Frequently Asked Questions Archives

27 Oct

Maintain Trees That Are Ready for Denver’s Winter

As winter approaches, you may be wondering whether or not your property’s trees are ready to face ice and snow. It’s no surprise that snow and ice can damage your trees. Yet, you’re wondering if there’s anything you can do to maintain trees that are ready for Denver’s winter months.

The answer is yes! Allow us to explain.

Maintenance pruning is the thoughtful cutting back of certain parts of your trees or other woody plants. This controls the size and shape of the tree. However, it also keeps the organism productive and healthy. An added bonus of maintenance pruning is that it decreases your tree’s susceptibility to pests and disease.

When your tree has lots of dead branches and thick, congested areas in the canopy, they are more susceptible to breaking in snow, ice, and wind storms. For this reason, maintenance pruning throughout the year can set your tree up for success before the heavy snows come in.

For your trees that are younger or newly transplanted, it’s a good idea to wrap the lower 1 to 2 feet of the trunk with a light cloth wrap. You can get these at any nursery. This will help protect your younger trees from frost damage and help better prepare them for Denver’s winter.

Your trees are a valuable asset to your property, so it’s important to care for and maintain trees that are ready for Denver’s winter. If you’d like to learn even more, be sure to schedule an estimate with a certified arborist from Colorado Trees to make sure your trees are ready for anything this winter.

By Colorado Trees Frequently Asked Questions, Preventative Maintenance denver, denver metro area, tree care, tree trimming, trees, winter 0 Comments

What is an Elm Leaf Beetle, and Why Do I Care?

Elm Leaf Beetles are an invasive species in the Denver Metro area, as well as the rest of the lower 48 states in America.

In case you didn’t know, there are over twel ve thousand elm trees in Denver. They make up eighteen percent of Denver’s canopy cover in our urban forest ecosystem. They’re a well studied pest in forestry, because they’ve been a known invasive species for a really long time — and seriously damage elm trees.

Both adult beetles and their larvae eat elm leaves on the surface. The green-and-yellow adults lay eggs on the leaves. When the babies are born, they eat the leaves, leaving them looking lacy and dead. Loss of foliage from the trees is both an aesthetic and functional setback, as it reduces shade cover, and can increase the tree’s susceptibility to diseases, like Dutch Elm Disease.

It’s hard to prevent an infestation, because of how widespread the pest is. One cure-all for keeping any tree healthy is keeping the soil at the base of the tree saturated with water, as long as weather will allow it.

There are few natural (or ecologically preexisting) enemies of Elm Leaf Beetle populations. Certain small parasitic wasps and breeds of fungi can reduce population sizes at the pupal stage. However, these species aren’t nearly as widespread as Elm Leaf Beetles are.

If your trees are experiencing an infestation you’ll want to schedule a consultation with a certified arborist from Colorado Trees.

By treating an infestation, you’re reducing the beetle population, and ensuring improved tree health for the following season. For instance, this year (2020), Colorado has seen a huge impact from elm leaf beetles.

Elm Leaf Beetles are known to seek shelter inside homes and other buildings for harsher winter months, and more often than not, they don’t make it back outside. That’s just icky!

It’s important to treat an Elm Leaf Beetle infestation sooner, rather than later. Just like you’d rather see a doctor with the sniffles and a headache, rather than in a more dire situation. Trees can be treated early on!

By Colorado Trees Frequently Asked Questions beetle, colorado, denver metro area, ELB, elm, elm leaf beetle, pest, treecare, trees, trimming 1 Comment

Can Snow and Ice Damage My Trees?

Here in Colorado, winter weather is a given. Between seasons, snow can come at what seems like any moment. While some arbor species were meant to handle this harsh climate, the climate is changing, and so are the weather patterns. Extreme fluctuations in the weather can seriously damage your trees!

Any deciduous tree can be damaged by the snow and ice storms which frequent the Denver Metro area. Softer trees like elm and birch trees can be damaged by the weight of ice accumulation on branches. Trees with a single trunk that splits into two can even crack right down the middle!

When trees and branches break, they can impair buildings and power lines. This can create a dangerous situation for your family or business. If a tree is damaged in any way, you’ll want to call a certified arborist from Colorado Trees. We’re happy to come give you an estimate or assess storm damage on more immediate notice.

There’s not too much you can do to prevent storm damage on your older, more established trees before a big storm except regular maintenance. They’ve been through a lot, but with proper care you can set them up for success before a storm comes. Younger, smaller trees around twelve to fifteen feet tall might fare a little worse at the onset of an extreme temperature drop or winter storm. You can loosely wrap a tarp, burlap, or thin plastic around these guys if they still have leaves.

If one of your trees or branches is starting to crack due to winter weather — don’t worry! Just get in touch. We’re certified, licensed, insured, and not to mention, pretty good at what we do! We’d love to make sure your trees are ready for a wild winter, and we’re here to help in case of immediate tree damage, too.

By Colorado Trees Frequently Asked Questions colorado, colorado tree trimming, denver, denver metro area, ice, snow, treecare, trees, winter, winterweather 0 Comments