Tree Killers: The decline of the Ash Trees

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Over the last few years, there has been a great die off of Ash Trees in Ontario. The cause of this die off is due to the Emerald Ash Borer, killing millions of ash trees across Canadian forests and urban areas.

What is the Emerald Ash Borer?

The Emerald Ash Borer is an insect pest from Asia, specifically from China, that feeds on and kills ash trees. These insects kill the trees by cutting off the flow of water and nutrients by feeding underneath the bark. All species of ash trees are susceptible, except for the mountain ash which is not a true ash. Once a tree is infested with Emerald Ash Borers (EAB), mortality is inevitable and will wither within 2-3 years. When the beetle arrives to an area, within 8-10 years 99% of all ash trees in that area will die. Adult Ash Borer’s can fly and spread locally, which makes it virtually impossible to eradicate these pests.

The Importance of Ash Trees

Ash trees are known as pliant and strong, but also light in weight. They provide consumers with wood products and wildlife such as cardinals, wood ducks and finches with food. White ash trees create products such as baseball bats, hockey sticks, gardening tools, guitars and furniture. Five varieties of ash grow in the province – black, blue, pumpkin, red and white, white being the most common. Black ash wood is not as strong as white ash, but is used for furniture when a grainy look is desired. Some of southwestern Ontario forests were made up of 90 percent ash before the borer’s made their way to Canada. Because these trees grow rapidly and can thrive in environments that have been built up, it is a first choice for many urban tree-planting programs.

The Emerald Ash Borer in Canada

The EAB made its way into Canada by stowing away on wooden shipping pallets. In North America, the beetle was first discovered in Michigan and Southwestern Ontario in 2002. The first infestations in Toronto were later discovered in 2007 and in York Region specifically in 2008. In Asia, the insect is not considered a major pest as it only attacks weak or sickly trees. In North America however, any ash tree, regardless of its health became fair game. The adult beetles attach themselves onto vehicles, causing long distance spread across the country.

The Future of the Ash Trees

The sad truth for Ash Trees is that there may not be a future for them. It is estimated that within the next ten to fifteen years, most of the estimated 2,800,000 mature ash trees growing in York Region will become infested and die. 700,000 of these trees are found in the urban forests and 2,100,000 are in rural woodlands. In the City of Toronto alone, it is estimated that all of its 860,000 ash trees will die due to EAB by 2017. The conclusion that most experts in the field agree on is that the Emerald Ash Borer will only be eradicated when all the ash trees in the world no longer exist. Seeds from select mature ash trees are now being collected and safely stored for future planting once the EAB is no longer a threat. However, no one is able to determine when that may be.

Treatment and Prevention

A biologist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (also known as the CFIA) says that the emerald ash borer will continue to spread across the Maritimes, but its progress can in fact be slowed. A specific spray has been developed to prevent the death of the emerald ash trees however, it has to be applied in the very early stages. This makes it quite difficult of a spray to be used as it is hard to determine right away when the EAB infestation has occurred. The spray must be applied several times and is a rather expensive solution with no guarantee of its effectiveness. For now, CFIA is encouraging communities to create management plans and carefully monitor ash tree populations in order to catch the insect as quickly as possible.

Effects of the Emerald Ash Borer for Alexander Tree Care

Throughout 2019, our company has experienced a tremendous rise in requests from customers to remove ash trees in our operating areas. We believe the spike is due to the trees now showing their final stages of decline. This causes customers to accept the sad truth that their ash trees are not going to recover.

 

If you suspect your trees are infested by the Emerald Ash Borers, call us or request a quote. An on-site evaluation by one of our ISA certified arborists will be arranged. For peace of mind we are fully insured and covered by WSIB. Alexander Tree Care has been proudly serving Toronto and York Region; including Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Markham, Georgina, Vaughan, Bradford, King City, King Township and surrounding areas for over 10 years.

 

Don’t forget to follow what our customers have been saying about Alexander Tree Care. Check out our reviews on HomeStars and Google. You can find us on Facebook, or click here to contact us.

 

Till next time,
Alexander

HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR TREE IS SICK: SIGNS OF TREE HEALTH ISSUES

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Trees are like us – they can get sick. The only difference is we can go to the clinic and get help when we need it. Trees rely on us to be able to assess what is wrong, and if needed, get professional help.

It is important to diagnose tree health symptoms as soon as possible. Tree damage may be taking place right under your nose from common culprits like disease and insects. Often, these problems can become widespread before you even notice them. There is such a large variety of issues that can wreak havoc, that many of them are not very easy to identify. In many cases, the damage has been going on for years until it becomes so severe that it’s obvious.

You probably don’t know how to tell if your tree is unhealthy or what is causing the problems, but there are some common signs you can look for which might help you spot a problem early. Being armed with some basic diagnostic tools may help you avoid losing a mature plant that you value.

Here are some common signs of tree problems in order to better equip you with the knowledge to ensure your tree is healthy and happy.

1. Leaf Rust

First thing, give your trees a visual inspection. Checking the leaves is one of the first key steps as unhealthy trees lose their leaves prematurely. When you see yellow, orange and gold spots rupturing leaf surfaces, you’re dealing with rust. Leaves are discolored or mottled yellow to brown. Powdery fungal clusters appear on the leaves and leaves may become twisted and distorted.

While it rarely kills plants, rust fungus makes leaves unsightly and weakens the plant by interfering with photosynthesis, the process a plant uses to make food. Each plant species that are susceptible to rust, hosts a particular rust species that may vary from other rust species in appearance.

2. Scratch test

One of the best ways to determine if a tree is dead is the tree scratch test. Just beneath the dry, outer layer of bark in a tree’s trunk lies the cambium layer of bark. In a living tree, this is green, in a dead tree, it is brown. Scratching bark to see if the tree is alive involves removing a little bit of the outside layer of bark to get a look at the cambium layer. You can do this without making a big mark in the tree. If you perform the tree scratch test on a tree trunk and see green tissue, the tree is alive. This does not always work so well if you scratch a single branch since the branch may be dead but the rest of the tree alive.

During times of severe drought and high temperatures, a tree may “sacrifice” branches, allowing them to die for the rest of the tree to stay alive. So, if choosing to do a scratch test on a branch, choose several in different areas of the tree or just scraping the tree trunk itself.

3. Check the soil

Trees within cities or highly industrialized areas may have an unhealthy appearance because they cannot access nutrients that may be in the soil but are not in a useable form. You may notice leaves that are small, discolored and may also notice they have a thin canopy, poor growth, and stem dieback. If this is the case, your tree might be “Alkaline Intolerant.”

Reducing your soil pH even slightly can have a huge effect on the appearance and health of alkaline intolerant plants. To reduce the pH on a property, you can do a soil test to determine the exact acidity levels. Treatment methods will always depend on the specific needs of the tree. Soil pH is not easy to manipulate and your soil will always work towards reverting to its original acidity, so you will need to keep an eye on it.

4. Insects

Although plants have natural immune systems, there are many times where Mother Nature cannot heal the tree from bugs on your property. Insects can ravage your landscape and leave lasting damage. There are tens of thousands of insect species that live in, on and around trees. Most of them do not cause significant harm, but there are more than a few that can negatively impact the trees we enjoy in our landscapes.

There are many species of insects that can cause great harm to the trees they attack. Most of these have specific types of trees that provide what they want and attack certain parts of the tree, usually to meet their nutritional or shelter needs. In these cases, insecticide or other forms of treatment may be applied through injections, spraying, or soil drenches to control insects.

We are here to help!

Ultimately, you want to do the best to save and maintain the tree, but remember, unhealthy trees are also dangerous. You don’t want to increase risk and your safety to save the tree. Dying and/or dead trees can fall on residences, so it is important to fix these problems before they cause any serious damage.

That’s where we come in handy. We can provide an expert diagnosis on your tree’s health by a certified arborist. We can recommend work to restore your tree, such as pruning, spraying for pests and fungus, improving soil conditions, correcting drainage problems and many more remedial measures.

Prevention is better than cure. We pride ourselves on working closely with owners to also develop a program for maintenance and treatment to avoid any future issues. And, in worse case situations, we can also organize removal if the tree is beyond rectification.

If you are experiencing any problems with your trees, give us a call or fill out our request a quote to arrange an on-site evaluation.

Alexander Tree Care has been serving Toronto and York Region; including  Newmarket, Aurora, Richmond Hill, Markham, Georgina, Vaughan, Bradford King City, King Township and areas for over 10 years. An ISA certified arborist will always be on any crew to perform expert tree and shrub service. For peace of mind we are fully insured and covered by WSIB. Don’t forget to follow what our customers have been saying about Alexander Tree Care. Check out our reviews on HomeStars and Google.

You can find us on Facebook, or click here to contact us.

Till next time,
Alexander

Safety is Paramount in Tree Service - Trust the ISA Certified arborists at Alexander Tree Care. Proudly Serving Newmarket, Aurora, Keswick, Richmond Hill, Bradford, King City and more

Safety is Paramount in Tree Service

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Safety is important in all lines of work, but especially important when you are an arborist and in the tree service industry.  At Alexander Tree Care in Newmarket, we place a high value on safe work practices.  Various steps are taken to ensure workplace safety for our team and our clients’ property.

During tree pruning and tree removal work especially, there are many tasks that could result in injuries and personal property losses. If you choose to work with an inexperienced arborist, you risk not only damage to your property, but also a possible injury issue with the arborist themselves.

A Risk Assessment is Completed Before Work Begins

Before we begin a project, we perform a risk assessment and thorough inspection of the job site to ensure adequate clearances are maintained from:

  • parked vehicles,
  • buildings,
  • fences,
  • sheds,
  • gas meters,
  • high phase electrical lines
  • and any other above ground utility line.

We then move all the customer’s outdoor items such as:

  • light fixtures,
  • bird baths,
  • bird feeders,
  • barbeques,
  • outdoor furniture,
  • and any other landscape features and/or ornaments that could be damaged with tree work.

The same care is taken with respect to any neighbour’s property that may be in close proximity to the work site.

Special Care & Scheduling in School Zones and Public Areas

When working near schools and other public areas, we schedule the critical work during times when pedestrian traffic flow is minimal. We also create a safe work zone area including signage, safety cones and/or a member of the crew directing traffic and pedestrian flow.

When chipping tree branches we also secure the area with cones and signage and all vehicles in proximity are moved to avoid damage from flying debris.

High Visibility Clothing at All Times: You Can’t Miss Us!

The crew at Alexander Tree Care will always be wearing high visible clothing and the required personal protective gear. Our crew members will be in constant communication with each other during work activity. All crew members will have training, knowledge and the appropriate skill level to perform specific work safely and effectively.

A clear understanding of the work to be carried out is communicated between the crew members, the customer and, if necessary, the neighbours of the customer.

All equipment is checked and maintained regularly to ensure they are operating optimally and safely. Damaged equipment is immediately repaired or replaced. We are a full-service tree service company and have a full repertoire or tools and equipment to get the job done efficiently and effectively. We assess the tree work beforehand so we know exactly what equipment needs to be onsite, so there is no downtime to the client in having to return another day with different equipment.

Awareness of weather conditions plays an important part in undertaking the work safely to prevent slips and falls. No tree work will be carried out during severe inclement weather such as lightning storms.  It’s simply safer for everyone involved, and we will happily reschedule the tree services at a new time that suits you.

We Are Fully Insured & Covered by WSIB, So You Don’t Have to Worry!

Alexander Tree Care is fully insured and covered by WSIB. We take pride in our skilled and highly trained crew members. We really make this as easy as possible on our clients, giving you peace of mind. Whether it’s for tree pruning, tree removal, tree planting, or any other tree service, you can rest assured that we will do it safely.

Alexander Tree Care Provides On-site Estimates Free of Charge

Take the time to meet with our ISA Certified Arborist with years of experience and qualifications. Alexander Tree Care provides a variety of services including tree and shrub removals, emergency removals, trimming, pruning, planting, hedge clipping, stump grinding and tree health care. Alexander Tree Care services Aurora, Newmarket, Richmond Hill, Markham, Vaughan, Bradford, Holland Landing, East Gwillimbury, Keswick, Georgina, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Schomberg, King City, King Township and Toronto. You can find us on Facebook, Homestars, and The 3 Best Tree Services in Newmarket or click here to contact us.

Till next time,

Alexander