Dangers may be lurking among the trees

On a recent walk in the cemetery near our office, I came upon a downed tree. Remarkably, I took a picture of the same tree 4 days ago and it looked fine. But unknown to me at the time, rot was lurking in a poor crotch angle. The tree, a Callery Pear, showed little signs of decay until the trunk came apart. Rot had taken hold in the center of the tree. Typically, a strong wind will reveal faults in the tree, and a branch or the whole tree will come down. Last year, in Sandusky, a large storm took down some large trees and toppled evergreens. Several years ago, a strong storm blew through Perry Township in Northeast Ohio and blew this huge maple directly onto a van. (Pictured) Trees can be deceptive. They may look totally fine and then when a storm blows through, straight-line winds can topple trees. What can a homeowner or municipality do to help evaluate and/or protect trees? The key is, if you are not sure if a tree is safe, call a certified Arborist. International Society of Arboriculture, (ISA) has a tool on their website to Find an Arborist: https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist. In addition, ISA certified arborists can also carry the TRAQ certification, which stands for Tree Risk Assessment Qualification. When in doubt, call a professional! While caring for trees, I will highlight two practices that should be avoided: Trimming around tree trunks with a String Trimmer and Volcano Mulching. String trimmers use a piece of nylon cord to cut grass and weeds that are missed by a lawn mower. On a walk through a cemetery I frequent, I noticed several tree bases that were treated with an herbicide. In the past, the previous cemetery manager told me he never used herbicides and would have his workers string trim around all the grave markers and trees. So why the change? First, I was impressed that the past manager would have his staff string trim the entire cemetery once a month through the growing season. And the cemetery was always neat and clean. I began to notice an occasional tree that would die. On closer inspection, many of the trees showed signs of lawn mower and/or and string trimmer damage. Most had damage from a string trimmer that was fresh. Some damage had healed over. Any time the trunk of a tree is damaged, it can open the vascular cambium to disease and/or insect infestation. If the entire cambium is girdled, the tree can die. The use of an herbicide like glyphosate can keep vegetation away from the base of the tree. After the vegetation is killed, the tree can be mulched, keeping the organic matter from contacting the trunk. String trimmer damage pictures are found in the article below: https://bygl.osu.edu/node/2505 The second practice is Volcano Mulching. This is where trees are mulched up to a foot or two above ground level. This mulch can lead to two problems. The mulch can hold moisture against the tree and cause the bark to begin to rot. The second problem is the development of adventitious roots that can lead to girdling roots which can also harm the tree. An article on Volcano Mulching is attached: https://bygl.osu.edu/node/2347. The point is, when in doubt regarding trees, call a professional and be kind to your trees.