Timely Tree Tips: Rainfall interception in urban areas

These large London plane trees along the waterfront in Poulsbo, WA help intercept and slow down rain water. This spring we have been encountering some extraordinary rainy weather. Since March we have been hearing about the rain setting records throughout Washington—for instance, in the entire month of June, Seattle usually averages 1.45 inches of rain. …

Timely Tree Tips: Tree Owner’s Manual

Think back to the day you planted your latest tree. It may have been during Arbor Day, which recently passed in April, or during the fall planting season. You did your research to find the perfect planting spot for your perfect tree. You properly planted the tree, mulched around it and topped it off with …

Timely Tree Tips — Assessing Damage After a Winter Storm

Recently, it seems like the whole state was blanketed with winter storm activities, which has now left some parts of Washington experiencing flood risks, avalanche warnings, and post-storm tree damage. When winter storms sweep through, they can leave behind wet, heavy snow or thick layers of ice. If a tree is weak, diseased or previously …

Winter Tree ID Part 1 – No Leaves, No Problem

Winter may seem like the worst time of the year to identify trees− because without leaves to look at, recognition of common species can become tricky for most people. However, arborists regularly inspect, prune, and perform other maintenance activities on trees in winter months and knowing the species is key to getting the job done …

Tree City USA Bulletins & Resources

Annual Tree City USA applications for Washington communities were due on December 1. Did your community submit their 2021 application? If not, you can still do so, email Jessica.Lloyd@dnr.wa.gov for more information. To help cities maintain and grow their tree cover, the Arbor Day Foundation has published more than 100 Tree City USA Bulletins on …

Timely Tree Tips: Summer Tree Care

Whenever there’s a heatwave like the one we experienced at the end of June, people are warned to stay indoors, drink plenty of fluids and watch for signs of heat stress. These are steps we instinctively take to cope with hotter than normal temperatures. Similarly to ourselves, our trees also just endured numerous days of …

A Tree to Try: Red Horsechestnut (Aesculus x carnea)

The attractive Aesculus × carnea (red Horsechestnut) tends to be a mystery− its origins are unconfirmed and a subject of controversy among arborists and researchers alike. Some sources claim the origins lay in 1820 Germany, while others in 1858 France, and there may be additional claims we are forgetting to mention. Regardless, most experts believe …

Preparing Your Urban Forest for the Next Storm

Wind, ice, snow and wildfires can leave a city a mess. The snow and ice storms we experienced in western Washington earlier this year knocked out power lines and littered sidewalks, business districts and streets with limbs. Trees that were otherwise healthy and strong may have been damaged, and more frequently, the unhealthy and more …

The complex issue of urban soils, people and trees

A couple years ago, during what I thought was a business-as-usual downtown park tree planting, my volunteer group came across a startling discovery. They were digging large holes for our 2” caliper trees then, at about 2 feet of digging, “clonk”— shovels started to hit a plane of bricks. The planting instantly became not-so-normal as …

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 …

Forester’s Notes During a Pandemic

This article is reposted with permission as it originally appeared on the Washington State University Puget Sound Extension Forestry E-Newsletter on August 5, 2020. Click here for the original version and to subscribe to the newsletter. These are the Forester's Notes of Kevin Zobrist, Professor at the Extension Forestry, Washington State University. Protecting the vulnerable  This virus …