As an arborist, I observe non-diseased living trees as healthy when they express a vigorus green canopy. There are exceptons to this rule, but we can’t be certain about the exceptions without data collected over time. My client is preparing her country property on Whidbey Island for sale and asked for arbor servces to a … More Western Red Cedar approaching the question of tree health- tree looks
In December, I cast a small handlful of sterile wheat seed on a dark damp forest floor in King County. As I did so, I thought to myself: “Would I remember this experiment, if nothing sprouted”? Wheat is king for the eastern half of Washington State, the wide open Columbia Basin where a full sun, … More Will Wheat grow in the Woods? Yes if course!
Spent a little time over the holidays and built a few bird houses following the simple plans provided by the Department of Natural Resources – Ken Bevis. These boxes have 1.5″ diameter entries, removable side panels – for cleaning out, and a simple stoop. They are oiled up with linseed oil and sealed at the … More Bird Box construction – homes for chickadees and wrens on restored property
The Solanus Casey Center is a Catholic Community Services drop-in center providing first rate hospitality assistance on James Street: 1008 James near Boren Street. Large numbers of persons and families use the facility on a daily basis. The landscape was dismal until recently, with a irrigation system that was shut off and dead or dying … More Urban Plant Installation Seattle’s -Solanus Casey Center
December 20th – Solistice-short light with one day following another of soil soaking rains! These are prime days for planting new trees. Why, because new saplings go through a transplant stress and need moist soils and low light growing conditions to adjust to change before they put on new growth. Whats more, their root systems will … More Great day for conifers!
My client had a 26 year old crabapple tree genus – Malus with low vitality and felt it was time to remove her tree. My observations on a late August afternoon confirmed that the lower 1/3 of the canopy had pre-mature leaf drop, sooty curled leaves and numerous wood borer holes in the trunk: the … More Crabapple in Poor Health
At an active restoration site in South King County, Nicoterra Trails is pruning Big Leaf Maple -(Acer Macrophyllum) where trees have sprouted from large old stumps. This location was logged within 20 years and the typical red alder, Indian plum, and Big Leaf maple species have filled in the new niche. As many as 1 … More Coppicing Big Leaf Maple to promote tree health
Mid-November and a series of 4 non-commissioned trails are slowly being erased from this landscape. The purpose of this project is to focus recreational attention on the designed trail system planned and built for the community, to remove invasive plants that moved-in during the abuse of these dark days, and demonstrate how the landscape can … More Trail Decommission-Restoration City of Covington – Active
To the casual observer or the pilot of a low flying Cessna, the West Duwammish Greenbelt is densely green, decidely deciduously green. Big leaf maple and red alder dominate the upper story canopy, in areas these species are overmature, rotten, and falling over, but what lurks below in the “understory” contains a healthy palate of … More West Duwammish Greenbelt – Puget Creek Headwaters
Nicoterra Trails teamed up with the Middle Green River Coalition this summer and autumn to suppress invasive plants and plant trees along the eastern slopes of Beaver Lake which is part and parcel to the Bass-Beaver Lake Conservation Futures lands under King Conservation District. Basically, the way it works, individual parcels in target watersheds are … More Beaver Lake Native Plant Enhancing & Site Restoration: Enumclaw
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