Using Arboriculture to Help New Parents
By Meg Smolinski As the outreach coordinator for the University of Maryland’s Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, I have the pleasure of interacting with students, faculty and staff on our beautiful campus. As a horticulturist and Certified Arborist, I lead service projects across campus, and last year, these outreach efforts expanded to include a new program, […]
Beware the Australian Silk Oak
I am writing to report on an unusual accident that happened to me on the job here in Arizona. I own/operate a tree and landscape service I founded in 2015 and am a professional tree climber. On June 4, 2020, I removed an Australian silk oak tree (Grevillea robusta) from a residential backyard in Oro […]
Better Than a Stick in the Eye
One day in the summer of 2018, I was working in the Bay Area of Northern California. I was the only ground guy working with three climbers who were spread out throughout a large apartment complex. Between bathroom and eating breaks at the chip truck and tarping the brush they were all dropping, I was […]
Aesthetics … for Better or Worse?
Aesthetics is the study of beauty, form and the correct placement of objects. To the uninformed person, the practice of pruning trees relies on an idea of beauty that has very little relevance to a tree’s health and longevity. By the way, “idea” is a word that comes from the root word “ideal.” Trees are […]
Tub Hubub: Bathing in a Neighboring Beech’s Critical Root Zone
In retrospect, the fact that the client answered the door in a Speedo gave credence to the whole case. In this well-heeled town, many hurdles were overcome to get permission to install the in-ground hot tub. A nifty design was introduced, slogged its way through innumerable boards and committees and was eventually approved. Mr. Speedo […]