Arbor Tree Surgeons

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Our family operated company has established itself as a professional and reliable arboricultural contractor for your community. Our company has over 20 years experience in the genre. We are here for all your arboricultural needs and consultation.
ARBOR TREE SURGEONS serves the North West Houston, Spring and Woodlands area.

Tree Selection is very important. It is only too common for people to select a tree that is unsuitable for it's environment. The symptoms of which can manifest in many different ways from cracked paving slabs or brickwork, to a tree that simply takes over an environment that is too small resulting in drastic and incorrect pruning to complete removal of the tree. The trees adaptability to your local conditions are also extremely important. Climate, soil type, soil PH and available sunlight are all things to be considered to find out the hardiness of a specific tree or cultivar. You can use the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) hardiness zone map.

Pruning enhances the natural beauty of almost any landscape tree and shrub, while incorrect pruning can reduce its landscape potential. We believe, it is better not to prune than to do it incorrectly. It may be a simple matter of low branches being shaded by higher ones resulting in the creation of a collar around the base of the branch. This will restrict the flow of moisture and nutrients. Consequently,the leaves wither and die and the branch then drops off in a high wind or storm. In the long run, a plant growing naturally assumes the shape that allows it to make the best use of light in a given location and climate. The old idea that anyone with a chain saw can be an arborist or landscape artist is definitely not true! More trees are killed or ruined each year from incorrect pruning than by pests and other external factors. Pruning is the art of removing of certain plant parts that are not required. Pruning, which has several definitions, essentially involves removing plant parts to improve the health, landscape effect, or value of the plant. When removing limbs or branches target pruning principles should always be observed. This involves making the correct cut at the correct position in front of branch bark ridge and through the branch collar. Once the objectives are determined and a few basic principles understood, pruning primarily is a matter of common sense.

In order for trees to grow and function properly certain essential elements are required. Trees growing in their natural or rural environment usually have sufficient amounts of these essential elements. Present in the soil and urban environment however is altogether different due to the fact the soil may have been disturbed and also it may not contain enough organic material to produce sufficient amounts of these essential elements to necessitate the trees survival. Fertilizing can help alleviate this problem, but it is important to know if, when and how much fertilizer a particular tree needs. Over fertilizing can certainly be detrimental to a tree's health. By introducing too much salt to the soil which reduces the trees ability to absorb water which is also essential to the trees survival. Trees take up essential elements dissolved in water also known as "macro nutrients", most importantly nitrogen (n) which is critical to photosynthesis and other plant processes.

Trees also require other elements known as micro nutrients that are required in smaller quantities. A tree deficient in iron for example can cause a fairly common condition called iron chlorosis, a symptom of which turns the young leaves yellow. This condition can eventually kill the tree. A soil and foilar analysis is advisable before administering any form of tree nutrition. Soil
The soil your tree is situated in is one of the most crucial factors to its long term survival. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most neglected.
In an urban environment, a tree is most often struggling to survive from the outset. If it is an existing tree or a tree that was marked for preservation it has usually had to endure soil compaction from heavy equipment, substantial root damage or loss from excavation and an interruption in its water supply caused by that excavation.
If it is a newly planted tree, it has to contend with soil that has very poor structure because it has been degraded by machinery and construction traffic. This results in the subsoils and topsoil being mixed together which subsequently causes poor drainage, lack of pore space (air pockets in the soil) and a soil that is low in nutrients.
It is also very often contaminated by polluted water run off from the construction process and buried construction materials.
As the urban area develops the tree has to continue with its fight for survival with the expansion of sidewalks, roadways and further excavation by utility companies. For these reasons we have to ensure that the soil our trees stand in is in the best possible condition.
It is important first to test the soil for structure or profile PH and water availability. With this information you can then create a prescription that is most suitable for your tree's specific requirements.
Urban areas will sometimes have areas of undisturbed remnant soil, however usually it has been damaged or buried, so we have to recreate a healthy organic layer atop the soil.
In a rural situation the tree provides its own organic layer from falling leaf matter. This is not always suitable in an urban environment and can be amended by adding organic matter such as compost, however this is not as effective the natural organic layer forced in the woodland environment.

Soil compaction is one of the biggest problems facing urban trees especially after construction (including landscaping) some soils are more prone than others to compaction. However the movement of heavy equipment on he soil around any tree will reduce the pore space in the soil which affects the roots ability to obtain oxygen, water and other essential elements from the soil.
DE-COMPACTION AND SOIL ACRATION
The most effectve way of de-compacting and rejuvenating urban soils is by use of a high powered air tool such as an Air Spade™ or an Air Knife™. They can be used to perform tasks such as radial trenching, vertical mulching or location and placement of utilities.
These tools force compressed air into the soil at supersonic speeds which blows the soil apart without damaging the delicate feeder roots. You can also simultaneously mix organic matter and soil ammendments. The results are usually very effective and the improvement in the tree health can very often be dramatic. This is a must if soil has been compacted during the construction process.