Organic Tree Care - For The Professional

Chapter 1 - Organic Tree Care, an Introduction.

First we have to decide if we are going to continue the same practices as non-organic - i.e., same treatments, same targets, but just use safer chemicals to kill, what was once believed, the cause of the decline and such of trees.  What I am trying to say is that there are two paths one can follow or go by.  The other path is the Modern Arboriculture approach which stimulates us to make adjustments to our treatments based on an understanding of tree biology.  E.g., Modern Arboriculture labels most insects, fungi and such as associates.  Understanding predisposition will allow us to call these organisms secondary organisms /agents or as some call them, the clean-up crew.  As with most organisms, anatomy must precede physiology.  One must first identify with the parts before an understanding of processes and events that effect such processes begins.  E.g., I traveled to Southern Louisiana where a row of symplastless pine trees had external evidence of pine bark borers.  It was well excepted at that time, that the pine bark beetles played the role, of primary cause of the death of the symplast, including the cambium zone, of these trees.  The fact that all trees had evidence of the beetles and all lost symplast at about the same time, lead one to believe they, the beetles, were responsible.   Thus, efforts to kill, pine bark beetles in the future, becomes a target.  Upon dissection of the trees and a cross section view, the trees log (trees keep very good records) revealed that the trees began to decline 9 years prior our presence.  It was then established, that a new drive way, was installed exactly 9 years prior.  Understanding tree anatomy allowed us to properly diagnose the primary cause, of the death of the symplast, of these trees.  Pine bark beetles, in this case, followed the primary event, as energy reserves were reduced as a result of injury to these trees, below ground.  So do we provide a service, killing pine bark beetles with safer products, terming the process as organic tree care?  Not if we take the Modern Arboriculture Approach, to Organic Tree Care.  An individual trees primary cause of decline can be many different events, e.g., I believe, if a once fertile forest is depleted of required water reservoirs, as a result of a previous event, which cut the wood out of the forest, a future drought would have the ability to reduce the vitality of symplast, of the future trees (Post Logging Decadence), similar to that of the drive way story.  The sad part of the story, is the fact, that in preparing environmental impact statements on logging projects, on National Forests where mortality is blamed on drought, this chain of events is beyond the scope of the projects.  Short sited thinking, about a system with long term, vitality determining, built in high quality, survival features called the ecological stages of trees, can only sabotage forest health.  Treating a system you do not understand is like hitting a Rolls Royce with a sledge hammer to start it.  Trees of a forest go through many ecological stages, each uniquely playing a key role in forest health.  This is the group benefit which humans must take into consideration, when making decisions on trees, as well as there associates, i.e., throughout all of these ecological stages.  Once a tree becomes symplastless, it still has many ecological functioning stages to go through, uniquely connected with unique associates, which depend on their existence for high quality survival or good forest health.  Decisions out of the ignorance of tree biology, have been and still are, a major problem for trees and their associates worldwide.  A good guide would be the book, Modern Arboriculture by Alex L. Shigo.  Many people will spend a fortune on treatments they do not understand and not buy a books that would give them understanding.  While rewriting Modern Arboriculture is not my target, I would like to apply Modern Arboriculture into what I call Organic Tree Care.  Modern Arboriculture, the book,  gives you lucid instructions on most tree treatments you should be interested in.  The book can be found at www.shigoandtrees.com .
 

More on ecoart-nurse logs and water later.

Back to beginning of book.   Go to Chapter Two

Text & Graphics Copyright 2009 Keslick & Son Modern Arboriculture

Contact Us       Main Page         Our Dictionary