Monthly Archives: June 2018

The Boots on the Ground Approach by Tree Care Professionals

Posted on June 28 2018 by Fannin Tree Farm

tree care professionals

Landscaping is a multi-billion-dollar industry within horticulture. Trees are one of the most valuable amenities in a landscape. These assets need to be adequately cared for to maintain safe and functional green spaces. Whether you have trees at your home, place of business, or if you’re responsible for a master-planned development, trees are a significant consideration on real estate value.

If you have considered purchasing real estate, especially in a neighborhood, the landscape is one of the first things that you see. If your first impression is unmaintained landscape with dead, or dying trees, it can be a real turnoff.

It’s our responsibility as homeowners, managers, and developers to contract professionals to take care of landscapes and trees. An industry as large as horticulture, there are many contractors for hire. When considering any engagement, there should be a standard of education, training, and performance.

The International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) has built a certification program, for individuals to complete, to be certified as a tree care professional. A credentialed arborist should be an ISA Certified Arborist or an ISA Board Certified Master Arborist. Additional certifications and licensing is added-value and speaks mainly on their behalf. It is essential to contact a Certified Arborist to manage your trees.

Here is a link on “Why Hire a Certified Arborist”:
https://www.treesaregood.org/portals/0/docs/treecare/hire_arborist.pdf

After 20 years of managing trees and landscapes, I have found that time and continuity is the best value that I have provided my clients. I call this, “The Boots on the Ground Approach.” It requires many essential aspects:

  • An in-person meeting to discuss goals and objectives.
  • A thorough inspection of trees and landscape surroundings, to include potential hazards associated with recommended services.
  • Photo documentation and note-taking.
  • Follow up
    • Clearly written objectives in the form of a report or an estimate.
    • An email or phone call.
  • Services
    • Proper planning
    • Job briefings
    • Well executed performance
    • A service overview referred to as a debrief.

The Boots on the Ground Approach is like the old saying, “the best fertilizer is the farmer’s footsteps.”

Throughout my career, I have noticed one thing; clients are incredibly loyal. A good arborist listens to your needs and makes reasonable recommendations.

What should you be looking for in hiring a Certified Arborist?

  • They must be certified through the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).
  • I would ask about their experience. A good arborist has gone through the appropriate training and may still be in training, under the supervision of an experienced arborist.
  • It’s beneficial for them to have advanced education in horticulture, agronomy, or forestry.
  • A good arborist has a good knowledge of other plants and how to care for them.
  • They should follow industry standard of arboriculture (ANSI A300 and ANSI Z133.1)
  • The company should maintain commercial liability insurance.
  • Ask for client references.

At Fannin Tree Farm we have a great team of knowledgeable professionals that are ready to help you maintain safe and sustainable trees. If you are interested in meeting with one of our arborists, contact us at 972-747-9233.

Summer Reading and Trees

Posted on June 6 2018 by Clair Skinner, Business Manager

If your kids are like mine they are excited to escape far from the confines of the classroom, working hard to forget almost everything they learned. At least you can help them avoid the dreaded brain dump this summer by keeping them reading all summer long. I’m already making plans for my kids for this summer and that includes a summer reading list that has many books about trees on it. Yes, I know I am partial to trees and I love trees. It is one of the reasons I work on a tree farm. There are some great books out there about trees for every age child.

One of my favorite quotes about reading is from Laura Bush, “As parents, the most important thing we can do is read to our children early and often. Reading is the path to success in school and life. When children learn to love books, they learn to love learning.” There are many benefits to reading to your kids. Some of those benefit include setting your children up to succeed, reading develops language skills, it exercising your child’s brain, enhances concentration, encourages a thirst for knowledge, a range of books teaches children about different topics (like trees), develops a child’s imagination and creativity, books are a form of entertainment and can be read anywhere ( like under a tree)and my most favorite reason why reading to child is so amazing, it helps create a bond. As a busy mom, it has always been a way for me to wind down with my son at night. I have always tried to remember, “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” Emile Buchwald.

 

I asked some of our kids here at the Tree Farm whose parents work here, what some of their favorite tree books were and here are some of the answers I got. I think a lot of these books are great reads and I encourage you to read them with your kids.

  • The Lorax – Garrett, age 11
  • The Giving Tree – Chase, age 14
  • Chica Chica Boom Boom – Miles age 4
  • Go Dog Go – Natalie age 6
  • Winnie the Pooh – Eve age 14
  • Secrets of the Apple Tree – Finley age 1
  • One Tree – River age 3
  • The Magic Maple Tree – Kaitlyn age 13
  • The Tree Lady – Grey age 12

I also love the idea of creating a Reading-Friendly Environment. Barnes and Noble explains, to keep kids reading, you need to remove as many barriers to reading as you can. That means having books at the ready for kids when they want one, and having a comfortable, quiet place where they can lose themselves in a book. As summer starts, you can work with them to create a little reading nook, with stacks of books and comfy pillows. You can also designate a night as a “screen free” night, in which everyone in the house (including you) must do an activity that doesn’t involve a screen. This took awhile for my kids to get use to but once we started the screen free activity night at our home, reading took off.

If you are looking for some great Tree book reading list, here are three places I recommend you go to find some great books to read.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/blog/kids/8-books-about-trees-for-arbor-day/
https://www.longleaflumber.com/the-top-15-childrens-books-about-trees/
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Childrens-Forest-Tree/zgbs/books/3270

Happy Reading…. Don’t forget the Tree Books….

Sources:

https://www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/reader/reader.pdf

https://bilingualkidspot.com/2017/10/19/benefits-importance-reading-young-children/

Tree Pruning & Supplemental Support Systems

Posted on June 5 2018 by Fannin Tree Farm

Summertime is all about tree maintenance. First and foremost, we prune trees for health, safety and aesthetics. A well-maintained tree looks natural, while be managed. An overgrown, poorly maintained tree is pretty obvious. Mature tree pruning should only be conducted under the supervision of a certified arborist.

 

Structural Pruning

During any season, structural pruning is a great way to maintain balance and improve the structure of a tree. We have trained our arborist and technicians on how to identify structural defects, such as; codominant stems, included bark, and poor branch attachments. These defects may lead to tree failures if not corrected.

Mistletoe Removal

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that is often identified in Cedar Elms, Hackberries, and many other species of trees. While the trees are dormant, we suggest removing mistletoe, prior to blooming, to prevent further spread.

Oak Pruning

The window for pruning oaks is open again. We recommend pruning your oaks prior to the middle of February and after the middle of June in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This is to prevent an established disease known as Oak Wilt.

Supplemental Support Systems

During the summer months, the trees are weighted down. If you have not already taken the necessary steps to prevent limb failure, a supplemental support system may be a good way to mitigate branch failure potential. This may include extra-heavy strength cables, bracing rods, or even props for very old, low branching trees. Support systems help trees withstand the high winds and rain that occur throughout the year. Not all trees need supplemental support, but this should be determined by a trained arborist.

At Fannin Tree Farm, our tree services team offers comprehensive list of services. If you are interested in meeting with one of our arborist, give us a call at (972) 747-9233.

https://www.fannintreefarm.com/summer-tree-care-checklist/

Summer Tree Care Checklist

Posted on June 5 2018 by Fannin Tree Farm

Summer is here and our trees should be full of leaves this time of year. Now is the time to consider tree maintenance to prevent damages from storm events.
                                                

  1. Tree Pruning & Supplemental Support Systems

    2. Contact an arborist to evaluate your trees for pruning. A qualified arborist should be able to identify risk associated with structural defects. Prune to remove and/or reduce over extended branches that may fail or break off during a storm event. Install supplemental support systems (cabling, bracing, propping) to reduce branch or tree failure potential. Remember, this should only be conducted under the supervision of a qualified arborist.

  2. Fertilization

    3. Fertilizing trees is a good thing in most cases. We recommend fertilizing new trees and trees in poor vigor. If you have goals for a tree to grow into a large shade tree, fertilizing will improve growth.

  3. Pest Management

    4. Contact a qualified certified arborist to evaluate your trees for pest and diseases. Watch for harmful insects and pathogens that may attack your trees.

  4. Tree Removal

    5. Remove hazardous trees to mitigate risk associated with failure and impact.

  5. Irrigation Management

    6. Contact a licensed irrigator to inspect your irrigation system. Make sure that it is working properly. If you have poor coverage, broken heads or lateral lines, this could cause harm to your trees. Also, setup your controllers to properly water your tree. If you are concern about how often and how much you should water your tree, contact a certified arborist.

  6. Monitoring

    7. Walk around your garden on a weekly basis throughout the summer to ensure that you are trees and shrubs are healthy. If you see anything out of the ordinary, you should reach out to a professional.

If you have any questions about your trees, feel free to contact the professionals at Fannin Tree Farm. Our number is 972-747-9233 and we have a team of arborist ready to serve.

https://www.fannintreefarm.com/tree-pruning-supplemental-support-systems/