Towering redwood trees make quite an impact and are beloved by residents and visitors alike. Robust and long-lived, these large trees suffer comparatively few issues, though they’re not problem-free. What are the challenges with caring for redwood trees on your San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco, or Seattle property? Be on the lookout for these red flags.
challenges, redwood trees, redwoods, tree care, tree maintenance
What causes Sudden Oak Death in trees and plant life? Sudden Oak Death, or SOD, is caused by the pathogenic fungus Phytophthora ramorum. This waterborne mold pathogen infiltrates plants and trees through contaminated irrigation water, wind-blown rain, infected plants, and contaminated pots and soil mixes. This fungus is also associated with other tree wellness issues like Ramorum leaf blight, Ramorum dieback, and Phytophthora canker.
Roots are the foundation of your trees and essential to their health and longevity. However, buried out of sight, roots in poor condition often go unnoticed until it is too late. Diseases, soggy soil, and drought affect root health. When these inhospitable soil conditions exist, they can lead to many root diseases, collectively referred to as root rot. Poor drainage is a leading cause of these issues, and it often takes the expert eye of a skilled arborist to identify root-related tree problems. How does poor drainage create root rot in trees?
More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban towns and cities. Due to socio-economic factors, this number is only expected to increase. In most situations, the rapid expansion of cities takes place with little if any planning, leading to disastrous consequences for nearby forests and green areas, increasing pollution, and decreasing the availability of food and other natural resources.
With tree planning and management, trees can reduce these adverse effects, even with the amplification of these issues from climate change. In fact, the value of trees and green spaces in the urban environment is so great that many areas are beginning to look at ways to increase their tree count. Just what makes urban trees and plant life so valuable?
Trees absorb carbon, fighting climate change
Mature trees can absorb hundreds of pounds of CO2 annually. Trees sequester and store atmospheric CO2, using it during photosynthesis to produce sugars for energy, and releasing oxygen as a by-product.
Trees filter pollutants from the air
Trees clean the air, absorbing dangerous contaminants like carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen oxides, and sulfur oxides and filter out fine particulates like smoke, dust, and dirt.
Trees cool the air, decreasing the “heat island” effect
Strategically placed trees can reduce the “heat island” effect, cooling the surrounding air between 4 – 15 degrees F. This helps people feel more comfortable, reducing AC use and energy consumption, and offering energy savings of up to 30%. They also insulate against wind, reducing heating bills by 20-50%.
Trees and greenery regulate water flow
Healthy trees and greenery can help control water flow, thwarting runoff, and preventing flooding. One mature evergreen can intercept more than 4,000 gallons of water annually.
Trees increase biodiversity
Planting and caring for native trees and plants increases urban biodiversity, offering a safe habitat for plants and animals.
Trees provide a healthier environment
Trees improve air quality, producing oxygen and filtering pollutants and particulates from the air, helping reduce the incidence of disease and supporting the health of urban populations.
Trees can contribute to food security
The fruits and nuts from trees can provide food for humans and animals or composted and used to improve the quality of the soil.
Access to green spaces improves mental health
Multiple studies show proximity to green spaces is strongly associated with improved physical and mental health, decreasing high blood pressure and stress, and contributing to a more pleasant neighborhood environment.
Trees can boost property value
Planning to include trees in the design of your San Diego, Sacramento, San Francisco Bay Area, or Seattle urban property can increase its value by up to 20%, attracting residents, tourists, and businesses.
Enhance the value of trees in your urban environment. Safeguard the health of your trees for future generations with proper care, or learn more about ways to increase your green space with the help of Arborwell Professional Tree Management. Contact us at today.
There is no shortage of palm trees in San Diego. Sadly, there’s also no shortage of palm tree pests. In recent years, invasive, non-native insects have taken on a toll on these icons of the West Coast, making it challenging to keep your palm trees looking their best. Which types of palm tree pests do our San Diego arborists find causing the most damage to area landscapes?
The Arborwell team frequently encounters red palm weevils when compiling arborist reports. One of the biggest threats to area palms, these giant 1.5-inch red-brown insects feed on over 40 different palm species. They have caused millions in economic losses globally.
A delicacy elsewhere in the world, these pests are believed to have been introduced when they were brought into the U.S. for food. However, red palm weevils can fly about a half a mile per day, and they quickly spread through the region by flight and through palm tree sales. Difficult to detect, no one identified the escapees until landscapers noticed area palms slowly dying, the trees looking brown and droopy.
Red palm weevils are tunneling insects with a long, slender snout, which the female uses to penetrate the bark of palms to deposit her eggs. Once hatched, the larvae burrow deep into the tree, consuming it from the inside out, and leaving behind a foul-smelling mush-like substance. Because damage begins high in the tree, where new frond growth emerges, the sound of the gnawing insects often goes unnoticed until tree wellness suffers.
Our arborists are familiar with the signs of red palm weevil infestation, which we often encounter during routine trimming. Our trained professionals know to watch for signs of red palm weevils, including larval tunnels and feces within leaf bases in the tree canopy. We can help you quickly quarantine and rid your grounds of these invasive pests using traps and trunk injection treatments.
Unlike the massive red palm weevil, polyphagous shot hole borers are small; only the size of a sesame seed! Though tiny, these beetles have decimated hundreds of thousands of trees in Southern California, including healthy palm trees. Polyphagous beetles were discovered in the late winter of 2012, infecting several backyard avocado trees in Los Angeles, and have since spread to surrounding areas.
The pests were possibly introduced via shipments from Southeast Asia, though their specific origin remains unknown. The pest cannot fly but can hitchhikes in landscaping equipment, tree waste, and firewood. Another outbreak occurred a year later, found to be a second species of polyphagous beetle, the result of a second introduction rather than a spread of the L.A. infestation.
Polyphagous shot hole borers attack dozens of landscape tree species, tunneling within. They carry Fusarium, a fungus causing fusarium dieback, which affects hundreds of species. Unlike red palm weevils, these wood-boring beetles do not eat tree bark. They lay eggs in certain species that serve as reproductive hosts, such as California, Fountain, Jelly, and King palms, among many others. Like tiny farmers, they also use the tunnels they excavate to grow Fusarium, their primary food source, cultivating it within infested trees.
Our arborists can quickly recognize the signs of polyphagous beetle infestation and Fusarium dieback, dubbed the shot hole borer-fusarium dieback (SHB-FD) complex. Property owners typically notice limb dieback from the fungus, which blocks the transport of water and nutrients to leaves. When we see tiny little pinholes in tree bark, with sawdust-like powder around the holes, we scrape back bark to look for the tiny beetle in its circular galleries. As ongoing trials using natural predators progress, we use tree injection treatments to exterminate the polyphagous shot hole borer, devising a customized tree care plan to protect your landscape.
Are pests taking a bite out of your landscape? Arborwell Professional Tree Management can help you control many types of palm tree pests in San Diego. Contact us at to speak to one of our ISA certified arborists, or to schedule an examination of potentially infested trees today.
palm tree pests, palm trees, palm weevil, tree health, weevil
Many plants suffer or die in soil that is too wet or too dry. Knowing what type of soil you have and how it affects the greenery on your commercial property can dramatically impact your chances of successfully growing healthy, beautiful foliage. Your soil varies depending on your region and even how your property is situated. For example, hillside properties almost always drain well, while bottomland can be extremely poor in drainage. There is also diversity in soil structure that influences soil drainage and plant health care needs.
What do soil type and drainage have to do with plant health care? As with the value of commercial real estate, the key to plant health is often “location, location, location.” Soil drainage affects the availability of water and plant nutrients. Many commercial landscaping sites lack the ideal drainage conditions. Because each plant species has different nutrient and irrigation needs, understanding the soil type on your property can help you manage issues integral to plant health.
Do you know which of these common soil types you have on your Seattle or Bay Area commercial property?
Arborwell plant and tree health care services experts have identified these types of soil in our commercial landscape management service areas:
At Arborwell, we can help you analyze your soil on your commercial property, identifying issues, and taking corrective action when necessary. Depending on the unique composition of your soil, we may need to employ solutions such as soil amendments, to correct drainage and nutrient issues impacting plant health. Because each plant species has different requirements, this can complicate the plant health care landscape. Fortunately, Arborwell experts are well-versed on the soil types in your region, expertly assessing the irrigation and nutrient needs of your plants to help you achieve the right balance.
Are drainage issues destroying the landscaping on your Seattle or Bay Area commercial property? Schedule a plant health care consultation with an arborist in your area. Contact Arborwell Professional Tree Management at today.
Your plants depend on the nutrients in the soil for long-term health just as you depend on the nutrients in the foods you eat. Macro and micronutrients fuel the growth and beauty of your landscaping. However, providing your plants with a balanced diet takes care. Just as with your own diet, there can be too little – or too much – of a good thing.
With proper plant nutrient management, you can protect your trees, meeting all their nutritional needs. Providing expert soil analysis and studying the condition of the trees on your Seattle commercial property, our skilled arborists can identify nutrient deficiencies in your soil that may threaten the health of your plants, putting them at increased risk of pest and fungal diseases. We can then administer the exact amount of missing nutrients, supporting the health of your trees while preventing unnecessary damage due to the application of excess fertilizers and soil amendments.
With the right soil amendments, you can safeguard the health of your landscaping, improving resistance to pests and disease and laying the foundation for a long, healthy, beautiful life. Our knowledgeable team can help you feed your soil, creating the ideal environment for your plants and trees by:
The ISA certified Arborwell staff understand the importance of balance, testing your soil before composting and fertilizing to avoid the application and cost of unnecessary amendments. We know the value of naturally obtained nutrients, choosing compost, mulch, and other superior organic supplements over chemical options. Our mindful practices safeguard not only your plants, but the planet, protecting nearby soil and area waterways from the overuse of damaging chemical fertilizers.
Promote the vibrant growth of your Seattle HOA, retail, apartment, office or estate property’s landscape with plant nutrient management. Contact Arborwell Professional Tree Management at and request an arborist consultation today.
We are seeing more trees this summer that look green and healthy one week and within a few weeks entire branches turn brown and leaves dry up, the most common cause of this problem is verticillium wilt. Verticillium is a soil borne root disease that usually infects through the root as they contact verticillium spores in the soil.
Many trees are susceptible to verticillium including, arborvitae, birch, crabapple, ginkgo, maple, oak, pine, spruce and tulip trees. What makes this disease so difficult is that by the time we typically see damage, the disease has spread too far and tree removal is usually the only option. Once a soil is infected it is very difficult to kill the spores, so it usually remains in the soil indefinitely. However, there are some ways to protect your trees and reduce the chance of infection.
My tree was looked good last week and now this week it has several branches with dead leaves, what’s wrong?
This is most likely verticillium wilt, which is caused by a soil fungus that can lie dormant in the soil for many years. When the roots of susceptible plants grow close to the spores, the fungus germinates and infects the roots of the plants through wounds or natural openings. The fungus spreads into the branches through the plant’s vascular system and at the same time, causes the plant cells to “plug” themselves. Once this happens, water can no longer reach the leaves and they wilt and die, often all along one or branches at a time. It often happens quite suddenly, although in some plants the leaves turn yellow or brown first.
Why is this so prevalent now?
That is a hard question to answer but yes, we are seeing more of this disease this summer and fall. Essentially, our trees are still recovering from the drought of several years back. Their root systems were compromised. The moisture this spring really encouraged new rooting and also encouraged more root diseases overall.
How can I be sure my tree has this disease?
On certain trees – maples and tulip trees in particular, elongated dead areas of bark, called cankers, may appear on diseased branches or trunks. On most trees with the disease, the sapwood of smaller branches is streaked brown or black, occasionally in other colors too. However, since not every tree exhibits this discoloration, testing tissue in a lab may be recommended to confirm the diagnosis.
Will my tree survive?
Unfortunately, usually not. There seem to be two forms of the disease, one in which plants die slowly over several years and another where they die rapidly within a few weeks. Trees that show minor branch wilt one year may show more the next year or may not show symptoms again for several years.
Is there anything I can do for the other trees on my property?
There are ways to help protect your trees, particularly if they don’t show signs of the disease. First make sure the tree is not stressed – proper water and proper feeding are important here. Secondly, there are some good guy fungal species that do battle against this root disease and several others, too. The good guys inoculate onto the roots of a tree and fight and kill these fungal pathogens. (I like to use the analogy of probiotics that help our digestive system stay healthy.) But this process should start before verticillium wilt becomes established in the tree.
Our arborists at Arborwell can recommend a protective program for the trees that are susceptible on your site. Fill out the form below to get in contact with an arborist today!
preventative tree care, Prevention, root disease, tree care, verticillium wilt
