Dead Trees Must be Removed

The terrible forest fires burning in parts of the west prove one thing: dead trees must be removed. If you own wooded land or property adjacent to woodlands, forests or empty lands you need to remove all dead and dying trees from your property. The reason for this is obvious dead trees are the fuel that spreads forest fires. Just this summer, two large towns in New Mexico Las Alamos and Raton were threatened by forest fires. A large forest fire also burned in the outskirts of Boulder, Colorado, and forced the evacuation of hundreds of home owners.

The reason the fires are so bad this year is the drought in much of the West. Despite record snowfalls in Colorado and other states, there has been little or no precipitation in many areas for months. This means that the forests are dry and likely to catch fire. To make matters worse, Colorado is in the midst of a terrible pine beetle epidemic. The pine beetle is a pest that kills trees and makes the situation worse. This means it is a good idea to have a professional tree service look at your property. A tree service’s arborists can remove dead trees and dying trees quickly and effectively. More importantly a tree service can stop the spread of the pine beetle by spraying for it. Such a service can remove dead trees safely and effectively. If you have pine, spruce or evergreen trees on your property you could vulnerable to forest fires. If any evergreen tree’s needles turn brown it is probably dying and will have to be removed. The sooner the dead tree is removed the sooner the fire danger will be lessened. A dead tree is a major fire hazard because in the present drought conditions in the west it can go up in flames in a few minutes. A wildfire can go through a forested lot as quickly as the wind can blow. This means that just minutes after a tree on your property goes up in flames your home could be up burning. By the time the fire department reaches your property all of your possessions could be destroyed.

Therefore you owe it to yourself and your family to have professional arborists look at your property. These experts can take the steps necessary to remove the fire hazard posed by dead trees.

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.