Announcing the Summer Almanac

Marking the first day of summer, we released our Summer Almanac, a tree care guide to help individuals prepare trees on and surrounding their property for D.C.'s hot, dry summer months.

Casey Trees advises District residents to:

• Practice 25 to Stay Alive. Trees, especially those that have been in the ground less than three years, need 25 gallons of water - approximately 1.5 inches of rainfall - per week in the spring, summer and fall to survive and thrive.
• Weed. Remove summer grasses from around the trunk.
• Check Trunk Guards. Weed whackers and lawn mowers can cause severe damage to a tree's circulation system. Add tree guards to the base of the tree if landscaping equipment is used around the tree. Check installed tree guards to make sure they are installed properly.
• Check Arbor Ties. Your tree started growing in height and girth in the spring and will continue to do so this summer. If your tree is still anchored by stakes and arbor ties, check the ties. Remove them if they are too tight or girdling the tree trunk. Anticipate your tree will put on some new girth.
• Mulch. Mulching helps keep the soil moist and controls weeds. If you did not mulch in spring, now would be a good time. Apply the "3-3-3 Rule" - three inches of mulch in a three-foot ring with a three-inch space around the tree trunk to prevent decay.

Announcing the Spring Almanac

We're marking the beginning of spring with our Spring Almanac, a guide for taking care of your trees in the months ahead:

• Install Ooze Tubes for the spring-summer-fall watering campaign. Remember 25 to Stay Alive for trees that have been in the ground fewer than three years. Young trees need 25 gallons of water a week (or 1.5 inches of rain) to thrive in the Washington DC area.
• Protect your trees by removing winter weeds and emerging grasses from around the trunk base. Add trunk guards if lawn mowers or weed whackers come near your trees. Consider deer guards for tender trunks.
• Mulch your trees to keep them moist and discourage summer weeds. Use a thin layer (2-3 inches) and keep the mulch at least 3 inches from the trunk to prevent insects from damaging the trunk base.
• Inspect for dead or crossing branches. Take a careful assessment of trees that were damaged in the winter storms. Damaged branches should be pruned carefully. Dead branches should be removed. Damaged or stressed trees might need special attention this year. For guidance visit www.treesaregood.com/treecare/pruning_young.aspx
• Appreciate your trees. Red maples and elms are blooming now. Serviceberry flower buds are emerging, and cherry and plum blossoms are due. Spring gives us a chance to take a closer look at the evolving leaf, flower and branch structure. Observe how many of the leaves will make subtle color changes in the coming months. The elm leaf will open lime green then darken. 

You can download the Spring Almanac from the Fact Sheets page on the Casey Trees website.

Announcing the Winter Almanac

Casey Trees is marking the first day of winter with the release of our Winter Almanac, an informative guide for tree care and maintenance during the cold months.

• Inspect for broken branches. This is especially important following snow or ice storms. Damaged branches should be pruned carefully. For guidance visit www.treesaregood.com.
• Water your trees. Once or twice a month if temperatures stay above 40 degrees. Evergreens are especially vulnerable to drying out in winter. Once the ground has frozen, do not water.
• Protect your trees. Do not allow heavy snow or ice to weigh down evergreen branches. Do not sweep leftover salt into tree boxes or storm drains. Sweep up and dispose properly.
• Install deer damage management practices when appropriate, such as mesh fencing or tall tree guards.
• Assess trees for structural pruning. Have your trees been in the ground for at least three years? Are there competing central leaders? Signs of included bark? Do some branches need to be subordinated to help other, more important branches grow stronger?
• Appreciate your trees. Trees reveal their structure in winter. Use this time to see the differences in cones produced by conifers, including cedars, pines, spruces and junipers.

You can download the Winter Almanac from the Fact Sheets page on the Casey Trees website.

WHO ARE YOU GOING TO CALL?

A common question we get to our office is who should I call to prune or take a look at a tree.

The first part of the answer is - always an ISA licensed Arborist. Arborists are specialists in the care of trees. Arborists are knowledgeable about the needs of trees and are trained and equipped to to provide proper care. You wouldn't take your sick child to be examined by an auto mechanic would you?

Services that arborists can provide include pruning, removal, emergency tree care, planting and a wide variety of other tree care services.

So where do you find an ISA Certified Arborist? The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture - yes, it is a mouthfull - developed a go-to web resource (www.goodtreecare.com) to help individuals in MD, VA, WV and DC find licensed arborists that service trees in their area. You can search by arborist last name or by county.

Additionally, you can verify an individual is a licensed arborist by visiting their other find an arborist web tool.