Some simple comments to help your Tree Watch reporting…
Tree Watering.
Over the Summer period newly planted trees need to be watered regularly for the first couple of years. If a tree is wilting or has drying foliage poke your finger (or a stick?)into the soil to check for dampness.
Tree Pruning
Assessing this can be a little challenging.
Limbs of trees need to be well clear of power lines and avoid passing vehicle breakage. Depending on the species, a tree may need to have a limb shortened to avoid weight/wind breakage. However, it is the heathy limbs that have grown to 100mm+ diameter and then cut unnecessarily that need reporting. Larger limb removal happens too often with our street trees.
Elm Beetle infection
Relevant to our many English Elms. Leaves are eaten with just the skeletal vascular outline of the leaves remaining. Leaves may look like they’ve been hit with shot gun pellets. Can kill a tree if left untreated.
Tree disease
If a tree has discoloured leaves or has bare branches it may be diseased. Can be considered a tree in poor health.
Whipper Snippers/mowers.
Sometimes younger trees get ringbarked at their base and die. Look for outer bark damage.
Young Tree Instability
Because of a small hole dug or a pot bound tree the root system will struggle to establish. Wind or vandalism also can create a wobbly tree at its base and is likely to fall over in time.
Tree support
Newly planted trees usually need a couple of seasons to establish in the ground.
If stakes or ties are missing or damaged a tree can become unstable.
Work sites
Trees, including our street plantings, should have protective cages around them.
Large or Small Tree?
For argument sake let’s say a tree over 5-6 metres in height with a similar breadth can be considered a large tree. Our larger and fully mature trees if damaged or removed must be reported and acted upon.