The headline sounds like it could be the start of a joke, however, looking after and studying trees is a serious business. Someone who studies trees is called an Arborist. Trees create oxygen, and they also add to the natural beauty of landscapes and gardens.
There are many benefits to planting trees in your garden, and they include providing shade in the summer, and protection for the home too. Perhaps the biggest benefit, and maybe a surprising one, is that they can save you money, and increase the value of your home.
Planting trees adds thousands of dollars to the price of a home, and by shading a home on a hot day, they can also reduce the need for air conditioning. Thereby saving money.
However, without proper care and attention, they can die like any other living thing. So, who are the people who study trees and care for them?
What are tree professionals called?
One term for a tree professional is an arborist, another is tree surgeon, and occasionally you may hear the name, arboriculturist.
Regardless of the name, they all perform similar duties. An arborist is a highly qualified professional who will have had to work for a minimum of 3 years in the field. Only after passing a tough examination can they become certified, and call themselves arborists.
What do arborists do?
An arborist is mainly responsible for studying trees, planting them, diagnosing diseases, recognizing issues, caring for trees, and maintaining them.
They can conduct many tree-related services including:
- Pruning trees
- Planting trees
- Diagnosing and treating them
- Removal of trees
- Emergency care
While there are some areas of maintenance that the home gardener can perform with trees, there are many areas that need an arborist. Arborists have to sometimes work high up with dangerous equipment including chainsaws. This type of work requires experience and training.
When should you call an arborist?
Certified tree surgeons are available for emergency care, and this will often be due to storm damage. When a tree is damaged in a storm, branches can become dangerous, or indeed, the whole tree may become unstable.
The University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture says that work should be left to professionals when there is serious damage to the tree. Storms can result in branches becoming unsafe or touching utility lines. Or, the tree may need to be removed as it poses a threat to the property and people’s safety.
Depending on the circumstances, trees may need to be pruned, or maintained. It is often recommended that trees have a regular check-up to make sure there are no problems and no signs of disease.
When a tree dies it can pose a danger from falling and damaging a home, or hurting people. Dead trees also attract pests, and they may pose a health hazard to other trees. If the tree had a disease then this could spread to your other trees, plus they just don’t look attractive.
What happens if you neglect to look after your trees?
If you decide that you don’t need to call an arborist to plant your trees or maintain them, then you may end up with a costly time.
If trees are not planted in the appropriate place they may grow into overhead cables. They can affect drainage if too close to the home, and if planted too deep, they might die.
If storm damage or disease is not treated, the tree may die or pose a falling hazard. Saving money by not calling an arborist, could lead to a very expensive mistake later.
How to select the right arborist
If you need an arborist, or would just like your trees to have a check-up, then you will want to find the right professional. A good start would be to use Google, or perhaps a local directory, and search for a nearby business.
Choosing a local business may be good because you can use them for yearly checkups, and they will be close by should an emergency occur. When you are looking for an arborist it is important to make sure they are certified.
Look for the logo and statement that points to them being ISA Certified Arborists. The International Society of Arboriculture is accredited by the American National Standards Institute, and also meets and exceeds international standards (ISO17024).
Finding an ISA Certified Arborist means that you will be using a qualified, trained professional, and your trees will be in safe hands.
Summary
Trees can add so much beauty to a garden, and they also bring a world of benefits. Fruit trees not only have beautiful blossoms, but they can provide the owner with apples, pears, and more.
Failing to look after your trees can lead to them dying, and becoming an eyesore. The value from planting trees will be lost if they are not properly maintained. When you are looking for ways to keep your garden healthy use a certified arborist.