Winter Tree Care – 4 Easy Tips

This article is a repost from Washington DNR's Ear to the Ground blog posted on November 18, 2020. To view the original article, click here. Did you know that your trees need care throughout the winter to maintain their health? Or that you need to start that care now, before a big freeze hits? Even though trees …

Timely Tree Tips− So you planted a fruit tree in quarantine

Throughout spring, as the coronavirus emergency altered our daily lives it also exposed the fragility of our society’s reliance on our food systems. This realization inspired gardening as the hobby of the quarantine-moment. By the height of planting season, we kept hearing reports that local garden supply stores could barely keep up with demand, including …

Timely Tree Tips — Perils of Early Spring Pruning

Spring is just around the corner, and with that comes the emergence of fresh green leaves and the bright blooms of flowering trees and shrubs. In early spring--that is to say RIGHT NOW--trees are tapping energy reserves from the previous growing season to activate buds throughout the tree canopy. As the tree streams sap (energy) …

A Tribute to Cass Turnbull

The following article was reprinted with permission as it originally appeared in the Seattle Times on January 30, 2017. Plant Amnesty Founder Cass Turnbull, author and lover of open spaces, dies By Lynda V. Mapes, Seattle Times environment reporter A real-life Lorax, Cass Turnbull spoke for the trees. A staunch defender of trees and open space, …

Timely Tree Tips — Overcoming the Popular Voodoo of Tree Planting

...because "The Simple Act of Planting a Tree" is hardly so simple. Most of us recognize that any weekend warrior who has jammed a tree into their front yard and managed not to kill it immediately is hardly a tree planting expert. Even the pros, however, will sometimes disagree on the best way to properly plant …

Timely Tree Tips — Clearance Pruning for Sidewalks, Streets, Signals, Signs & Lighting

Clearance Pruning Tips - Raise tree canopies along with your program's credibility As suggested in last month's installment of Timely Tree Tips, winter is a great time to prune trees. While you're out there pruning, it's also a good time to evaluate trees in high-traffic areas, such as downtown, commercial zones, or arterial streets and boulevards, for …

Timely Tree Tips — Winter Pruning

Winter Pruning Tips - Winter is a great time to prune trees. Here is a link to some great tips for avoiding Five Winter Pruning Mistakes from our pals at Friends of Trees.

The High Costs of Deferred Tree Pruning

by Micki McNaughton, Urban Forestry Special Projects Coordinator Investing in care for young trees is a low-cost way to reduce future costs—and future risk. Proper planting, watering, mulching, and pruning ensures that trees grow to maturity in good health and sound structure. Let’s take a look at pruning in particular, the most common service purchased …

Coordinator’s Corner – Preparing for Storms

Washington is no stranger to winter storms, but early winter storms (late fall, really) are particularly devastating. Leaves are still on trees means added stress, when full canopies mix with heavy wind and rain. Proactively, good structural pruning of young trees will eliminate most of the common failures we see during winter storms; defects like …

Timely Tree Tips

Happy Spring! If spring is lagging behind in your part of Washington, bring the outside in. Learn how to force flowering shrubs for a little early spring in your home, and get some pruning done at the same time; just remember to make correct pruning cuts, outside of the branch collar. Need to brush up …

Timely Tree Tips

Winter is a great time to evaluate the structure of your tree and do some corrective pruning, if necessary. Find a how-to pruning guide by the US Forest Service by following this link. (En Española).