As lovely as a tree

They’re green. They’re tall. And they’re leafy.Trees may be all of those things, but they are also so much more. The wooden pillars give us the air we breath, material to build with and something beautiful to look at.

Lynette Kirton is the designated tree expert at Vandermeer Nursery in Ajax and she likes to talk about trees.

While many people would list autumn as their favourite season for trees because of the gold, amber and fiery colour of the leaves, Ms. Kirton prefers the greenery of summer.
“I love them in the summer and I love seeing all the variations in green,” she said.

But, trees aren’t just a pretty face. They provide practical benefits for a property owner in terms of affecting the temperature of a home.

“They give structure to your garden but the other thing is they can be used to keep your house cool if you have a large shade tree,” Ms. Kirton said.

If leafy (deciduous) trees are planted on the sunny side of a house, in the summer they will provide shade from the hot summer and in the winter they will shed their leaves to let the warming sunshine through. If pine or fir trees are planted on the north side of a house, they can help provide a windbreak that can keep the home warmer when it is cool outside. Both these benefits can add up to energy savings on a heating/cooling bill.

They can also help make a city livable by taking in the carbon dioxide in the air and releasing oxygen.

The City of Oshawa’s Rob Fennell knows the environmental benefits of trees.

“Trees filter the air and they help to mediate pollution,” he said. “There is more evidence that having more tree cover actually helps to sequester (remove and store) carbon, which helps with climate change.”

Mr. Fennell is Oshawa’s supervisor of forestry. He said the municipality knows the benefits of trees and that’s why it plants more than 1,000 a year in addition to the 28,000 trees it already has lining city streets (there are thousands more in greenbelts and parks).

“They improve the streetscape and the appearance of an area,” he said. “They help with property values too.”

After working with trees for nearly 20 years, Mr. Fennell has his own reasons for why he likes to have them around.

“They provide wildlife habitat,” he said. “And if you picture an area that doesn’t have trees and is all buildings and you see an area with trees, it just sort of softens the whole look and ties you in with nature.”

There are many things to keep in mind before deciding what tree to buy. Ms. Kirton advises people think about what they want the tree for and then think about things such as does it flower or produce fruit? Is it prone to diseases? And how big will it get?

“You have to get something that’s in keeping with the size of the yard,” she said, not just right now, but in 50 years time.

“Don’t always choose a tree because you like it, choose because of the location,” Ms. Kirton said. “You do have to put the right tree in the right place.”

And she doesn’t recommend anyone buy a tree as a gift — get a gift certificate instead.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” she said. “Buying a tree is a very personal thing.”

We each owe the Earth 16 trees

I you want to put back into the atmosphere the oxygen you will breath in a lifetime, take out your spade and plant some trees.

You will also help offset the climate-changing carbon dioxide you pump into the air by urban living, each time you drive a car or switch on a light.

It takes 16 trees to supply the oxygen for one person’s life. So we each owe the Earth 16 trees.

Tree Hobby Farm: Grow Trees for Profit

Starting a Christmas tree enterprise is a long-term commitment because the trees can easily take six to ten years to reach maturity. Growing Christmas trees takes a lot of work: you can’t just plant them and then ignore them until harvest time. However, they are an enterprise that falls into a “seasonal, part-time” category as well as one that doesn’t require a tremendous amount of space (at typical planting rates of 600-1,000 trees per acre), which allows part-time or small-scale hobby farmers to grow them successfully.

In order to start a Christmas tree lot, you should ideally have a fertile, well-drained and deep soil to plant them in. The trees can be planted on level ground or on a slight to moderate slope, but should never be planted in a very poorly drained area. If your soil is less-than ideal, it will limit you to growing less finicky types of trees (i.e., a Scotch pine instead of a Douglas fir), which also tend to be less commercially desirable.

The type of tree that is best suited to your individual lot depends not only on your soil type, but also on what area of the country you live in. Pines, including Scotch pine and white pine, and many types of cedar, cypress, spruce and fir trees are all marketed as Christmas trees in various locations across the USA. Check with your local cooperative extension office to see which kinds of trees are likely to do well in your area of the country.

When planting your new Christmas tree seedlings, make sure to prepare the soil carefully (tilling and/or spraying herbicides) in order to kill as many weed-seedlings as possible: weeds are one of the worst enemies a young Christmas tree has. Plant your trees far enough apart (at least five feet) that you can easily move machinery such as trucks and mowers between the rows, since you will have to scout and mow your Christmas tree lot frequently.

Your trees will require the most labor during the summer months, when they will need to be sheared (trimmed into a “Christmas tree” shape) and when insect and weed pressure will have to be carefully monitored and dealt with. If you live in an area of the country where lots of Christmas trees are grown, you will likely be able to hire skilled seasonal labor to help you with your trees. Otherwise, you will have to do the work yourself or train workers to do the job for you. Keep in mind that shearing the trees and scouting and spraying for insect pests and weeds are skilled tasks that can also be very physically demanding.

Your hard work will eventually pay off in the form of row upon row of well-shaped 6- to 8-foot tall trees that are ready to market. Hopefully, you will have developed a marketing plan for them well before they matured. Wholesaling them to local (or far-flung) retailers and retailing them yourself, either pre-cut or “cut your own” are the most popular Christmas tree marketing vehicles. All of these marketing options require a fair amount of advance planning in order to develop the facilities and relationships that will get your trees sold.

Getting your Christmas tree lot growing requires relatively little land and a fairly modest monetary investment as compared to many other part-time farming enterprises. So, if the idea of it really appeals to you, go ahead and give it a try–it could be a year-round Christmas wish come true for you.

History of Tree Spades

It’s been only a generation – maybe 30 years or so – that the tree spade has been around. In that time, it has all but put an end to the old-fashioned hand or back-hoe dug procedure. However, as a “technology” (if we want to go that far in its description), the advent of the tree spade has made contributions not only to arborists who own them but also to the trees they transplant.

The spade initially was intended to make it easier to dig up, move or transplant larger specimen-size trees, commonly those larger than the balled and burlapped varieties found at the nursery. The objective was to find an easier (and therefore more profitable) method of taking and transplanting trees for “instant” shade or beauty.
Along the way, a second benefit became obvious: Higher survivability rates. How’s that possible over the old hand-dug method? Two reasons. First, the compound form and angle of the spade – somewhat like a spoon – makes for a more compact root ball. Second, the precise cutting nature of the mechanism and the fact that the spade can carry the tree with minimal disturbance means the precious roots and root hairs remain contacted with the nutrient- and moisture-rich soil.

When Tree Care Industry magazine interviewed makers of tree spades, those two criteria – simplicity and survivability – kept coming up as the main motivations for the tree spade and its continuing evolution in terms of both design and root ball capacity.

Differences in tree spades are varied. Tree spades can be mounted on trucks, trailers or skidders – even farm tractors – meaning they can be used in tight nursery and residential areas or wide-open forest areas; for digging and hauling locally or over long distances. Some are designed for use on one machine in tight spaces and are re-mountable for transport over distances or difficult terrain.

Prices range from $8,000 to $80,000 or more for some built-to-order units. Whether the tree spade is on the small side (for nursery or light landscape use) or is the behemoth 100-inch that requires attention to DOT regulations to make them not only efficient but also legal for over-the-road portage, the objectives are the same: profitability and survivability.

Tree spades last a long time, assuming normal maintenance. They are simple in terms of moving mechanical components, driven by a proven hydraulic system. Not “destructive” by nature like a grinder or chipper, the calmer life and environment of a tree spade contributes to its longevity. Large or small, with proper care, a spade will last 10, 15, 20 years or more moving from one owner to the next with the same level of productivity.

Simple valving connected to existing truck tractor or skidder hydraulics operates the dig, lift and tilt requirements from one operator station. Grease points need regular attention as do dedicated remote engines that run the hydraulics on portable trailer units. Spades themselves need little attention – other than blade point alignment adjustments and occasional sharpening. With the exception of a broken blade, the spades last the lifetime of the unit.

Tree transplanting can be lucrative. With a 50 percent margin common (100 percent markup on the cost of the tree if purchased, and more if the arborist has a private source), single, large-specimen trees can contribute $1,000 or more each to the bottom line. Given that the procedure often requires only one piece of equipment and one operator, profitability levels can be much higher than on other jobs.

A leading supplier of tree spades is Dutchman industries, which began producing tree spades in the 1980s. A longtime major supplier of large-caliper trees to the commercial/industrial landscapes beginning a decade before, Dutchman leveraged its “moving experiences” into a healthy machine business.

Today, Dutchman supplies units ranging from the large truck-mounted 48-inch spade with a coned “clamshell” suitable for deep taproot species such as pecan, oak and pear. Unlike some of its competitors, Dutchman makes a quick-disconnect system that will swap over from a truck mount to skidsteer.

These multi-use designs are aimed at providing versatility to the arborist (you don’t have to tie up a truck for one piece of equipment) and flexibility (you can get into tight spaces such as nurseries and back yards with minimal damage by shifting back and forth from small to large transporters).

The current economic downturn may be repressing consumer desire for instant shade somewhat. Nevertheless, spade manufacturers predict a healthy future ahead – for their equipment sales and for the trees that will be moved with them.

Glossary of Tree and Leaf Terms

ALTERNATE: leaves that are staggered or not placed directly across from each other on the twig.

BLADE: the flat part of a leaf, or leaflet, characteristic of deciduous trees.

BROADLEAF: a tree with leaves that are flat and thin and generally shed annually.

BUD SCAR: the marks remaining after bud scales drop in spring.

COMPOUND LEAF: a leaf with more than one blade. All blades are attached to a single leafstem. Where the leafstem attaches to the twig there is a bud.

CONIFER: cone-bearing tree.

DECIDUOUS: shedding all leaves annually.

ENTIRE: a leaf margin with smooth, untoothed edges.

EVERGREEN: trees with needles or leaves that remain alive and on the tree through the winter and into the next growing season.

LEAF SCAR: the mark left on the twig where the leaf was previously attached.

LOBES: projections that shape a leaf.

MARGIN: the edge of a leaf.

MIDRIB: the primary rib or central vein of a leaf.

OPPOSITE: 2 or 3 leaves that are directly across from each other on the same twig.

PALMATE: blades or lobes or veins of the leaf arranged like fingers on the palm of a hand.

PETIOLE: the leafstalk that connects the blade(s) to the twig.

PINNATE: blades or lobes or veins of the leaf arranged like the vanes of a feather.

SAMARA: winged fruit.

SIMPLE LEAF: a single leaf blade with a bud at the base of the leafstem.

SINUS: indentation between lobes on a leaf.

SPURS: stubby, often sharp twigs.

TEETH: notches on the outer edge of a leaf.

Real Estate Value of Trees

Urban Forests Can Increase Real Estate Values

Property values increase 5-15% when compared to properties without trees (depends on species, maturity, quantity and location).

A study that evaluated the effects of several different variables on homes in Manchester, Connecticut, found that street trees added about $4,686 or 6% to the sale price of a home.

A more recent study in indicated that trees added $9,500, or more than 8 percent, to the average sale price of a residence in a suburb of Hamilton, Ontario.

Glossary of Tree Terms

acid
pH - acidity or alkalinity ranging from 3 (strongly acid) to 11 (strongly alkaline) with 7 being neutral.

alkaline
pH - acidity or alkalinity ranging from 3 (strongly acid) to 11 (strongly alkaline) with 7 being neutral.

alleopathy
The suppression of growth of one plant species by another due to the release of toxic substances.

alternate
Leaves that are staggered, not placed directly across from each other on the twig.

anthracnose
A group of fungi that cause dieback and sometimes death to various species, such as dogwoods, sycamores, oaks, and maples.

blade
The flat part of a leaf or leaflet, characteristic of broadleaf trees.

bract
A modified leaf that bears a flower.

broadleaf
A tree with leaves that are flat and thin, and generally shed annually.

bud scar
the marks remaining after bud scales drop in the spring.

clingstone
any of various stone fruits (as some peaches or plums) with flesh that adheres strongly to the pit.

compound leaf
a leaf with more than one blade. All blades are attached to a single leafstem. Where the leafstem attaches to the twig, there is a bud.

conifer
A cone-bearing tree.

cross-pollination
fertilization between genetically compatible trees for better fruit, often resulting in superior offspring.

crown
The head of foliage of a tree or shrub — this is the form or shape of the tree.

deciduous
Shedding all leaves annually.

entire
A leaf margin with smooth, untoothed edges.

evergreen
Trees with needles or leaves that remain alive and on the tree through the winter and into the next growing season.

exfoliate
peeling in shreds or thin layers, as bark from a tree.

freestone
A fruit stone to which the flesh does not cling.

habit
The general mode of plant growth. Used to describe the overall shape of a tree.

hardiness zone
A plant can be expected to grow in the zone’s temperature extremes, as determined by the lowest annual temperature. Other conditions such as moisture, soil, and wind might affect the availability of individual plants.

knees
The tree trunk in wet conditions exhibits a broad buttress with protrusions from the roots.

leaf scar
The mark left on the twig where the leaf was previously attached.

lobes
Projections that shape a leaf.

margin
The edge of a leaf.

midrib
The primary rib or central vein of a leaf.

native
Inherent and original to a geographic area.

opposite
Two or three leaves that are directly across from each other on the same twig.

palmate
Blades or lobes or veins of the leaf arranged like fingers on the palm of a hand.

persistent
Deciduous leaf blades that remain on the tree for more than a year.

petiole
The leafstalk that connects the blade(s) to the twig.

phytoremediation
The use of trees to take up chemicals, binding some of the material in an inert form with the tree, and converting some of it to other substances, possibly even breaking it down into the normal end product of a tree’s chemical processes.

pinnate
Blades of lobes or veins of the leaf arranged like vanes of a feather.

pistil
The seed-bearing organ of the flower. The pistil consists of an ovary, stigma, and style when present.

pollination
To transfer pollen from the anther of a stamen to the stigma of a pistil, resulting in fertilization. This can occur either on a single plant (self-pollination) or between different plants. Insect pollination and wind pollination are two examples of natural pollination.

reforestation
The planting of forested land that has been lost due to fire, logging, drought, pests, or disease to restore beauty to the landscape, provide food and habitat for wildlife, and for recreational activities.

riparian zone
an area of ecological transition between the aquatic zone and the upland zone.

rootstock
The root upon which the scion is grafted.

samara
Winged fruit.

scion
The part of the tree that is grafted or budded to rootstock.

self-fertile / self-pollinating
Fertile by means of its own pollen; this makes it theoretically possible for both pollen and ovules to unite and produce fruit without a second tree being present.

simple leaf
A single leaf blade with a bud at the base of the leafstem.

sinus
Indentation between lobes on a leaf.

specimen tree
A tree placed so people can gain the greatest enjoyment for the color, texture, scent, or other pleasures it provides.

spurs
Stubby, often sharp twigs.

teeth
Notches on the outer edge of a leaf.

triploid
Having three sets of chromosomes rather than the usual two. As a result, the pollen is sterile.

xeriscape
Saving water while maintaining trees and other plants in the landscape.

 

Guide to Planting Mature Trees

Cut years off your landscaping schedule with the right equipment and transplanting know-how.

Nothing can grace a yard like well-established trees,but if you’re starting with saplings, it can take a generation or more for your trees to reach full bloom. Of course, you’ll enjoy the benefits of maturing trees along the way, but it can still be a long wait for real summer shade and the balanced visual heft your landscaping needs.

This article helps explain the increasing popularity of truck-mounted tree spades. A large tree spade can uproot a fairly mature tree and plunk it down in your yard in a matter of hours, and in the process shave a decade or more from the wait. It’s an appealing option.

If you’ve been thinking of having a large tree transplanted, there’s really quite a lot to consider. Not every property is right for mature transplants, and not every tree will survive the ordeal. Cost is also an issue. Still, transplanting mature trees makes good sense in many cases, so let’s consider the process, from the ground up.

The equipment

A tree spade is a machine that uses hydraulics to force triangular blades into the ground so a conical plug of earth can be removed. Most larger tree spades are mounted on modified trucks with outrigger stabilizers that support and level the four blades. The two rear blades are mounted on a hinged framework that allows the back of the machine to swing open when approaching a tree.

Tree spades come in a variety of sizes to accommodate a wide range of trees. Because the size of the tree influences the machine that’s used, make your requirements clear before you hire someone to do the work. Standard equipment ranges from 20-in.-dia. nursery machines to 92-in. behemoths. The diameter refers to the width of the soil plug as measured at the surface. This measurement divided by 10 defines the size of tree that can be moved successfully. A 20-in. spade, for example, is pretty much limited to a tree with a 2-in.-dia. trunk as measured 12 in. from the ground.

At the other extreme, a 92-in. spade, mounted on a semitrailer, can transplant a 30-ft.-tall tree. The very size of these rigs is limiting, however. Job-site maneuverability can be a problem, and with a 92-in. bite the soil plug alone can weigh 12,000 to 14,000 pounds. Greater equipment costs, plus higher prices for really big trees, substantially limit the customer base. The final bill for a single transplant can exceed a couple of thousand dollars. Because of this, market pressures generally dictate smaller spades, usually in the 40- to 60-in. range. These work well on trees 6 to 12 years old, 4 to 6 in. in diameter and 12 to 20 ft. tall, depending on the species. The good news is that trees of these sizes have very good survival rates.

The process

Each planting requires the operator to first remove a soil plug from your yard, thereby creating a hole for the new tree (Photo 1). Typically, this plug is then hauled to the nursery and dropped into the hole left by a previous removal.

At the nursery, the operator opens the gate-like rear half of the spade assembly and centers the blades around the tree. With the gates closed, the operator engages the hydraulics that drive the pointed blades into the ground. The trunk is strapped to the machine to keep it from shifting as it’s transported.

Then, the operator uses a second set of hydraulics to lift the root plug from the ground, arching it over the back of the vehicle. In this way, the captured tree lies horizontally across the top of the truck for transport.

At the planting site, the truck swings the tree back to a vertical position and centers the plug over the hole (Photo 4). After the plug has been lowered into place the blades are withdrawn.

When planning the job, keep in mind that a truck-mounted tree spade requires room to maneuver. Steep grades, overhead wires, the proximity of buildings and other location features can affect the feasibility of the transplant.

Note, too, that the combined weight of the truck and tree can crack sidewalks and make a mess of wet lawns or new sod. In new construction, it’s best to plant trees before landscaping. Also, be sure to have your operator make the appropriate contact to see if buried utilities are present.

Ensuring success

The 10:1 ratio of spade diameter to tree diameter is less a mechanical limitation than a root-mass requirement. A tree that is uprooted must retain enough undisturbed root mass to replace moisture lost through the leaf structure by transpiration. This also explains why survival rates decrease in summer and increase during the cooler months of autumn.

To improve survivability in spring and summer, you might use a larger machine to transplant smaller trees. There are also commercial products that can be sprayed on leaves to temporarily reduce transpiration. And finally, tree species vary in transplant hardiness. A spruce, for example, transplants well, so you might get away with planting a 6-in.-dia. spruce with a 50-in. spade.

In fact, most evergreens transplant easily because they have shallow root systems. Some other species, including oak and walnut trees, send down deep tap roots that take much longer to regenerate.

To complicate matters further, dry, rocky soil will encourage shallow-rooted trees to grow deep, while rich, loamy soil will encourage shallow growth in deep-rooted trees. None of these factors forecloses transplanting altogether, but they are points to discuss with your nursery. Certain trees may be better planted as saplings.

Deep tap roots also pose a mechanical problem. A tree spade’s four blades don’t come together completely when fully extended. Therefore, they don’t always sever the tap root as far below ground level as possible, but break it off–sometimes fairly close to the surface–when the root ball is lifted. If you’ll be planting a lot of these trees, or fairly large ones, look for an operator whose equipment has a spade extension designed to sever tap roots.

Ballpark pricing

Local conditions vary substantially, so it’s not possible to say exactly how much you’ll pay to have a mature tree planted in your yard. The two variables are the cost of the tree and the cost of moving it to your site. Unless you’re transplanting a tree from your own property or have been offered one for free, you’ll probably buy from a local nursery. And, while prices vary widely, it’s a good bet that you’ll spend at least $200 for a locally common species seven to 10 years old. On the other hand, a perfectly shaped blue spruce can run $350 to $500. In other words, the tree can be the wild card in your pricing estimates.

As for the moving costs, where you live will influence what you pay. Operators who have to deal with heavy traffic, long distances or rocky soil that takes its toll on equipment, will charge more. Some charge by the hour (often $60 to $70), while some set a basic fee and add mileage, and others fix a price for the entire job. In most cases, you can expect a volume discount. If the moving costs for one tree were $100, you might get six trees transplanted for a moving fee of $30 apiece. In our case, we paid $125 for our tree and $100 for the move.

Aftercare

The care you give your new tree after it’s planted will greatly affect its chances of surviving that first, crucial year. The two most important steps to take initially are to stake the tree so it’s adequately supported and to backfill the seam between the root ball and the surrounding soil.

Drive at least three heavy stakes into the ground, well beyond the root ball, and anchor the tree to the stakes with wire or nylon cord (Photo 5). To keep from abrading the tree trunk with the support ties, run the wire or cord through a short length of garden hose where it meets the tree. You can also buy products for this purpose.

As for the root-ball seam, the goal is to eliminate any air pockets between the ball and the surrounding soil. In loam or sandy soil, simply flooding the gap may do it, but in most cases you’ll need to pour soil or sand around the seam and then flood the area with water. If you see the gap opening later, repeat the process.

Adequate water is another critical factor. Because it’s just as easy to kill a tree with too much water as with too little, you’ll need to watch the situation carefully. Soil type is the biggest factor. Heavy clay soils don’t absorb water very well, so overwatering is more likely in clay. A good test of soil percolation is to flood the hole one-third full of water just after it’s dug. If most of the water soaks away in about an hour, overwatering will be less likely.

In any case, after the tree is planted and backfilled, flood the seam thoroughly (Photo 6). With non-clay soils, repeat the process a few days later, then water normally, just as you would your lawn.

As for fertilizer, wait until the following growing season. The goal in the beginning is not tree growth but root healing. If you add anything, make it a root stimulator, which is primarily vitamin B-1. These common plant starters may contain some fertilizer, but will have little or no nitrogen. The best time to add a root stimulator is when you flood the seam initially.

Source: Dutchmaster Nurseries