Written by: Certified Arborist August Hoppe, WI-0477A
After a busy growing season that included extreme weather this year, many trees are under stress. You may have noticed muted fall colors or early loss of leaves in your yard. Trees are resilient and have energy reserves that help them recover from both weather stress and insect/disease attacks. But when a tree is weaker or has a pre-existing condition, the ability to rebound from stress becomes more of a challenge.
By checking your trees regularly, it becomes easier to correct and reverse issues and keep your trees healthy and strong. A tree and shrub inspection by a trained arborist can be valuable in protecting your landscape investment. Starting in the fall, and through the winter season, Hoppe provides free tree and landscape inspections to our clients. Many people have their furnace checked annually to make sure it’s in good working order. Why not do the same for your trees to ensure they are strong and healthy?
Things we look for during a tree and shrub inspection
Safety hazards (dead limbs, cracks, split branches, root/trunk rot, and cavities) With the leaves off the trees, our arborists can get a better view of the branch architecture of your tree, allowing us to see and make recommendations to keep your tree and property safe. Dealing with a problematic tree early can usually save lots of time and money down the road. Often, pruning or tree support cables can address issues and prevent a valuable and costly tree from having to be removed.
Routine maintenance (structural pruning, shaping of overgrown plants, low hanging limbs) Trees need care, and our arborists can help you make a plan and prioritize pruning needs based on what is more necessary and important in your yard. Whether it’s annual shrub pruning to keep your bushes healthy and shapely, or periodic deadwood pruning and/or house and building clearance, our arborists can help you keep on track with your trees and prevent the build up of costly tree maintenance.
Insect and disease issues. With each passing year, invasive insects are becoming more of a problem for many of our trees. A tree inspection can allow you to understand what types of trees you have along with giving you the knowledge to know if your tree(s) could possibly be under threat from an insect attack. Some insect pests are minor and will not damage your trees, but other insects can be a severe threat that an inspection will help you understand. Often treatments can be performed to keep devasting insects away from your trees. Most of these treatments are best performed early on, or preemptively before signs of insect issues. Tree diseases work in a similar way. Our arborists can identify vulnerable trees species and help create a program to keep them healthy and prevent disease before it strikes your tree.
No two landscapes are the same, and a Hoppe Certified Arborist can create a plan that fits your objectives for your yard. We will review your plants and help set priorities for care and maintenance and help you take the guesswork out of what to do with your trees. Click here to sign up for a free tree and shrub inspection for your trees this fall or winter.
Since 1972, Hoppe Tree Service has been taking care of people and their trees. Join us as we celebrate 50 years of service to great customers in southeastern Wisconsin.
This post was originally published on November 20, 2020 and has since been updated.