Heartwood and Heart Rot, Part II: Heart Rot – Is It Serious?
Part 1 of this two-part series, “Heartwood and Heart Rot, Part 1: Are They Important to Arborists?” ran in the May 2023 issue of TCI Magazine. Heart rot sounds serious or possibly fatal, like heart-related health issues in humans. In practice, heart rot in trees is simply the decay of wood in the center of […]
Vectors: One System for Putting Less Stress on the Tree and Climber
As with any technical undertaking, there are various ways to mitigate or dissipate force in our rigging systems. From simple to complex, we have several variables we can manipulate to achieve a common goal of putting less stress on the tree, system and climber. This article will discuss one such method. The goal is to […]
Where Is the Weak Link?
Do you think about weights when rigging, or just tie stuff on and proceed to cutting? Are you someone who spends time factoring in angles, vectors and the system that needs to be built for the task ahead, or are you just throwing a rope up there and hoping for the best? When’s the last […]
The Business of Biochar
In February 2024, The Davey Tree Expert Company fired up its new biochar facility in East Dundee, Illinois. The facility recycles wood waste from its many client properties in the Chicago area and turns it into an environmentally friendly soil additive, biochar. “Biochar is a carbon-rich, charcoal-like substance that offers many benefits to the soil,” […]
Mad For Mulches: Single-Species Mulches Can Provide Many Benefits
The benefits of a woodchip mulch layer over the root system of a tree are now widely recognized. These include conservation of soil moisture to reduce the detrimental effects of drought and weed suppression, and, as the mulch layer is degraded, the nutrients released provide a valuable organic fertilizer. In this article, we’ll look at […]