

That is why most of us miss it.  Here are a few pictures, but if you don’t delay you can  SEE ILLINOIS’ BEST FLOWER SHOW FOR FREE RIGHT NOW!  Lake County Forest Preserves are wonderful.  My favorite is Daniel Wright Forest Preserve in Mettawa off Everett Road and Saint Mary’s Road just west of Lake Forest. Click here for directions.

Guided wildflower walk

Gilbert A Smith in Daniel Wright Forest Preserve

Enjoy the photos of the wildflower walk from Saturday, May 11th.

The Deadly Sins of Spring

Herbicide Use and Abuse

Mother Nature's Moment 

by Lesley Bruce Smith ISA Certified Arborist

The use of broadleaf weed killers to create perfectly weed free lawns is so ubiquitous in our culture that we use many times more of it on residential turf than in agricultural settings.  The chemical smell that we are noticing everywhere right now is predominantly 2-4D (dichloropheoxyacetic acid).  It is often overpowering the delicate scents of the beautiful spring flowers.

Although this herbicide is fairly effective in ridding our lawns of the “dreaded dandelions”, it has also been implicated in a number of human health issues. (http://www.cumberlandswcd.org/publications/yardscape/table_commonly_used_pesticides.pdf)  Our concern regarding its widespread use in the landscape is two fold, we are concerned about plant health and human health (not necessarily in that order).  Like any tool we have at our disposal we need to use it:

    •    knowledgeably,

    •    judiciously and with

    •    the big picture in mind.

Initially, as we evaluate a property for its plant health care needs we realize that most of our patient trees do not live in a forest, which is their native home, but rather in a beautifully manicured landscape dominated by virtually perfect lawn.  Those lawns are non-diversified, unnatural and not very healthy prairie species and are maintained with excessively high volumes of fertilizer, weed killer and fossil fuels for cutting.   

Did you know that a broad leaf weed killer does not know the difference between a broad leaf dandelion and a broad leaf oak?  If these weed killers are applied on days when temperatures are warm and skies sunny there is a high volume of volatilization which can and has caused the damage and death of many trees.  The sad reality is that as dandelions die from weed killer application, they go to seed, insuring another healthy crop in about two to three weeks time.  Also, if weed killer is applied too heavily or too often it can put mature trees in the root zones being treated at risk of damage.  Unfortunately, the damage is invisible, putting the tree under stress and laying it open to attack by other organisms, because it is in a weakened condition.  

Photos by Lesley Bruce Smith

Ok, so here is my confession...shown here is our lawn just before mowing last week.  There is a healthy crop of dandelions and clover and creeping charlie, etc.  Before mowing it isn’t pretty, but it is safe to walk in barefoot.

Then there is the after picture, beautiful and visually weed free. The “wild” area on each side of the lawn is our prairie restoration project where we battle garlic mustard and buckthorn, just like the rest of you.  But, that part of the garden is one of the most interesting parts of our landscape, always full of flowers and interesting wildlife, even in the winter months.  

 •    If you must treat chemically for weeds, do so using spot treatments, not broadcast methods,

    •    and consider paying for two mowings a week during this time of year, instead of a chemical treatment.  This can achieve getting rid of those ugly dandelion heads and preventing flowers from going to seed.  You could also opt for the old fashioned way of ridding the lawn of weeds by doing it by hand.

We cannot get around the fact that pesticides/herbicides are poisons in some form or another! We need to be careful and incredibly sparing in our use of these substances.  The companies that manufacture them are not going to tell us they are harmful to us or our children or our pets.  We need to be educated consumers.

Our turf professor at the University of Illinois told us many years ago, that the more resources you put into the lawn, the more you will have to put into it.  When we fertilize, which is done way too often in our country, we need to mow more, the more we create a perfect monoculture, or a lawn without any other species (namely weeds), the more we create an environment that needs attention.  Be on the alert that all fertilizers with phosphorous are banned in Lake County communities and many others in Cook County.  Phosphorous is a HUGE polluter of our lakes and streams and our lawn fertilizers are the biggest source of this substance! That is why ArborsmithTM doesn’t recommend much fertilizing, and it is always phosphorous free!!

Can we give you permission to have a few weeds in your lawn!

A truly healthy lawn:

    •    has bio-diversity, which means it does have a few weeds!

    •    will have some creeping charlie, clover, some grubs, even dandelions and crab grass.

    •    will NOT make you sick!

    •    doesn’t need as much maintenance as one that appears “perfect”.

April Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month

Baldcypress - Taxodium distitchum

by Gilbert A Smith

ISA Certified Master Arborist

Baldcypress in Southern IL by Lesley Bruce Smith

I bet that you didn’t know that Baldcypress trees are native Illinois residents.  Cypress Gardens in Florida gets its name from its beautiful groves of Baldcypress. But a Cypress growing in Florida isn’t as hard to believe as a Cypress native to Illinois.  

A victim of common name confusion, Baldcypress is not a Cypress (Cupressus)  at all but a Taxodium.  Taxodium (like a Yew)  distitchum (leaves in pairs along the branches).  

Baldcypress is also confusing because it is a needle bearing tree like a Spruce but after displaying a vibrant burgundy fall color, it looses all its needles.  This is where it gets its name “Bald”.  

We have found them growing naturally as far North as Bloomington, Illinois. The species originally lived in huge 500 to 1000 year old groves in the Southeast. One ancient tree which is called ‘El Tule’ (the name means aquatic plant) near Oaxaca, Mexico may be 4000 years old. In the U.S. these ancients were logged out because the wood has a natural resistance to rot.  Rot resistance served the building industry and Railroads. (Think railroad ties and bridges). Unfortunately the rot resistance doesn’t develop until the tree matures beyond 200 years old.    

Baldcypress KneesHere’s another peculiarity of Baldcypress, they like to grow under water. Normally tree roots drown in water. In fact all tree roots respire like we do, need oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange, just like we do, and survive because 50% of healthy soil is comprised of ‘air space’. So, how do those tricky Baldcypress roots breathe under water? To date, no one knows. Some people guess that they breathe through the knobby protuberances called ‘knees’ that stick up above the water but it’s only a guess.

Despite its identity confusion, Baldcypress is an under used gem that will thrive in our Chicago area landscapes. Please consider it when you have to replant dying Ash trees. (see also our list of replanting options on our website)  But watch out, they grow fast, get big, and may last through the next millennium.

Low branches, to cut or not

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith 

ISA Certified Master Arborist

stately Corktree at the Morton Arboretum Low Branches by Gilbert A Smith

Often a first complaint that I hear from new homeowners is, “This place feels like a jungle, please cut all of the low branches out of my way.” Also among the first to be cut by landscapers are those pesky low branches that knock them off their lawn mower.

So I know that I’m fighting an uphill battle when I suggest that you think twice before you cut those lovely low branches off of your trees.  Because....

        1 - They will never grow back.

        2 - There are other options.

        3 - Low branches add balance, strength, health, and grace to your trees.

Forty-five years ago when I was training to be an arborist it was common practice to “skin” all of the low branches off of trees.

Low Branches by Gilbert A Smith

Since then research has shown that removing the low branches and even ‘suckers’ will leave the tree weaker and more susceptible to storm failure and breakage. A healthy tree, we have learned, has at least 1/3 of its branches on the lower 1/2 of the tree.

Of course you often must remove a few low branches if they are hitting cars, trucks or people. But it is harmful to the trees and they will be made more dangerous if you trim too much.

So what are the options? There are many ways to leave your low branches and plan around them. The easiest way,  which is what the Chicago Botanic Garden does, is to mulch under the trees and shrubs out to the branch spread. This is good for your trees for many reasons (see our Mulching Abstract), its good for your lawn and your lawn mower operator.

Let’s face it, grass doesn’t like to grow under trees and trees don’t like grass on their roots. Its a win/win when you return your trees to a forest garden, removing the prairie/lawn from beneath them; allowing them to recycle their leaves beneath their branches.

The option we prefer is to leave a few low structure branches to reach down and embrace your landscape. They tie the heavens to the earth. If you do not mulch beneath them you may need to duck when you mow, but you can lean on them when you need a rest. Just think, if you let your kids have a branch that is within reach, they will develop and always keep a fond connection to nature.

Avoid the deadly sins of Spring clean-up

Mother Nature's Moment

by Lesley Bruce Smith ISA Certified Arborist

Every spring Gilbert and I notice things that are done by hundreds of landscapers and homeowners that are deadly practices when it comes to their trees and shrubs.  We are bringing them to your attention to let you know that there is a better way, and so that you can alert your landscape professional that you do not want these things practiced on your property!Correct Spring Clean Up by Lesley Bruce Smith

Leaf Blowing

Spring clean-up can be a beautiful thing. It is great to be out in the garden enjoying the sweet smell of the soil and the light fragrance of the newly emerging flowers. Spring Clean Up Instructions by Lesley Bruce Smith (My condolences to those of you that suffer from spring allergies.) However, it seems a crime to include the “blowing” of leaves out from under your trees and shrubs as part of the process.  Those leaves are a natural mulch layer that helps to prevent moisture loss from the roots of the trees, it helps to moderate soil temperature, it assists in soil aeration, it helps to provide natural fertilizer and it does all of this for FREE!

Then we use non-renewable fossil fuels to blow all that good stuff out from under our trees in the name of clean-up.  Save that kind of clean-up for the kid’s bedroom...and leave your leaves alone!!  Usually by April or early May they are mostly decomposed or eaten by the worms doing their jobs fertilizing and aerating.  I have two photos here that show  an area that was “cleaned up” by an army of leaf blowing landscapers and an adjacent area that was left natural.Natural Spring Clean-Up Results

Stay tuned, next month:

    • shearing trees and shrubs

    • the use of post emergent broadleaf herbicide

March Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month • Ash - Fraxinus

by Gilbert A Smith

ISA Certified Master Arborist

Green Ash, Fraxinus americanaIt may seem unusual to feature a tree that is facing extinction as our tree of the month.  Fraxinus americana, Green Ash is our naturalized Ash and can be identified by its beautiful early yellow fall color.  Fraxinus pennsylvanica or White Ash is difficult to tell from the Green except when the ‘Autumn Purple’ exhibits itself in soft shades of lavender to kick off the fall season. 

Because of its shock resistant wood, Native Americans used this tree for making tools and the American Baseball League uses Ash wood to make its bats.  It is also excellent wood for making furniture and terrific firewood.  

We, the team at Arborsmith hate to drive through our North Shore neighborhoods and see the symptoms of infection that will lead to Ash death.  We hate it because we love all trees.  Also Ash is one of the toughest trees, and adds its grace to scorching hot parking lots and dry, polluted street-scapes. 

This tree’s strengths have become its downfall.  Like the American Elm, the American Ash was so versatile, it was over planted. Nature always balances herself out.  When one species dominates, she balances that species with a predator. In fact people are really to blame for the devastation of Emerald Ash Borer.  Whenever we put all of our eggs in one basket we are looking for trouble.  

So take the warning from the Ash Trees. DO NOT REPLANT WITH JUST ONE OR TWO ‘TOUGH‘ SPECIES OF TREE. Instead give our trees more soil room to grow in parking lots and parkways and plant a wide variety of species. 

See the list of alternatives we have here and/or see Trees That Merit Attention by Chicago’s own Janet Poor. We will be adding to this list periodically to keep new ideas on trees that are good options for the Chicago landscape with photos and brief growing requirements.

Emerald Ash Borer Clarification

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith 

ISA Certified Master Arborist

Green Ash - Fraxinus americana by Lesley Bruce SmithRecently there has been a lot of press about Emerald Ash Borer.  Many villages are taking their Ash trees down rather than treating them preventatively.   It’s confusing to be hearing one thing from your village forester and another from your arborist.  So let me try to simplify.   At Arborsmith we are always prejudiced toward saving trees, and if we’re hearing you correctly, so are our customers.

One village compared the costs of removing their trees with the cost of protecting them.  What they neglected to add to the equation was the value of the tree, which if properly calculated, includes the aesthetic value of the tree and its replacement costs. The situation is different when we are thinking of village parkway trees where the decision may have to be strictly a matter of economics. 

But a tree in your yard that is well placed and large (10” DBH or more) can be valued according to national standards at $10,000.00 (or more)  This is because up to 15% of the value of your home comes from your landscape and the larger portion of that value is derived from your mature trees.  When you think about it, what do we love about our houses that is missing in a new development?  So we are now touching on the aesthetic value which is hard to quantify....until it is no longer present.  Can you ever replace a mature tree with a sapling?     

I hate recommending the removal of a tree, and it is a difficult decision no matter who you are.  If the treatments are preventative and consistently applied they have proven to be very effective (94% effective in current research).  To me the choice is clear.  At Arborsmith we help you decide which trees you really value and we do everything we can to save them.  In 10 years when most of our Ash trees are gone, I’m sure you will look back and be glad.

March Madness

Mother Nature's Moment

by Lesley Bruce Smith ISA Certified Arborist

Winter Aconite, spring’s first flower by Lesley Bruce Smith

March came in like a lion this year, we will have to see if it goes out like a lamb.  We don’t usually think about flowers popping up when there is snow on the ground but this photo of winter aconite was taken this morning in our garden, popping up through last fall’s oak leaves under the shadow of our Burr Oak tree.  So...if you are growing weary of the snow, remember that spring is biting winter in the heal just now!  

I am going to use our newsletter this month to announce some pretty exciting stuff happening here at Arborsmith.  First I want to let everyone know that Gil and I will be teaching again this month at the Chicago Botanic Garden on: 

“Demystifying Winter Trimming of Trees and Shrubs” 

It is a two part class on Thursday, March 21, 2013 @ 7pm - 9pm

part two (practical hands on) is Saturday, March 23, 9am - 11am

This class is for the beginner and the seasoned professional who could use some help understanding how to trim shrubs (and trees) anytime of year and still preserve their beautiful spring flowers.  Please come and join us or pass the word along.  You can sign up on the CBG website at www.chicagobotanic.org and go to their education tab and then register on line or call 847-835-8220 or email them at customersupport@chicagobotanic.org.  We will be teaching again in June on Evergreen Trimming.

We are also thrilled to announce that due to happy growth and hard work Arborsmith is growing up, and like plants that have outgrown their containers, we have grown out of our “container” for the second time in our 32 year history.  We’re moving this spring to a new facility in Lake Bluff.  This will put us closer to most of our clients.  It will make it easier for us to get to you in a timely manner and, with the new room, we hope to have a chance to run a few classes out of our bigger space.  Stay tuned for more details on the move and for information on an open house we are planning to say thanks to all of you that have made it all possible!

February Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month - Palm

by Gilbert A Smith, ISA Certified Master Arborist

Palm by Lesley Bruce Smith

This month we were privileged to sit in the shade of Palm Trees on the beaches of Captiva and Sanibel Island off the coast of Ft. Meyers in Florida.  There are many hundreds of Palm tree species including the Date Palm which many think was the tree of life in the Garden of Eden, (The Palm is mentioned 30 times in the Bible and 22 times in The Quran)  The Oil Palm provides oil for much of the world, and the Coconut Palm is used for everything from fibre and food to antibiotics.  The coconut water is one sterile source of drink that can last through hurricanes and Tsunamis.

Everyone from the North has a mental picture of of tropical seaside and in that picture there are always Palm Trees.  Because they are so well adapted to that environment we often see them bending under hurricane force winds... and seldom breaking.  The slender trunk with a tuft of growth at the top is built to withstand extremes of heat and wind.  

Palm by Lesley Bruce Smith

The ‘branches‘ of Palm Trees are actually evergreen fronds or leaves that arise from the growing point near the top, like leaves of grass.  In fact Palms are in the Grass family (monocots) unlike the northern trees that we are familiar with (dicots).  All Chicago area trees have a vascular cambium located just below the bark which annually adds a whole new layer on top of the old layer very much like coral growth.   

Palm Trees have no annual rings. Their vascular system is hidden in the interior of the trunk like our human vascular system.  This means that the trunks of Palms stay the same girth forever once they have been formed.  

As I contemplate these wonderful trees I’m sad to report that over logging and non sustainable production of Palm Oil is sending many Palms into extinction, as well as the animals (specifically Orangoutangs) whose homes are the tropical forests of Malaysia.  Palm oil is found in everything so to help save Palm forests here is a short list of major manufacturers that have or are switching to sustainable Palm oil production;  Kellogg,  Nestle, Proctor and Gamble, McDonalds, L’Oreal.  For a more complete list of responsible products Google Sustainable Palm Oil.

Strangler Fig

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith

ISA Certified Master Arborist and Lorax

While you’re in Florida or some other warm place you may see a Palm Tree (Cocos nucifera)  sticking out of the trunk of a Fig tree (Ficus aurea). You can amaze your friends by telling them that they are looking at a Strangler Fig.  Don’t let the name put you off, there’s an interesting story to tell.

The Fig seeds support a host of wild life, especially birds.  The birds eat the seeds, then fly to roost in the shelter of the Palm trees. Their seed bearing droppings lodge and germinate in the moist axils of the Palm fronds.  The sprouts grow leaves and send an aerial root down the Strangler Fig by Lesley Bruce Smithdistance of the trunk until it finds the soil.  This sounds easy but it is not.  For several seasons the Fig lives like an orchid, getting it’s food from the sun and its water and minerals from the humid air.  Most of the seedlings die trying to reach the soil.  

When the Fig seedling roots in the soil the growth accelerates.  Using the Palm as support the Fig grows more branches and aerial roots which drape themselves over the Palm eventually encircling the entire trunk.  Hence the name, Strangler.  

The Palm however, unlike most other trees won’t be strangled because it’s trunk does not expand as it grows.  The Palm is in the grass family (monocot) so it does not have a vascular system on the outside of the tree as our trees in the Chicago area do. The Palm’s vascular system is hidden in the interior of the trunk.  So the Palm is never strangled by the Fig.  

Coconut Palms live lives with many parallels to our human lives. The seed takes about a year to germinate.  They become sexually mature at about 14 years. They live about 80 years and in some cases they live encircled, or maybe obscured by those whose lives they’ve gotten tangled up with.

Lesson’s from Hurricanes

about Storm Damaged Trees

Mother Nature's Moment by Lesley Bruce Smith

ISA Certified Arborist

Surviving Palm by Lesley Bruce Smith

As Gil has mentioned, we slipped away for a few days of much needed winter R & R on the beautiful Islands of Captiva and Sanibel in Florida earlier this month.  We were reminded of Hurricane Charley while there, which happened back in 2005.  We have been vacationing on Sanibel for over a decade and it has a completely different look and feel than it did before Hurricane Charley came to call.  

We are often telling clients that most storm damage can be prevented.  In the case of Charley the eye of the storm passed right over the islands of Sanibel and Captiva and had sustained winds of 150mph and gusts up to 180mph.  With those winds and accompanying rainfall hardly anyone could expect that storm damage would be preventable.

The amazing thing is that the native trees, Palms and Figs survived pretty well, whereas the non-native introduced Australian Pines that were so prolific on the islands before 2005 are almost entirely gone.  At least a third of Sanibel Island is a nature preserve and much of that is made up of the Ding Darling National Wildlife Park.  I think the reason we love this part of the Florida coast is that it has managed to remain predominantly underdeveloped while preserving much of its natural habit.  It is a refuge for so many species of wildlife including hundreds of migratory bird species that attract enthusiasts from all over the world.

The officials on Sanibel and Captiva took the opportunity of Charley’s devastation to remove thousands of non-native Australian Pines that were responsible for vast amounts of property damage.  So although the islands don’t have quite the same feel as their pre 2005 selves, they actually look far more like the tropical islands tourists  “discovered” over 100 years ago and are far less prone to future hurricane damage.

January 2013 Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month • Arborvitae
White Cedar - Thuja occidentalis

Arborvitae seedling growing in the rocks along the lake front. Credit: Lesley Bruce Smith

by Lesley Bruce Smith

Arborvitae is on our mind because we just spent a week in one of our favorite spots on the globe, the northern tip of Door County, where our tree of the month calls home.  Unlike the Chicago area, where we have millions of Arborvitae planted in our landscapes, the White Cedars we see in northern Wisconsin are doing things we will never see them do here.  They grow to heights of 60’ or more, self propagate in the rocks along the lake shore, and can grow out of the cracks in glacial rocks.  All of this to tell us that Door County is their home and the place they love living.  The summers are cooler and shorter, the water is abundant and clear, the soil is gravelly and extremely well drained.  Chicago summers are hot, sometimes long and recently very dry and the soils are heavy and clay like.  

by Lesley Bruce SmithSo, although we can get arborvitae to grow contentedly for many years in the Chicago area they will never call this place home.  They will never look like the giants we see up north and in order for them to survive we need to remember they are out of their native habitat and need some extra TLC to manage life on the margins of their home environment.  

They need to be planted up high in the soil and mulched to mimic their northern home forest floor, the further out the mulch the better for the tree.  (see our planting abstract for details on this)  As a matter of fact we seldom even think of Arborvitae as trees here, we think of them as shrubs.  That is what plants do when they leave their homes.  They are not as well nurtured, they are not as comforted or protected, they are living life on the edge and so their growth is stunted.  But as we live with them and fill in where mother nature cannot we can enjoy their company throughout the course of our lives and beyond.  

They have been used by the native peoples (and by Gil) for boat building due to their rot resistant characteristics.  The Indian people referred to this tree as Oo-soo-ha-tah, meaning featherleaf.  Aromatic oils were distilled from its leaves and twigs to relieve chest colds.

Something You Will Not See in Chicago

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith
ISA Certified Master Arborist

You will never see young, sprouting Pines, Spruce, and Fir trees like this anywhere in NE Illinois.  In fact when European settlers first arrived here there were no native evergreens in the Chicago area.

I took this picture In Door County, WI because this is what the forest looks like in most of the the Eastern United states and Europe but not in the prairie states.
    
So why don’t evergreens grow naturally here?  The reason lies completely in our heavy, clay, alkaline soils. From the moment any evergreen is planted here it is under stress because its roots can not proliferate in our  soils.
    
Should we avoid planting evergreens then?  Many strict native enthusiasts advocate this.  But we love the beautiful grey green foliage of the Colorado Blue Spruce, the soft scented needles of the Eastern White Pine, the graceful swoop of Norway Spruce, and the tawny odor as we brush an Arborvitae hedge. And what would we do without English Yews that frame so many of our homes?
    Here are the things that we can do to help our beautiful evergreens thrive.

1. Plant them high above our heavy clay soils. (see our planting abstract)  Note: this is not a commonly accepted practice since most planting instructions come to us from eastern and European horticulturists.
2. Keep a good layer of mulch on all evergreens, trees and shrubs out to the branch spread.  Note: Take a look at the picture from Door County.  You’ll see a heavy leaf mulch and no grass competing with the roots.  
3. Give them enough light.  Most evergreens can not compete with shade created by other trees.  That is why you find many evergreens growing in the mountains where shade trees can’t survive.
4. There are several insect and fungal diseases that evergreens under stress cannot fight. As a last resort, we have to spray for Diplodia, Dolthestroma, Rhizospharea, Ipse beetle, and Needle Scale.  We want you to know that we use the very least toxic or non toxic sprays only when they are necessary.  

Now you know why it takes a little bit more care to grow evergreens in the Chicago area, and we think they’re worth it.

by Lesley Bruce SmithThis is one of the largest Austrian Pines in Lake County.  It has a 40” trunk diameter and is 90 feet tall.  It was planted by the farmer that once owned the land now inhabited by an industrial complex.  It is planted in a raised island with no other competition for shade and the island provides good drainage.  And please note: there is no turf grass growing beneath it so it can utilize the nutrients from it’s own needle mulch.

Brave Buds

Mother Nature's Moment by Lesley Bruce Smith
ISA Certified Arborist

Birch Tree Bud by Lesley Bruce SmithTrees are such amazing organisms.  The buds you see in the photo above are of a young Birch tree growing on the shores of Lake Michigan in Northern Door County.  They were formed when the tree was in  full throttle last summer.  During the summer, trees and deciduous shrubs produce lots of sugars through heavy photosynthetic activity of their leaves.  The buds that brave the winter chills hold all the DNA and energy needed to push out the flush of spring’s flowers and leaves.  Now this Birch is biding its time until spring, using the sugars/alcohol in it’s vascular system as a type of anti-freeze to keep it protected in the frigid temperatures of winter. Trees can withstand frostbite temperatures and brittle wind chills as long as the temps stay steady.  They have problems and incur winter damage and die back when we get unexpected warm sunny days, which tends to get their juices flowing, followed by more bone chilling cold air at night or during some of the wild temperature swings we have had.  When the trees are healthy even the winter kill can be overcome, but when they are in a weakened condition winter kill can be one more insult that causes significant dieback.

The important thing to remember is not to let any unknowing landscapers sheer off all your flower/leaf buds in the fall of the year.  You would be surprised how often this happens, ruining the beautiful show of spring.  When trimming needs to be done, make sure you have someone do it who knows about horticulture and the art and science of trimming.  That way you will enjoy your flowering trees and shrubs for many years to come.

December - Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month - Christmas Tree
Balsam Fir - Abies balsamea

Is it an environmentally sound thing
to buy a real Christmas tree?

The answer is an emphatic YES!  

Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) by Lesley Bruce SmithChristmas trees are a totally renewable resource, and the trees harvested each year end are replaced 3 fold with young saplings in the spring.  Christmas trees are grown on farms in the USA that are dedicated for that purpose and employ over 100,000 people here.  Christmas tree farms are providing oxygen, reducing soil erosion, creating habitat for wildlife and sequestering carbon.  The farmers that grow Christmas trees usually also grow blueberries or other fruit crops keeping jobs at home. Three of our closest neighbors are among the top Christmas tree producing states in the nation: Wisconsin, Indiana and Michigan.  We have been producing Christmas trees commercially in the USA since the mid 1800‘s.  Artificial trees are manufactured overseas.

If keeping a fresh cut tree in the house, the best way to help it from drying out is to put it into a cooler room.  We put ours on our porch where the temps stay a bit cooler than the rest of the house, also making clean-up a breeze.  When you bring your tree home cut about a 1/4” off the bottom to open the cells that take up water.  Then use a tree stand that has a reservoir of at least 1.5 gallons.  A freshly cut, averaged sized tree can use up to a gallon of water each day.  Also turn the lights out when you are not home, for safety and to help prevent drying out.

 If you still aren’t convinced that a fresh tree is a good idea because you hate the idea of cutting down a tree, you can do what we have done many times.  Buy an actual live tree  from a garden center, in a root ball or pot and plant it outside when you have finished with it.  This is a great way to commemorate a baby’s first Christmas or some other special family event. To do this you need to do a little planning ahead.  We usually dig a hole before the ground freezes (which this year is now).  You can’t keep it inside for more than a few days and you need to keep it protected, if you didn’t dig a hole ahead, until the ground is thawed enough to plant.  Otherwise it will dry out.  (Request our planting abstract for more details on this.)

One last positive thing about buying a fresh Christmas tree is that the Real Christmas Tree industry donates many thousands of trees to our troops and their families each year.  Nothing beats the smell of a Frazier or Balsam Fir tree in the house at Christmas time.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2010-12-real-christmas-tree-good-expert.html#jCp

Winter Silhouettes

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith
ISA Certified Master Arborist

Oak Silhouettes by Gilbert A SmithMy almost favorite tree is the native Downey Hawthorn (Crataegus mollis).  Not because of it’s leaves, flowers, or fruit and certainly not because of it’s thorns;  I love it because of it’s shapely winter silhouette.

Without leaves you can see that it has sinuous bark which resembles torturously twisted rope or muscles taught to the breaking.  The limbs stretch out horizontally so far from the trunk you’d think they would certainly crack.  Then they cascade almost to the ground and curve back upward again.  However,  you can only see this properly in the winter.  One of my favorite Downeys is on Deerfield Road, the North side just West of Highway 94/41.  All summer this little tree is just a 20 foot, nondescript, green tree. But in the winter she is a stand out specimen especially if snow outlines those graceful, swooping branches.  

So it is with my most favorite tree, the Illinois native Burr Oak (Quercus macrocarpa).  The huge branches are impossibly horizontal making highways in the sky for squirrels and other tree climbers.  Burr Oak branches are favored roosts for Hawks, Owls, and Raccoons to sit and contemplate their next meal.  Again, you can’t really see their true character until the winter.  

This winter, as you drive any of the east-west corridor roads, (Route 60, Route 22, Lake Cook Rd, Dundee, Lake Ave.) through Hawthorne Silhouette by Gilbert A Smiththe forest preserves flanking the DesPlaines River, take a look at the tree silhouettes.  You will see my friends, the Burr Oak, White and Red Oaks, Sugar Maples, and Elms each with a new face.  Each has its own signature silhouette that sets it apart from all other species.  When you do, you may find that it’s as if you’d never seen them before.  After the drama of the striking fall color the winter is a good time to slow down, and to let the trees introduce themselves to you.  

If you would like a friendly introduction, plan a day with your friends, and Lesley and I can take you on a brisk walk through Elawa Farm in Lake Forest, Ryerson Woods in Riverwoods, Fort Sheridan in Highland Park, The Chicago Botanic Garden or The Morton Arboretum.  Call, and let’s make a date.

Poinsettia’s - Facts and Fiction

Mother Nature's Moment by Lesley Bruce Smith
ISA Certified Arborist

Poinsettia's by Lesley Bruce SmithWe sometimes get asked:  Aren’t Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) poisonous plants?  The answer is not really.  Both the websites for child and animal toxicity on plants state that if these plants are digested they may cause some intestinal discomfort and the milky white sap they exude could cause some irritation to the skin, BUT they are not lethal!  

I think they get a bad rap because of their name’s similarity to the word poison, however, they are named after Joel Roberts Poinsett who was the botanist, physician, and first US ambassador to Mexico that introduced this plant to our country in 1828.  The only time I have ever seen them growing in the landscape in the US was Hawaii, but I know they grow in many southern regions of the country.  They originate from Central America and are best known there as "La Flor de la Nochebuena" or the flower of the Holy Night.

What we traditionally see in red on the Poinsettia, which is confused as a flower, is actually the leafy part of the plant or bracts.  These plants turn color in the winter months of the year due to day length exposure.  As a matter of fact, when we were in university a situation in a greenhouse filled with Poinsettias shed light on how sensitive the day length requirements are.  A security guard would stop on his rounds in the same place every night and light up a cigarette.  That brief flash of light prevented the plants in that area of the greenhouse from turning red.

The Aztecs used the Poinsettia’s bracts to make a reddish purple dye for fabrics, and used the sap medicinally to control fevers.  The Poinsettas are one of the best selling potted plants in America and most are sold within the six weeks before Christmas.  December 12 is Poinsettia Day marking the death of Dr. Poinsett in 1851. 

November - Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month
American Sycamore -  Platanus occidentalis L.

Other common names include:
Planetree, American planetree, Buttonball tree

by Lesley Bruce Smith, ISA Certified Arborist

Photos by Lesley Bruce SmithThe Sycamore or Planetree is among one of the most commonly planted street trees in the world, so I thought that after all the press that trees damaged by Sandy have received it would be good to feature a common East Coast street tree. Sycamore is distinctive because of it’s big leathery maple-like leaves and it’s remarkable patchy white grey bark.  In our Chicago area, it suffers a good deal from a fungal disease known as anthracnose which causes it’s leaves to drop off early in the summer making it look pretty raggy.  It also suffers from air pollution so that can make it look unattractive, as well, by creating sticky stubby growth at the ends of branches.  It is a beautiful tree in the right location, however, as all trees planted in the right place can be a beauty to behold.  We tend to see more healthy specimens of Sycamore in the Eastern half of our country and they can tolerate sporadically wet soils, as in their native settings they prefer river bottom land.

Every month we try to share some of the ethnobotany of the species we are featuring.  “Ethnobotany, what in the world is that?”   Glad you asked...it is the scientific study of the customs and culture of a people group and their relationship with and to plants.  We always find these facts interesting and informative and we hope you do too.

First peoples in America used the Sycamore for a variety of medicinal purposes which included cold and cough and respiratory remedies, gastrointestinal aids, dermatological and even gynecological remedies.  It is sad to realize that the use of native American trees to create medicinal remedies have been all but lost to us due to the use of pesticides world wide, which has effectively damaged the trees. There has also been a loss of knowledge from one generation to the next on how to create these remedies.  In spite of this, it should also be noted that today most of the medicines sold in our pharmacies come from plant based derivatives.  Another testimony to how trees and plants heal us.

Drought Stress and Damaging Insects

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith
ISA Certified Master Arborist

Scotts Pine; Lesley Bruce SmithAcross the street from my favorite Cafe, a tree is gone.  It is like a missing tooth to all those who enjoyed her orange flaky bark and sweet Pine scented needles.  A 70 year old Scotts Pine, she was one of the older residents of Vernon Hills, planted well before the malls sprung up around her.  She might have been part of the government tree planting in response to the dust bowl days of the 1940’s.  

It makes me sad, I could have saved that tree.

This senior citizen didn’t get enough water, and the grass underneath her branches displaced and out competed her roots so she couldn’t even absorb the water when it was plentiful.  Because of drought stress she lost resistance to a bark boring insect, Ipse Beetle.  

I tell this story because the drought this summer - the worst drought since the drought that caused the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, will be killing many more of our lovely old trees.  In fact we will be feeling the effects of the drought of 2012 well into 2015 and beyond.   

So, what can we do?

Many of our clients heeded the warnings and watered and mulched their trees. While inspecting them this fall I’ve been so impressed with how much effort many have given (along with high water bills)  and how effective this has been in saving their trees.
It may have been difficult hauling and setting hoses but you are now part of a legacy of living trees for generations.  It warms my tree loving heart.    

To prevent tree loss in the future we can apply stop-gap insecticides until your trees regain their resistance.  In our annual inspections we will be looking for drought stress induced insect attacks including:
    •    Two Lined Chestnut Borer (Oaks)
    •    Flat Headed Apple Tree Borer (Maples and Apples)
    •    Greater and Lesser Plum Borer
    •    Willow, Poplar and Linden Borers
    •    Ash/ Lilac borer
    •    Euonymous and other Scales
    •    Honeylocust Borer
    •    Ipse Beetle (Pines)

My last word is that chemical control is not the best answer.  The best way to save your trees is to surround them in tender loving mulch.  (Please request our Mulching and Watering abstracts from our web page or the good old fashioned way, call us.)

Storm Damage of Trees

Mother Nature's Moment by Lesley Bruce Smith
ISA Certified Arborist

The super storm/hurricane Sandy certainly has grabbed our attention!  Many of the images we have seen are confirmation of the truth that most of the damage to trees is preventable.  Every time we have a big storm that takes trees down or does significant damage to them, we are reminded of how many failures could be prevented if we were to understand just a little about tree physiology and respect it.

We have even heard reports that the way to avoid all the power outages is to “cut down all the trees”.  Even though this reasoning seems ludicrous, we need to address it seriously.  These kind of statements show a complete ignorance of how trees grow and the good they do. That good includes but is not limited to increased mental and physical wellbeing, pollution mitigation, water preservation, limitation of soil erosion, carbon sinking, increased air and water purification, oxygen production, carbon dioxide absorption, shade producers which reduce energy costs lowering needs for air conditioning and wind breaks reducing heating costs, wildlife habitat, and numerous studies including the landmark study at the University of Illinois that proves that by just seeing trees we heal faster, are less agitated and aggressive and our kids have lower rates of ADD and asthma.

Every day that Arborsmith’s staff goes out to work we are limiting and reducing the bad effects of catastrophic storm damage on trees.  Many of our clients escape massive storm damage because they have used their resources to protect their trees and themselves from the effects of high winds.  When we get massive storms like Sandy that dumps over 6 inches of rain and then sends 150 mile an hour winds there is going to be catastrophic failure.  However, so many failures could be eliminated simply by knowing what to look for and/or recognizing a tree’s growing requirements and respecting those.

Storm damage mitigation can be as simple as annual check-ups by a certified arborist professional.

October - Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month
Quaking Aspen - Populus Tremuloides

Quaking Aspen, Populus tremuloides, in Northern Door County, WIQuaking Aspen is another cool tree that most of us have seen but may not know, struggles in our Chicago climate.  I thought since Gil shared some of it’s unique lessons with us it would be fun to feature it as the tree of the month.

The Quaking Aspen, is native to almost every region of North America.

Aspens are often mistaken for Birch trees because of their white grey bark. That bark is so thin that the tree’s photosynthetic layer beneath it allows easy sugar production all through the winter.

They are a remarkable species of tree because they are never found as “individuals” in the wild.  We often talk about the fact that trees are tribal, that they are not meant to live alone.  This is especially true of Aspens, as a stand of Aspens are actually one huge organism that is all connected underground and can cover from 1 to 20 acres!  As a matter of fact their underground root system can remain completely unseen until enough light penetrates the forest floor to produce stem and leaf production.  This asexual or vegetative reproduction from root systems affords Aspens some great ecological advantages.  One of the most prominant being longevity.  The oldest known Aspen root system in existence has a name, Pando, and is located in the Fish Lake National Forest near Bryce Canyon National Park, in Utah.  Amazingly it is 80,000 years old, although 5-10,000 year Aspen root systems, or “clones” as they are called, are much more common.

Unfortunately, this longevity is only true of wild Aspen, not individual specimens in the Chicago landscape.  The short video clip shows our little Aspen, trembling in the wind of a fall day.

Quaking Aspen’s Lessons

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith
ISA Master Arborist

Quaking AspenI’ve planted one non native tree in our prairie garden because we like the way the breeze causes the leaves of this plant to dance.  The small tree of course is a Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides... I just love that Latin name, which directly translates to: “Poplar trembling”).The reason that the leaves in the Poplar family tremble is because the leaf stems or petioles are not round but flat and the leaf base is deltoid in shape. So the wings of the leaf base catch the wind and the flat petiole offers resistance in two directions causing it to dance from side to side.

No one knows exactly what the evolutionary advantage of this quaking is.  It has been suggested that the motion sets up an air foil that actually suspends the branches in the high winds of the mountains.
Aspen is one or the toughest and most adaptable species of trees.  It grows in higher elevations and lower elevations, in the hottest and coolest temperatures, and in the wettest and driest climates. It is truly a tree with grit, but we should note, that it does not grow naturally in the Chicago area.

Why is that? We have found a very few small pockets of native Aspen in Riverwoods, Glenview, and Lake Forest and these are in the well drained soil beds of old streams and ravines.  The important lesson to take away is that the vast majority of N. E. Illinois soil is poorly drained glacial clay.  Our wonderful Illinois soil has a long and interesting history which I will have to talk about another day but why does this matter to us?

It matters because most trees grow better, in fact 30% better in well drained soils of the East, North, South, and the West in the U.S.  So, native Quaking Aspen are indicators of places that trees grow with health and vigor.   And where Aspen do not naturally grow, (most of Illinois) we need to take special care in planting and maintenance to overcome the disadvantages that our trees encounter.  This is why we are so insistent  (contrary to many landscapers) on planting trees several inches high, mulching out to the branch spread and supplemental watering during drought.

If you’d like to learn more about these tree saving practices please refer to our Planting, Watering and Mulching Abstracts.

Box Elder Bugs

Mother Nature's Moment by Lesley Bruce Smith
ISA Certified Arborist

Box Elder Bug

We have had a number of questions regarding the prolific box elder bug population this year. In response to those inquiries we share the following.Trying to remove the nesting location for the Boxelder Bugs is not a practical idea because the bugs are very mobile, being able to fly up to 2 miles. They use not only Box Elders, which are in the maple family, but also Ash and other Maple species for food.  As a result, trying to erradicate their hosting place would mean denuding a two mile radius of up to 75% of the tree population.

The University of Minnesota recommends physical removal using a broom or vacuum when the bugs are prolific on the house.  Our experience with these critters are that they will have robust populations in some years and then not at all in others.  They are completely harmless to both humans and their host plants and normally we do not even notice them except sometimes for a brief time in the spring and then in the fall when they are trying to find overwintering spots.  

There are pesticides that are recommended to help keep them off of the house, however, the pesticides recommended are quite toxic, to humans and pets and are relatively ineffective in controlling the pest.  We DO NOT recommend their use, especially in an effort to erradicate a pest that is completely harmless!

September - Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the month • River Birch - Betula nigra

River Birch by Lesley Bruce SmithThe River Birch is one of the few Birch species that are actually native to the warmer climates of the southern tip of Lake Michigan.  We love it for its amazing creamy cinnamon colored bark which adds so much winter interest in the leafless seasons of the year.  We like to plant these trees in clumps and so they are propegated this way in our nurseries.  A five trunked birch tree is actually 5 different trees that were gathered together as infants and forced to grow as a unit.

Birch trees were considered sacred by the aboriginal peoples of North America and the Chippewa peoples were very clever in the use of it’s bark, creating cups, bowls, kettles, serving dishes, coffins, wigwams, sleds, dolls and many other important items for daily use.  Birch trees were even used for setting broken bones.

Birch trees prefer a more acidic and well drained soil and so they often suffer from chlorosis or yellowing of the leaves, due to the unavailability of nutrients which are tied up in our alkaline clay soils.  We also often plant them next to our homes, adding to this problem, because construction disturbed, concrete filled soils are extremely alkaline causing all kinds of problems for our friends the birch trees.
It helps to offset these problems by keeping these trees mulched out to the branch spread in an attempt to return their surrounding soils to a more acidic environment.

Biochemicals from the birch are found in almost every home of the Western world in the form of aspirin.  Over 100 BILLION aspirin pills are consumed annually around the world.  So the next time you take two, you can thank a birch tree.

Fall Colors

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith
ISA Master Arborist

A description of how fall color appears by master arborist Gilbert A Smith and cert. Arborist Lesley Bruce Smith of Arborsmith, craftsmen in the care of trees and shrubs. This video explains what triggers fall color and what creates the showy displays in an easy to understand way.

Poison Ivy

Mother Nature's Moment by Lesley Bruce Smith
ISA Certified Arborist

This season finds many of us out in our gardens or in local forest preserves enjoying fall color.  Since we spend a good deal of time in your yards, as well, we know that there is a lot of poison ivy out there. As professionals, we realize that the best way to avoid this often agonizing malady is to be able to identify and stay clear of the plant.

You may not know that humans react to the oils in poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) and that our contact with it does not have to be direct.  If our pets walk through it and we touch them or we walk through it and then touch our shoes or touch any thing that has been in contact with it, the oil can rub off and cause a reaction.  What we have also learned, from painful experience and from our doctor, is that our skin cells actually have a memory and when we are exposed to poison ivy over long periods our reactions become more intense.  When we get a particularly bad case, it becomes somewhat systemic and can pop up as big blistered sores on other places of our body....yuk!

The good news is that when you know how to identify and stay clear of poison ivy you can stay rash free.  Our sons, avid outdoorsmen, who are now in their 20’s and who learned to identify poison ivy as very small children have never had a case of it because their exposure has been so limited.

Avoid the painful experiences of poison ivy exposure by eliminating it in your yards and gardens by cutting vines and using Glyphosate (generic original Round-Up) weed killer, carefully following manufacturer’s labeling. Whenever working around poison ivy cover your exposed skin by wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts and be careful to remove and wash them immediately using hot water and good laundry soap.  Then bathe using laundry detergent or Fels Naptha soap thoroughly cleansing your skin, both areas that were exposed or unexposed. The oil can remain viable on your tools, gloves, shoes and clothes for days afterward!  When you know what poison ivy looks like you can stay away from it on the trails and forest preserves and in your own back yard.

If you know your skin has been in contact with poison ivy you can greatly lessen or completely avoid a rash by washing the affected area using laundry detergent within 1/2 hour of exposure.  The laundry soap or Fels Naptha soap are the only soaps we know of that have significant surfactants to disperse the oil of poison ivy.  Caution:  hand or dish soap will make it worse!

Poison Ivy by Lesley Bruce Smith

July & August - Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month • Sugar Maple -  Acer saccharum

I cannot think of another tree with as wide a recognition to North Americans than the amazing native Sugar Maple.  We love this tree, so much so, that it is the Maple leaf which graces the Canadian national flag, and the tree most people name first when asked which family of trees they like best. She comes from a big family as the Aceraceae have over a hundred or so species.

We will most likely see a lot of early fall color on Maples, like the photo above, due to the drought stresses of this last year.  

It is the Sugar Maple that the aboriginal peoples of North America discovered had a sweet sap that we boil down to create Maple syrup.  Ever wonder why real Maple syrup is so expensive?  It takes 40 gallons of sap to create one gallon of syrup, and you can think of it as the life blood of the tree, because it is.  I think of the Sugar Maple as the real Giving Tree. In fact Maple syrup was a daily food item for the First Nations throughout the centuries.  It’s wood has been long venerated for it’s charcoal and wood craft properties.  It’s medicinal properties are found in the bark, leaves, twigs and mostly the sap.  The sap contains eight major bio-chemicals that are always in a constant proportion and as such become the identifying tracers for true Maple syrup.  The first flow of spring sap in it’s raw form has long been used for its physic or tonic properties because of these bio-chemicals that act as a diuretic effect with a cleansing action to the skin and have positive effects to the spleen.  Specifically, the compound α-furanone, has an antibiotic action and decreases cholesterol levels.  It is the tree that keeps on giving long beyond it’s beauty and shade giving properties.

Forest Wisdom

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith
ISA Master Arborist

Walking through Half Day Forest Preserve in Lake County I notice that the trees are a deep dark green.  The few grasses in the understory are green as well and the temperature is 5 degrees cooler than in the surrounding prairie even on a cloudy day.    It’s so peaceful in the forest. Most of the trees elsewhere are in serious trouble from July’s continuing drought and blazing temperatures.  Lesley and I see scores of trees that are being lost every day.  

This should teach us something about tree health.  Trees are tribal.  By that I mean that they are healthy when grown in a group with no grass under their branches.  Trees in groups protect each other from the hot sun and drying winds.  Their roots, always close to the surface, are shaded from evaporation and covered with natural leaf mulch that holds moisture and limits competition.  This critical root zone can be 50 degrees cooler than an unshaded lawn.  

What the forest is telling us is that our own trees should be planted in groups with mulch out to the edge of the branch spread as they are at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.  This is a simple thing to do even in a smaller garden but you must listen to the trees and reduce the amount of lawn beneath them.  No mounds of mulch burying the trunks, they need natural forest leaf litter out to the drip line.  Please refer to our Mulching Abstract on our website or call and ask for it 847-634 -7734.  

If you do this you will greatly reduce your need for an arborist.  Oops!  Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this.  

Drought Eases - Trees Still Stressed

Mother Nature's Moment by Lesley Bruce Smith
ISA Certified Arborist

Typical scorch symptoms on a WitchazelThe rains of the last few weeks have finally eased the drought, but only slightly.  Our lawn that was the color of straw just 10 days ago is a beautiful kelly green this morning!  Proof that grass is a drought tolerant species when managed properly. 

Trees are another story.  We have seen more scorch this summer from the heat and drought than ever before!  The drought has actually lowered the trees’ defense mechanisms by stressing their immune systems.  We will see the effects of the 2012 drought for at least the next three years.  Drought damage will express itself in the onset of disease and insect attacks that will now have a foothold due to the trees lowered defense systems.  

We will be watchful for early fall color this year and borer attacks in the near future.  We will continue to remind our clients of the need for monthly watering and mulching.  In spite of watering restrictions you can water your trees by setting a soaker hose on one tree at a time for 18-24 hours once a month or more often in the intense heat and drought.  See our Watering Abstract for detailed information.

The honeybees hanging out on the front porch in the heat.Even the bees are feeling the effects of the drought.  I have to “water” my hives by providing supplemental water for them but they are such clever girls. They make use of even the dew in the early mornings and the cooler parts of the day.  At night they “hang out” on the outside of the hive to help keep interior temperatures in the hive lower.  It is so fascinating to watch.

Our oldest son is getting married next month and we were able to harvest 4.5 gallons of honey that we used to fill 200 tiny jars as favors for the guests.  Another sweet gift from the hives.

May - Wisdom from the Trees

Tree of the Month  -  Redbud

There are few trees that are more dramatic when in flower than the spring explosion of the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). Part of the unusual show is the eruption of flowers before any leaves emerge along the graceful stems of the tree in that spectacular fuchsia pink color.  How could you not like how this looks after the long winters of the northern climates of North America? 

The Redbud is a difficult tree to get established and is best installed or transplanted only when it is in flower.  Like any new transplant in the Chicago area mulching the existing and potential root zone of the tree, as shown here in it’s site at the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, will greatly enhance it’s chance for survival and thriving.  The summer heart shaped leaves of this exquisite ornamental tree are a deep green with a slight dark violet hue.  If any tree deserves the title of romantic, this one has my vote.

This tree is a relative of the Honey locust and both the flowers and indeed the buds are edible and good for putting in salads.  It is sometimes called the Judas tree because of the Christian oral history surrounding it.  Before Jesus was hanged by crucifixion, he was betrayed by His friend, Judas Iscariot, who, it is believed in anguished remorse of his action went out and hanged himself on a Redbud tree.  The history also holds legend that the tree blushed in shame and was forever after pink.

A Desperate Race

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith

The Trillium, Bellwort, Cranesbill, Wood Anemone and other spring woodland wildflowers are in a desperate race to live their life cycle before the leaves foliate the trees.    It takes a lot of sun energy to produce flowers, fruit, bulbs, and buds which is what it takes for these flowers to continue to survive.  When the tree leaves mature they block 98% of the suns energy from the forest floor.  So as soon as mid March the wildflowers are making use of the light and by the end of April they are finished and going dormant for the rest of the year.

THE COMPETITION FOR ENERGY IS FIERCE, forcing woodland flowers to live their whole above ground year in just four to six weeks. Even though there is competition, the trees and flowers have worked out a way to live in perfect synergy.  

The fallen tree leaves warm the soil and protect the flower bulbs through the winter. In the late winter the soil microorganisms break the leaves down into essential plant nutrients.  But it is too early for the trees to use the nutrients and the spring rains would wash them out of the soil if it weren’t for the wildflowers. They are in their most active growth period and they gobble the nutrients up, thereby holding them in the system.  Then, just when the trees need the nutrients to support their great stately growth, the lowly woodland wildflowers go dormant and give the nutrients back.

What lessons do the trees and flowers have for us?   

For our landscapes one lesson is to grow trees in native associations.  That’s not really as hard as it sounds.  It just means that you isolate your trees and shrubs from grass and thick ground covers as they do at the Morton Arboretum and Chicago Botanic Gardens. Create woodland gardens.

Next, don’t rake leaves out of those non-grass areas....EVER.  Don’t use fossil fuels and other precious resources (your money) to rob the trees of their natural nutrients during spring and fall cleanup. If you really want to mimic the simple forest economy, have your landscaper grind the grass clippings and leaves into mulch and leave it on your grass or in your woodland gardens.
    Third you can plant just a few wildflowers every fall, and if you don’t use pre-emergence herbicides your wildflower garden will spread every year.  If you’d like to get a few ideas take a walk through the woodland wildflower gardens at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.
    The trees are ever are teachers.  We can live in intense competition for natural resources and at the same time in synergy, if we learn to give back and recycle. Photos by Gilbert A Smith

Sweet Surprises 

Mother Nature’s Moment by Lesley Bruce Smith

Did you know that over 99% of the bees in a hive are female and the girls do all the work!  The hive is an amazingly complex system of cooperation and mutual care.  Much to my surprise, I find myself going out to the hives and greeting the girls almost every day just to watch them busily go in and out of their home.  I am always relaxed by watching them for a moment or two and usually learn something interesting in the bargain.    

After our unexpected bounty of honey in the fall I created beautiful labels and gave honey away as gifts to many friends and family.  So many people stated that it was the best honey they ever tasted that we were actually surprised. Then just recently I read an article which might explain why and greatly saddened me about the fact that the majority of honey sold in stores isn’t really honey at all.   

It may have started in the hive but in the USA, the sale of certain types of foreign honey is prohibited, because it contains so many illegal antibiotics and heavy metals.  The only way to trace the origin of honey is through the DNA of the pollen.  Unfortunately, most commercially sold honey is ultra filtered to strip it of the pollen, and to filter it in this way, in a large commercial setting, requires heating and sometimes even watering down the honey.  This ultra filtering and heating process destroys all the life giving enzymes in honey and sometimes it is even cut with high fructose corn syrup.  Sadly, by the time it reaches our grocery store shelves, what we are purchasing is a poor substitute for the rich golden nectar that the honeybees so carefully create.  It takes 2 million flower visits for honeybees to create a pound of honey!  It is truly a precious commodity. Photo by Lesley Bruce Smith

Welcome to our First Tree of the Month

Our premier tree of the month is the Illinois State Tree, the White Oak.  One of our favorites, although to be honest you will be hearing that a lot from us.  We just love trees and so we have a lot of favorites.  As you can see from this photo taken just outside New York City, White Oaks in maturity are magnificent and stately beings that deserve the honor we give them.  Those dwarfed humans under the boughs of this grandaddy Oak are your arborists, Gilbert and Lesley.

When planning for a White Oak plenty of space requirements are needed as they can reach a branch spread in our area of 40’ to 60’ and reach 80’ tall.  They love an acidic well drained soil and do not like getting their roots messed with once they reach adulthood.  They start life as a little acorn and maintain a shallow root system that usually is no deeper than 3’ to 6’ with the majority of roots staying in the top 12” of soil...yes, the top 1’ of soil.

Medicinal properties of the Oak are found beneath its bark where a chemical called quercitrin is found that supports the tree’s ability to trap and use sunlight in the shorter wavelengths.  It is an important vasoactive drug that helps control human blood pressure.  Similar plant compounds were used like Viagra by the pharoahs.

You are on our brand new website!  Help us by taking a quick look around and letting us know what you think...suggestions, insights, observations?  We would so value your feedback! lesley@thearborsmiths.com

Emerald Ash Borer Update

Backyard Wisdom by Gilbert A Smith

You may have heard that the Illinois Department of Agriculture has released several batches of non native wasps that kill the Emerald Ash Borer.  This is good news indicating that the State is on a campaign to slow the borer that has killed over 200,000 Ash trees in Michigan.
    No one knows if this introduction of natural controls will work.  Only time will tell.  In the mean time we will remain vigilant in protecting our beautiful Ash Trees.
    Because it has killed so many trees in Wilmette and Glenview, we are using a stronger, more invasive insecticide called Treeage on select trees.  Those of you who have large champion trees or are near infected trees will notice this change of strategy in our annual renewal. The initial application of Treage insecticide is twice as expensive but because this treatment lasts for 2 years the cost increase amortizes to be the same.  
    Arborsmith is always experimenting and studying what approach is best to keep your trees healthy, while protecting the environment and human health.  If you have any questions please feel free to call us, visit our website for more information, or request our Abstract on Emerald Ash Borer.

Confessions of a New Beekeeper

Mother Nature's Moment by Lesley Bruce Smith

    Last year I began a new adventure of keeping bees, or apiculture.  I became fascinated after watching a friend work her hives.  I was interested in helping the bee populations who are struggling with sudden colony collapse disorder and I hoped to learn more and help with flower pollination in our gardens as well.  I got so much more than I bargained for!  I am in love with my “girls”.  
    Did you know that during the winter the bees are working to keep the hive healthy and warm, and because they keep the hive in pristine shape to insure clean honey production and a tidy nursery, they never urinate or defecate inside the hive?  They have to “hold it” until they have an above freezing sunny day.  They were out one or two days in both January and February and amazingly throughout most of March we have witnessed the bees out and about  returning with full pollen sacks.  Not a good sign for allergy sufferers, it will be a long spring season.
    I started with two hives last May.  You purchase bees by the pound and I bought two queens who came with 3 pounds each of attending workers.  Working with my more experienced friend, I literally just dumped them out of the box in which they arrived into their new homes.  They have been hard at work ever since and those relatively few thousand bees increased their numbers to about 60,000 to 80,000 in each hive during the peak of the season.
    In addition to raising and caring for all those bee babies, who start their lives as tiny eggs in one of the hexagon shaped cells of the comb, the girls produced approximately 250 pounds of pure delicious honey between the two hives. What a sweet reward for all our collective labors.  Keep watch for more buzz about the bees in upcoming Wisdom from the Trees newsletters.