A teeny tiny little mite is responsible for those unsightly brown masses left behind over the winter on your ash tree!

​These are ash flower galls. The mites overwinter under the flower buds, then begin feeding in the spring. The feeding then stimulates plant growth under the flower, thereby creating a gall. The gall hardens and turns brown later in the season, then hangs on for the winter. 

Don't worry - the galls are purely an aesthetic issue and your tree won't be harmed. No need to control these mites! 

Meet Andrew - our newest addition to the Arbor Aesthetics team! We're excited to announce that we're going beyond tree trimming and removal and will now be offering Insect & Disease Management services:
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• Pine & spruce fungus
• Crab apple rust (for crab apple, hawthorn
  ​and pear trees)
• Emerald ash borer
• Bur oak blight
• Spider mites, bag worms, pine moths, and more
• Anthracnose fungus
• Iron deficiency
• Deep root fertilization
  
  Do your trees suffer from any of these? Not sure what your tree is suffering from? Give us a call. We're here ​to help!
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The Emerald Ash Borer hasn't officially been detected in Omaha, but it's wise to know what to look for. Here is a great instructional video on how to identify EAB damage before it's too late. To summarize, here are a few things to look for:

• A thinning canopy
• Woodpecker damage
• Cracking branches and vertically splitting bark
• D-shaped exit holes that measure 1/8"
  
  

​As always, consult a certified arborist if you suspect infestation, as these symptoms can also be caused by other insects. The earlier we can detect it, the higher the survival rate!

The Nebraska Forest Service has issued a press release (3/8/16) warning homeowners of scammers surfacing in Nebraska to sell EAB treatments. 

'The Nebraska Forest Service (NFS) is encouraging homeowners to beware of solicitors promoting tree services and products related to Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Unconfirmed reports have surfaced from around the state of person(s) providing misinformation, or claiming they will eradicate the invasive insect through treatment or removal of ash trees. These “companies” may be uninsured, unlicensed or request payment upfront—all possible indications of a scam.

“If the treatments seem too good to be true, that’s likely the case,” says NFS Forest Health Specialist Jennifer Morris. “Familiarizing yourself with EAB and what options are out there is an excellent way to sniff out possible scams.” 
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Read the full press release here.

Sometimes, the solution to one problem creates a problem elsewhere. While road salt can keep us safe on the roads during icy weather, did you know that it can have detrimental effects on trees and landscape plants? Even worse, symptoms from this winter may not appear until late summer or even years later. Not only can salt damage foliage, it can stunt tree growth and in severe cases, can lead to death.

“Salt deposits migrate to the stems, buds and roots of trees,” explains Tchukki Andersen, BCMA, CTSP*, staff arborist with TCIA. “This causes disfigured foliage, stunted growth and severe decline in tree health. Salt runoff washes from pavement into the ground, increasing salt levels in the soil.”

Don't you wish more things in life came with instruction manuals (like your kids)? It's easy to assume that trees are invincible totems of lumber, but they're living things that require at least some basic knowledge to care for.

Luckily, your trees DO come with a manual: "The Tree Owner's Manual​" written by the U.S. Forest Service. We highly recommend bookmarking this PDF file for your reference!

What's in the manual?

• Bringing your tree home from the nursery
• Planting instructions
• Watering information
• Mulching
• How to address issues early on
• Tree health & safety
• Protecting your tree from construction
• How to hire an arborist
• Tree types
• Maintenance and pruning
• Removal and disposal
• Troubleshooting
• Selecting a tree at the nursery

​​In this case, the homeowner wanted to pave an area where grass wouldn't grow around the tree roots. This is a common issue, but consider the fact that you are creating an unnatural environment for the tree by doing so. Root systems are more sensitive than one might think. Pavers (or even river rock) absorb heat, and holding heat close to the root system can harm the tree. These landscaping "solutions" also pose the risk of compacting the soil and depriving the roots of oxygen, a necessary component for transporting nutrients throughout the tree. For this same reason, trees that are planted in urban environments surrounded by concrete don't tend to thrive. 

Mulch! Trying to maintain grass until a tree with heavy surface roots is a battle not worth fighting. Lightly mulch under the tree out to the drip line for a neater appearance that requires little to no maintenance. Mulch no more than 2" deep and keep it away from the trunk.

If you MUST, cut a root cleanly with a sharp saw, and cut it straight across to leave as small and round of a wound as possible. Avoid chopping and tearing the roots, or cutting along the length of the root. 

It may take several years for a tree to show signs of damage. Look for:

• Small, pale colored leaves
• Leaves turning brown on the edges or shedding early
• Tips of the limbs dying over time

We're grateful for opportunities like this to teach others about proper tree care! Another tree saved - we love what we do! ​​

Do you have a question about tree care? Email us - we're here to help!
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We're seeing it a lot this year. Bur oaks, coveted for their resilience and strength, are looking sickly. Bur Oak Blight could be the culprit, but don't panic - we can help!

Bur Oak Blight is a fungal disease that affects bur oaks in the midwest. It's a fairly new disease, emerging in the 1990's. We speculate that the particularly rainy spring and summer is making our friend 'BOB' feel a little too at-home here in Omaha. More specifically, if the weather is cool and rainy while new leaf shoots are expanding, the leaves could already be infected with the fungus, then show symptoms later in August. 

Owning a tree service, we spend a lot of time looking at trees, even when we're not on the job. Yesterday, we spotted some very unfortunate pruning work that just happened to be in the parking lot of a major nursery here in Omaha. We cannot stress enough the importance of quality tree pruning. Seemingly small errors, like the ones pictured below, can lead to serious consequences down the road.

This information is taken from the USDA Forest Service's brochure "How to Prune Trees." It's a great resource!

Target the Cut
To find the proper place to cut a branch, look for the branch collar that grows from the stem tissue at the underside of the base of the branch (Fig. 6A). On the upper surface, there is usually a branch bark ridge that runs (more or less) parallel to the branch angle, along the stem of the tree. A proper pruning cut does not damage either the branch bark ridge or the branch collar. 

A proper cut begins just outside the branch bark ridge and angles down away from the stem of the tree, avoiding injury to the branch collar (Fig. 6B). Make the cut as close as possible to the stem in the branch axil, but outside the branch bark ridge, so that stem tissue is not injured and the wound can seal in the shortest time possible. If the cut is too far from the stem, leaving a branch stub, the branch tissue usually dies and woundwood forms from the stem tissue. Wound closure is delayed because the woundwood must seal over the stub that was left.

When pruning small branches with hand pruners, make sure the tools are sharp enough to cut the branches cleanly without tearing. Branches large enough to require saws should be supported with one hand while the cuts are made. If the branch is too large to support, make a three-step pruning cut (Fig. 6C) to prevent bark ripping (Fig. 7C).