Snohomish County has a fairly significant deer population. If you live more along the rural areas, expect to run into a buck or doe every now and then. Spotting one is a delightful experience. Unfortunately, if they wander into your property, they can cause significant damage to your trees. We’ll explain how you can protect your trees from deer.

Why Protect Your Trees from Deer?

Male deer rub their horns against the tree bark. They do this to remove the velvet on their antlers. Males may also do this to mark their territory, especially during mating season. This can damage the bark and low-hanging tree branches. Trees without their bark are prone to disease and damage from the elements. When we remove dead trees, we often find that much of its bark is gone. Continue Reading →

Most homeowners use the terms tree trimming and tree pruning interchangeably. Tree service professionals, though, treat the terms differently. Yes, both involve removing branches and leaves, but you trim the tree for a different reason than you prune, and vice versa.

What Is Tree Pruning?

Tree pruning is the removal of dead, dying, or diseased branches. This is done to ensure healthy growth, and to prevent dead branches from abruptly giving way and causing injury or property damage.

Tree removal often includes large fallen branches. As a precaution, we always urge homeowners to have professionals prune these decaying branches before they collapse under their own weight. Our emergency tree service also frequently removes branches that detached due to neglected pruning. Continue Reading →

The addition of a tree is always a beautiful addition to your natural outdoor decor. However, what if your home is located on a hill? Should you plant a tree on a slope? What are the benefits? What are the complications, if any?

The Challenges

Slopes inherently present some difficulties for trees. One challenge is that a slope creates a microclimate where the root fails to adequately absorb moisture. In short, water may run off the slope before the root and soil has a chance to soak it in.

In addition, trees already stressed from being on a slope have a more difficult time competing for nutrients with nearby vegetation. This includes shrubs, groundcovers, and forbs, all of which have shallower root systems and tend to absorb nutrients before deeper-rooted trees. Continue Reading →

Thick bark is one of the many hallmarks of a healthy tree. Should you be worried, though, when you see falling bark? Is the tree dying? Is it molting the way reptiles shed their skin? We’ll explain the many potential implications when trees shed their bark.

Why Does a Tree Experience Falling Bark?

Some tree species, such as oak, maple, ash, and pine, grow from the inside out. As new bark develops, it pushes the old bark out.

As long as you see new bark in place of the old, then rest assured that the tree is progressing normally. However, a tree may not be healthy if the falling bark is accompanied by these additional symptoms: Continue Reading →

You may spot white tree fuzz during late fall. No, this is not snow, which should be apparent since the Seattle area doesn’t see a whole lot of snow. The fuzz is especially common among the needles and branches of evergreens. We’ll explain what this is and whether it’s a cause for alarm.

Why the Tree Has a White Fuzz

Many people believe the cottony fuzz is a form of fungus. No, it’s not fungus. Believe it or not, it’s actually a bug called the hemlock woolly adelgid. Unfortunately, this is not one of those beneficial insects that pollinate your garden. This is a pest, and you need to alert an emergency tree service. Continue Reading →

Do you know if your tree is dead or dying? If you confirmed the tree drew its last breath, then you need to begin the dead tree removal process pronto. We’ll explain why a speedy removal is necessary and why a deceased tree is a safety liability.

Why Cut Down a Dead Tree?

An average mature oak tree weighs about 4,400 pounds. If it were to topple over, it could do serious damage to property and even cause death. Most homeowner’s insurance, by the way, doesn’t cover damage from dead falling trees. Such damage is classified as negligence on the homeowner’s part for not removing it.

Dead trees are far more prone to toppling over. This is because the roots no longer send nutrients to the wood, drastically weakening the trunk. Dead trees may fall over during a storm or even from its own weight. Continue Reading →

Autumn is here. Many deciduous trees native to the Pacific Northwest shed their leaves during this time of year. Traditionally, homeowners want to rake up the leaves. However, this fall we suggest leaving leaves alone. This is a strategic form of tree care that requires zero work on your part.

What Happens When You Leave Leaves Alone?

Nobody rakes up the leaves in a forest. The leaves remain on the forest floor until they naturally degrade. This is beneficial for the tree and the environment in multiple ways. How is leaving leaves beneficial?

Leaves contain carbon. When the leaves sit on the soil and degrade, the soil absorbs the carbon, which helps balance the soil’s nitrogen concentration. Leaves also contain humic acid, which helps moisturize the soil and prevents compaction.

Leaves are also a natural form of mulch that insulates the soil. This is very important now that winter is right around the corner.

In addition, raking and removing leaves leads to environmental waste. Think about the plastic from trash bags and the required transportation when disposing leaves. Continue Reading →

Nutrient beds are a rather new concept that is gaining a lot of popularity in the landscaping community. They are a terrific and organic way of substantially improving tree health. We like to think of nutrient beds as mulching 2.0. We think you’ll agree with us after reading this post.

What’s a Nutrient Bed?

Nutrient beds are an organic form of tree care. The beds are comprised of mulching that closely mimics the material found in a natural forest floor. This helps trees thrive by retaining vital nutrients and promoting moisture retention.

Almost every time we remove a tree, we find the tree to be in poor health. This is partly due to malnourishment stemming from inadequate mulching. Continue Reading →

Many homeowners like the look of moss. They believe it adds a natural and “outdoorsy” look to the lawn. Moss also grows on trees. Is this harmless or a health hazard for the tree? We’ll give our professional opinion about tree moss dangers and outline what homeowners should do.

Moss Affects Tree Growth

The Pacific Northwest is quite humid, providing the perfect environment for moss growth. Moss in itself is rather harmless. When it grows on a tree, however, it places undue stress on the branches. Moss also absorbs water, thus adding additional weight.

With the added stress, branches are more likely to snap during storms or heavy gusts. When our emergency tree service tends to broken branches, we often find moss covering the bark. Continue Reading →

Trees can become ill just like people and animals. Bleeding cankers is one common in trees in the pacific northwest. Every now and then, our tree removal service spots bleeding cankers on a dead or decaying tree. In the following paragrpahs we’ll inform you about the disease and how you can prevent it.

What Is Bleeding Cankers?

Bleeding cankers is a type of tree disease that manifests as lesions which oose fluid through the bark. The disease can be caused by a number of factors, such as bacteria and fungus growth, or tree wounds from insects or improper pruning. Chestnut trees are especially prone to bleeding cankers, with the lesion typically appearing near the base of the trunk. Willow, beech, maple, and oak trees are also susceptible to bleeding cankers. Continue Reading →