Many tree problems are associated with the following:
Troubles in the Rhizosphere
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Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting
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and Look up "Tree Planting"
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Mulching -
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and
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Look up "Mulch"
Improper Pruning
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Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry)
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John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist
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Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.
Mulch can be defined as anything that facilitates the mycorrhizae. Mycorrhiza - singular Mycorrhizae - Plural. Mycorrhizae is a composite structure or organ, that is made up of tree root tissues as well as fungus tissues. Mycorrhizae facilitate the absorption of water with essential elements dissolved in it. What I prefer top use as mulch is composted tree trimming that have gone through a chipper. Composted at least a year. NOT FRESH CHIPS. Fresh chips are chips that have living parenchyma cells and their contents (protoplasm) smeared all over the place attracting undesirables. Composted wood chips and leaves. The wood has many benefits while they break down with the help of the succession of microorganisms.
Mulch should be applied at 3 - 4 inches thick. Keeping it away from the trunk flair (many people who have not dissected trees calls the flair at the base of a tree a root flair. The flair is made up of trunk tissues and not root tissues) at least 6". Mulch should be flat. If you edge the tree, do not pile the edgings back up on the mulched area. Remove it. The more soil you place on top of mulched area, the more you reduce the oxygen content below. Trees do breath and they do require oxygen in a process called respiration. That is the process where glucose is burned in the Krebs cycle. So you can suffocate a tree in this sense. Mulch is a maintenance process.
Mulching -
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John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist
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Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.
Keeping away undesirable organisms. Make sure the wood chips and leaves have composted for at least a year.
Composted organic matter is called "humus". Humus is excellent for amending soil by mixing in and/or to use as a thin top dressing but is not a good medium to use as mulch. Humus is much too dense a medium to apply more than one half inch deep as it will prevent air from reaching roots and will even prevent water from seeping through, but it will not discourage weeds, in fact humus will encourage weeds. Humus is not an acceptible medium to use as mulch.
to define specifically what that is at his website at:
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DEFINE WHAT YOU ARE. "CONSULTING FORESTER" YOUR LINK IS DEAD. @
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Ok, then, Don Staples. Please provide data specific to Texas that states that your salvage and restoration work increases the health of a forest rather than what I state, that your practice is deforestation. Please provide the page and paragraph number where your data can be found stating that you increase forest health by your salvage and restoration work. You claim I am a fraud while all along you promote deforestation claiming sound treatment for landowners investment. You claim to be a consulting forester. Please consult and provide the data for your practice.
"All of the above are relatively simple, low-cost maintenance and management procedures that will protect your investment, preserve your land, and provide peace of mind." A quote from Staples Forestry.
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