Palms Need Care and Maintenance Too

Contrary to popular belief palms need care and maintenance just like any other tree. Home and property owners in Southern California to take active steps to keep their palms healthy and attractive, after all palm trees are part of the California lifestyle. Pests like the Red Palm Weevil and the Royal Palm Bug threaten palms and palms also need special fertilizer and other kinds of care. The sad thing is that many homeowners do not perform simple maintenance such as fertilizing and applying insecticide.

That means they end up cutting down a palm which could potentially increase the value and appeal of their property. Worse they have the expense of tree removal and the problem of planting a new palm. This kind of expense can be easy averted with proper tree care. Quite a few property owners could avoid having to cut down a palm or replace it with a new tree - if they had just hired a professional tree service to maintain their palms. Simply having a professional arborist take a look at your palms or palm once a year could make all the difference. An arborist is a professional tree expert that can examine your palms and see if there is any problem. If you own a rental home or commercial property, a tree service can be tax deductible because it is a business expense. Spending some money on professional care to preserve the health of your palms and the appearance of your property makes a lot of sense.

The truth of course is that there is no tree that does need care. All trees need regular care to maintain their health. Without professional pruning and trimming and spraying trees not only become unattractive they can die. A good tree service can maintain all of your trees including willows, evergreens and eucalyptus as well as palms and preserve the unique appearance of your property. Spending a little money now to keep palms and other trees healthy and looking good makes sense.

Preventing the Pine Beetle from Killing Your Evergreens

Spring in Colorado and other Rocky Mountain States means the return of a very persistent pest called the Mountain Pine Beetle. Owners of suburban, mountain and foothills properties around Denver should be particularly worried about the Pine Beetle because Colorado is in the midst of a particularly bad infestation. The most common species of pine including Lodge Pole and Ponderosa are highly susceptible to the beetle. Property owners who do not get their trees sprayed could see a large percentage of their evergreens killed.

The pine beetle is a major threat to mountain properties because the trees it kills can increase the possibility of forest fire. The combination of beetle-killed trees and drought fueled the big fire near Boulder in March. Therefore homeowners should be on the lookout for the pine beetle and other pests such as the bark beetle. Signs of a beetle infestation can include: • Popcorn shaped masses of sap or resin on the trunks of trees. These are indications that beetles are tunneling into the trees. • The needles on pines turning brown. • Woodpeckers digging into pines. These birds like to eat the pine beetle. • Patches of missing bark which can indicate that woodpeckers have been at work. Pine Beetle Prevention People who buy or harvest firewood should be very careful because some wood could contain pine beetles. Much of the firewood sold in Colorado comes from beetle killed trees. Covering the wood with plastic and letting it dry in the sun should prevent the beetles from spreading. Other methods you can take to prevent the spread of pine beetles include: • Having a professional tree service inspect your property for the beetle. • Having trees sprayed for pine beetles this will have to be done by professionals. • Removing dead trees as soon as you notice them. • Thinning out the trees on your property to prevent the spread of the beetle. All of these tasks can be done by an experienced tree service.

The Threat from the Asian Long Horned Beetle

It is not just people that immigrate to America from other parts of the world. Pests from other countries love to make their way to our shores. Some of these pests can pose a huge threat to your trees and your property value. A growing threat to trees in the Northeast is the Asian Long Horned Beetle. This pest was first reported in New York City in 1996 but has now spread as far north as Worchester, Massachusetts, and in parts of Chicago. If it keeps spreading this menace could be found all over the Midwest and Northeast in a few years. The Asian Long Horned Beetle is native to China, and it probably came to the US with imported wood. This pest kills trees by boring into them and laying eggs. Larvae hatch from the eggs and bore tunnels through the trees which kill them. According to experts at the US Forest Service and State Universities the beetle likes to infest these species of trees: • Maple • Box Elder • Horsechestnut • Willow • Elm • Birch • Sycamore Since these are popular ornamental trees on residential properties the Asian Long Horned Beetle can be a huge threat to property values. Property owners in urban areas need to be on the look out for it. How to Stop Pests like the Asian Long Horned Beetle from Killing Your Trees The best way to stop pests like the Asian Long Horned Beetle is to employ a professional tree service. Regular inspection by professionals is the best way to detect pests before they kill your trees. The professionals can take the proper action needed to save trees including spraying and proper pruning. If trees are not properly inspected for pests by professional arborists, it is entirely possible that they will have to removed. Tree removal is an expensive process that will diminish your property’s value. You can protect your trees with professional inspection. Unfortunately the Asian Long Horned Beetle is not the only pest out there. There are now hundreds of tree-killing pests operating in the United States. It is only a matter of time before one of them targets your property. You can protect your trees by employing a professional tree service.

The Growing Threat to Your Trees

The threat to trees from insects, fungal diseases and other pests is growing everyday. Almost every species of tree found in the United States is now under threat from some sort of nasty bug or deadly fungus. To make matters worse new threats to trees are arriving from all over the world everyday. State officials in Southern California are now warning property owners about the Red Palm Weevil. A pest that they think could wipe out every palm tree in the Golden State. Back east Chestnut Blight almost wiped out American chestnut trees. Every year home and property owners loose thousands of trees to such menaces. Protecting Your Trees Fortunately there are steps that property owners can take to protect their trees and the value they add to properties. The first and best step you can take is to have your trees regularly inspected by a professional tree service. Such a service should employ trained arborists that can spot threats to trees and stop them. Once a threat has been identified there are steps that can be taken to protect trees, shrubs and other greenery. Almost all of the insects that kill trees can be stopped by spraying but to be effective and safe, spraying has to be done early and quickly. Fungus can also be also controlled by proper spraying. Improper pruning and trimming can damage trees and actually encourage the spread of fungus and some pests. Having this work done by a professional tree service can stop the spread of such menaces. Finally, dead, dying and infected trees must be removed as soon as you notice them. Such trees must be removed properly to keep pests and diseases from spreading. Professional tree removal is often the best means of protecting a properly from tree killing pests and diseases.