Jody's Tree Service

Jan. 19, 2012 at 12:05am

Jan. 10, 2012 at 9:21am

Drought may have killed a half-billion trees, Texas Forest Service says – CNN

So far, early estimates show the effects of the drought are numerous and widespread.

“Large numbers of trees in both urban communities and rural forests have died or are struggling to survive,” said Burl Carraway, head of the forest service’s Sustainable Forestry Department.

The survey was the first of a three-part long-term program that industry experts are using to gather scientific data that will help determine how many trees died in the drought.

“During this time of year, it’s difficult to tell in some cases if a tree is truly dead,” Carraway said.

But in the spring, foresters plan to use satellite imagery and aerial photography for a more in-depth analysis that will check for leafing.

Edgar said that measuring the trees that produce new leaves for the season will help determine how they responded to the drought and show which ones survived.

And a more scientific, long-term study will be completed as the agency collects data through its Forestry Inventory and Analysis, a federally funded program that is considered a census for trees.

The agency’s main purpose is to keep a close watch on trees — and how they’re growing and changing — across the state.

“Trees grow over many years and decades,” Edgar said. But the combination of heat, lack of rain and wind has taken its toll, he said.

When you couple a tree’s complex and extensive life cycle with the known variables that come with a drought, the process could take a long time. Edgar said that during this time, he expects more trees to succumb to the ongoing drought.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, severe to extreme drought affected about 20% of the contiguous United States as of the end of November.

Jan. 9, 2012 at 10:39am

OAK WILT WARNING….

To help prevent your oak trees from getting oak wilt, PLEASE, don’t prune February through June. Oak wilt is a deadly tree disease that is killing oaks across Central Texas at epidemic proportions.the Nitidulidae beetle is responsible for the majority of overland tranmission of oak wilt.

Oak wilt is an infectious disease caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum, which invades and disables the water-conducting system in susceptible trees. We urge you to take this warning seriously. If you would like to learn more about oak wilt and what you can do to keep your trees from getting it, you suspect your trees jave oak wilt, or would like to take measures to help prevent your trees from getting oak wilt, CONTACT US TODAY! We have I.S.A Certified arborist, Certified Texas Oak Wilt Specialist and I.S.A Certified Tree Worker/Climber Specialist on staff to help you with all your tree care needs. To learn more about us and our services please visit www.jodystreeservice.com and/or check us out on facebook. We need your help to stop the spread of oak wilt. Please tell friends, family or anyone that you may think would benefit from this information.

Jan. 7, 2012 at 7:57am

GOT TREES? GOT PROBLEMS? CALL US…NEW YEAR NEW DISCOUNTS!

Jan. 3, 2012 at 9:32am

new year discounts tree service central texas jodys tree service

NEW YEAR , NEW DISCOUNTS !!!!

Welcome to the New Year everyone! Its going to be a great one and to kick it off we are offering 20% off all services through the month of January. And as always done forget 15% off senior citizens and military year round. Give us a call today and/or visit us at www.jodystreeservice.com. We also have a Facebook check us out!

Dec. 21, 2011 at 8:31am

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Dec. 15, 2011 at 10:31am

http://www.jodystreeservice.com

10:31am

Merry Christmas

We would like to remind all of our new and old customers that this month only is 25% off all services here at Jody’s Tree Service!

Dec. 9, 2011 at 12:35pm

Thinking of Topping Your Trees? READ THIS FIRST

Why Topping Hurts Trees

Topping is perhaps the most harmful tree pruning practice known. Yet, despite more than 25 years of literature and seminars explaining its harmful effects, topping remains a common practice. This brochure explains why topping is not an acceptable pruning technique and offers better alternatives.

What is Topping?

Topping is the indiscriminate cutting of tree branches to stubs or lateral branches that are not large enough to assume the terminal role. Other names for topping include “heading,” “tipping,” “hat-racking,” and “rounding over.”

The most common reason given for topping is to reduce the size of a tree. Home owners often feel that their trees have become too large for their property. People fear that tall trees may pose a hazard. Topping, however, is not a viable method of height reduction and certainly does not reduce the hazard. In fact, topping will make a tree more hazardous in the long term.

Topping Stresses Trees

Topping often removes 50 to 100 percent of the leaf-bearing crown of a tree. Because leaves are the food factories of a tree, removing them can temporarily starve a tree. The severity of the pruning triggers a sort of survival mechanism. The tree activates latent buds, forcing the rapid growth of multiple shoots below each cut. The tree needs to put out a new crop of leaves as soon as possible. If a tree does not have the stored energy reserves to do so, it will be seriously weakened and may die.

A stressed tree is more vulnerable to insect and disease infestations. Large, open pruning wounds expose the sapwood and heartwood to attacks. The tree may lack sufficient energy to chemically defend the wounds against invasion, and some insects are actually attracted to the chemical signals trees release.

Topping Causes Decay

The preferred location to make a pruning cut is just beyond the branch collar at the branch’s point of attachment. The tree is biologically equipped to close such a wound, provided the tree is healthy enough and the wound is not too large. Cuts made along a limb between lateral branches create stubs with wounds that the tree may not be able to close. The exposed wood tissues begin to decay. Normally, a tree will “wall off,” or compartmentalize, the decaying tissues, but few trees can defend the multiple severe wounds caused by topping. The decay organisms are given a free path to move down through the branches.

Topping Can Lead to Sunburn

Branches within a tree’s crown produce thousands of leaves to absorb sunlight. When the leaves are removed, the remaining branches and trunk are suddenly exposed to high levels of light and heat. The result may be sunburn of the tissues beneath the bark, which can lead to cankers, bark splitting, and death of some branches.

Topping Creates Hazards

The survival mechanism that causes a tree to produce multiple shoots below each topping cut comes at great expense to the tree. These shoots develop from buds near the surface of the old branches. Unlike normal branches that develop in a socket of overlapping wood tissues, these new shoots are anchored only in the outermost layers of the parent branches.

The new shoots grow quickly, as much as 20 feet in one year, in some species. Unfortunately, the shoots are prone to breaking, especially during windy conditions. The irony is that while the goal was to reduce the tree’s height to make it safer, it has been made more hazardous than before.

Topping Makes Trees Ugly

The natural branching structure of a tree is a biological wonder. Trees form a variety of shapes and growth habits, all with the same goal of presenting their leaves to the sun. Topping removes the ends of the branches, often leaving ugly stubs. Topping destroys the natural form of a tree.

Without leaves (up to 6 months of the year in temperate climates), a topped tree appears disfigured and mutilated. With leaves, it is a dense ball of foliage, lacking its simple grace. A tree that has been topped can never fully regain its natural form.

Topping Is Expensive

The cost of topping a tree is not limited to what the perpetrator is paid. If the tree survives, it will require pruning again within a few years. It will either need to be reduced again or storm damage will have to be cleaned up. If the tree dies, it will have to be removed.

Topping is a high-maintenance pruning practice, with some hidden costs. One is the reduction in property value. Healthy, well-maintained trees can add 10 to 20 percent to the value of a property. Disfigured, topped trees are considered an impending expense.

Another possible cost of topped trees is potential liability. Topped trees are prone to breaking and can be hazardous. Because topping is considered an unacceptable pruning practice, any damage caused by branch failure of a topped tree may lead to a finding of negligence in a court of law.

Alternatives to Topping

Sometimes a tree must be reduced in height or spread. Providing clearance for utility lines is an example. There are recommended techniques for doing so. If practical, branches should be removed back to their point of origin. If a branch must be shortened, it should be cut back to a lateral that is large enough to assume the terminal role. A rule of thumb is to cut back to a lateral that is at least one-third the diameter of the limb being removed.

This method of branch reduction helps to preserve the natural form of the tree. However, if large cuts are involved, the tree may not be able to close over and compartmentalize the wounds. Sometimes the best solution is to remove the tree and replace it with a species that is more appropriate for the site.

Dec. 7, 2011 at 1:52am

Have a look at Andrew in action

http://www.youtube.com/user/JodysTreeService