Ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure

Ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure:

I have been noticing a lot of trees around the Austin area really declining due to the “heat wave of 2009″ as the news is calling the latest droughty conditions. In many cases, these trees are declining
due to the heat and lack of rain fall however, I feel weather is more of a contributing factor rather than the main cause. Many of these trees would be able to weather the heat if they had the luxury of a healthy root system. Due to the large amount of growth and development in the Austin area over the past years, many of our native trees have taken a beating in regard to their root systems. From curb cuts to parking lots to building foundations, all this development directly effects the nearby trees. With a damaged or weakened root system brought on by site changes, our trees just can not keep up with the demands put on them by the recent weather.

In many cases if an arborist would have been consulted prior to or during the construction process, valuable root systems could have been saved. Way too often, as an arborist I get called to a site to try to revive a stressed tree after the damage is done. Many builders, developers, and even home owners are not aware of the damage they will cause to the existing trees and their root systems until it is too late. Inmany cases, a little forethought and planning can salvage crucial root zones throughre-routing planned utilities, side walks or a slight adjustment in the location of a future building or house on a property. In some projects, itis just impossible to avoid damage to the root zone during a project. In situations where vital roots are damaged or lost, we have options to stimulate new root development and manage the over all tree vigor. These techniques for root regeneration are significantly more productive if performed during or immediately following any stress to the tree rather than 18 months later when the tree in on its death bed.

It is during environmental extremes that we realized the damage that we cause to native trees during development. I urge you to consider the benefit of including an arborist before your next project. Wether it is a new pool, house addition, or even an irrigation system; a nominal arborist consultation fee is nothing compared to the value healthy trees will add to you property for years to come.

Brent Frazier
ISA Certified Arborist, TX-0965A
Certified Arbor Care, Inc