"Your choice in Expert Tree Service for 21 years within Southern New Jersey"

  For  several years now I have been trying to properly articulate our approach here at tree awareness.  What is it that separates us from your average tree removal company?  How would I sum up our methodology of caring for your trees and shrubs?
In a recent article by Jack Philips, entitled “A Walk in the Woods With Alex Shigo”, I found our Philosophy woven into the text.
Shigo says that good arboriculture is based on understanding how trees grow and survive.  This means working to improve natural tree strategies by reducing stress and increasing energy reserves.  Trying to eliminate the organisms that feed on trees can be counter-productive because tree defenses can be weakened and the population of attacking organisms can be strengthened.  For example, by eliminating large numbers of defoliating insects feeding on a tree, the concentration of defensive chemicals in the leaves may also decrease.  The use of insecticides can make the tree more vulnerable to future infections.
The defoliating insect population can be strengthened because the weakest individuals are the most susceptible to insecticides.  The surviving individuals are left to reproduce and pass resistant traits on to the next generation.  This is one way that pests become resistant to chemical controls over time.  Insecticides can also interfere with the natural controls by unintentionally killing predators and parasites of the target insect, and by eliminating weak individuals that could otherwise infect the pest population with diseases.  This does not mean that artificial controls should never be used; they should be used only when radical measures are the only available option.
Shigo’s oscillation model helps us learn how to work with nature, not against it.  Arboriculture can take advantage of the natural controls of pests and pathogens while strengthening the defensive strategies of trees.  This is not a passive approach that simply lets nature take its course and leaves trees to fend for themselves.  Rather, it is an approach based on proper selection, location, planting, pruning, preservation, and restoration.  This is how we can help trees capture and store the energy required for healthy growth and survival.
We learn in the woods that trees live in countless relationships.  Shigo liked to say that the forest is a single tree under ground, and the creatures we see before us are connected in ways beyond imagination.  The members of the community live, grow, die, and decay for the benefit of all.  Organisms that feed on the trees in various stages of life are not adversaries, but associates.  Nature is not a battle, but a dance.
And we must join this dance.  We are responsible for every tree we cut or plant,, and must become advocates for the trees and teachers of enlightened tree care.  But we need trees more than they need us.  On their last walk near his cottage by the pond, Alex turned to Jack and said: “Trees saw us coming, and trees will see us going.”  This is now true for Alex.  And the forest is lonelier.
Alex Shigo considered by most as the father of Modern Arboriculture past away at his cottage on October 6, 2006.  He will be greatly missed by all in our industry. 
 

  What materials are the BEST mulches for trees?
· Bark chunks or shredded bark that is at least 3/8 inch in size.  Pine bark will last longer than hardwood bark.
· Pine needles
· One-year old wood chips.
· Leaves that were shredded and composted for at least three months.
 
What are the WORST mulches for trees?
· Fresh grass clippings or fresh wood chips.
· Any fresh organic mulch.
· Any organic mulch that smells bad.
· Peat moss or sawdust.
· Pebbles, rocks, or cobble stones.
· Bricks or pavement or black plastic.
· Ground -up rubber tires.
 
What good does proper mulching do for trees?
· Mulch helps to prevent soil compaction that suffocates a tree’s roots.
· Mulch helps add organic matter to the soil as it gradually breaks down, thus acting like a slowly released, natural fertilizer for the tree.
· Mulch helps prevent the soil from washing away.  Soil erosion is very harmful to the tree’s exposed roots.  Soil erosion not only stresses the tree but can increase the chance of blow down in a storm or on a windy day. 

· Mulch helps the soil to hold water for the tree’s roots.
· Mulch helps reduce the damage from drought and from pests.
·  Mulch helps to keep lawn mowers and string trimmers away from the bark.  Damaged bark is an open wound that can be infected by fungus and bacteria known to kill trees.  If the tree’s green tissues located just inside the bark are cut, then the water from the roots cannot get carried up to the leaves and food from the leaves cannot get carried down the roots.
· Mulch helps to moderate soil temperatures.  It behaves like an insulating blanket.  It helps keep soil cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.  This is much less stressful for the tree roots.
· Mulch helps reduce weeds and grasses around trees.  Weeds and grasses will compete with the tree’s roots for water and for nutrients.
What about termites?
Mulch beds should be kept at least 6 inches away from building foundations, the lowest course of siding, and any wooden parts of a building.  Termite kings and queens only live in soil, so chances of bringing them home in mulch are slim.  However, that 6-inch barrier strip will not be easy for termites to bridge with their mud tubes.
 
What do I need to know to mulch trees the right way?
· Start 6 inches from the tree trunk at ground level and mulch outward to the edge of the dripline to maximum depth of 2 inches to 4 inches.
· Keep a 2-inch to 4-inch layer around, but not touching the base of the tree.  Mulch as much of the area under the tree as possible with out having mulch touch the trunk.
· Never pile-up a cone of mulch around the tree trunk!  Mice, insects, and fungus may hide next to the trunk and feed parts of the tree.  The cone-shaped mulch piles and thick layers of mulch also prevent water from reaching a tree’s roots.  Tree roots that grow up into the cone of mulch on top of the soil cannot be healthy.
· One layer of woven Landscape Fabric may be used under mulch in heavy weed areas.  Never use plastic sheets under the mulch.  Plastic sheets block the passage of air and water and stunt root growth.
· Every spring or every other spring, rake or remove any hard crust and add only enough new mulch to maintain a 2-inch to 4-inch layer.  Never build up layers of mulch by adding new mulch on top of the old mulch around the tree.
 
Who can help your trees?
If your tree is trapped in a mulch volcano, please don’t remove the entire volcano all at once!  Removal of a mulch volcano all at once might further damage your already stressed tree.  We recommend that you first seek advice of a NJ CERTIFIED TREE EXPERT like us.