2003_volume10_issue1

Tree Care Advisor Newsletter

Inside This Issue:

American Beech By Mike Zins

1

Quick Hits / Volunteer Opps By Dave Hanson

2

Putting Down Roots: By Cliff Johnson

3

Agriculture Research: USDA, ARS - Elm Disease

6

Trees and Medicine By Robert Adreucci

7

Transplanting…Part II By Gary Johnson

8

Shade Tree Short Course Opportunity /Volunteer Hour Awards By Gary Johnson

15

A Printable Letter By Ken Holman MN DNR

18

Contacts 20

Frost Cracks 4

Working With Volunteers By Jane Klein

16

Volume 10 Number 1 Dave Hanson and Gary Johnson, Managing Editors

http://

www.mntca.org

American Beech – Fagus grandifolia

This native American tree is

perhaps one of the more

stately trees found in our

eastern forests and land-

scapes. It is found growing

from Nova Scotia to the

Great Lakes region and

south to Florida and Texas.

In its native range it is similar

to sugar maple in that it be-

comes a climax forest spe-

cies, cohabiting with maple,

oak and hickory.

Tree growth is similar to

sugar maple in many re-

spects. As young trees, they

tend to have strong central

leaders and as they slowly

mature, they develop the

distinctive decurrent or mul-

tiple stemmed crown we

often see in mature sugar

maples. Mature trees with

dense crowns cast heavy

shade and make it difficult for

grass and other plants to

grow under the canopy. In

their native habitats, they can

easily grow to 100 feet tall

and wide with huge trunks.

A specimen by Lake Minne-

tonka is perhaps 50 feet tall

with a trunk diameter of 2

feet after 100 years.

As much as one would like

to refer to this tree as a son-

of-a-beech, it probably is not

technically correct botani-

cally speaking. American

beech, like its relatives, are

monoecious with male and

female flowers found on the

same tree. The male flowers

are in globose heads separate

from the female flowers

which are in 2-4 flowered

spikes. They flower with

emerging leaves in early May.

Following pollination, fertili-

zation takes place and the

resulting fruit is a three-

winged nut enclosed in a

prickly involucre which is

edible. Unfortunately, trees I

have observed at the Arbo-

retum and locally tend to be

loners and most nuts do not

develop viable seeds, proba-

bly due to poor pollination.

The largest tree in the Arbo-

retum is about a foot in di-

ameter and every 2-3 years

produces lots of empty nuts.

This lack of viable nuts is a

shame as they are a favorite

food of many species of wild-

life.

But even with this shortfall,

the tree has other attributes

making it a very desirable

addition to our landscapes.

The leaves are up to 5 inches

long and 2 inches wide.

They are coarsely serrated

and have a glossy dark green

upper leaf surface, lighter

below. Continued page 5

American Beech - Fagus grandifolia

Mike Zins January, 2003

Quick Hits

Arbor Day Volunteer Opportunity

School Projects are just around

the corner. A Thank You to

Lynn Klessig from Elementary

School Students.

April 25th, 2003 10 am to 1 pm

McDonald’s restaurant near you

McDonalds and the Minnesota For-

est Service Industry are collaborat-

ing in the distribution of 50,000

Norway Pine Tree seedlings. 180

McDonald’s outlets are participat-

ing through out Minnesota and

western Wisconsin. The KEEY

program is seeking volunteers to

assist in the distribution of tree

seedlings and to answer questions

people may have about the planting

and care of the seedlings.

Glen Hambleton, a TCA , is

coordinating this activity for the

KEEY program. Glen can be

reached by phone (generally Mon-

day and Wednesday mornings from

9 to 11) at 612-782-7377, by FAX

at 612-782-7378 or by e-mail at

“[email protected] .”

If you know the address of a

McDonald’s at which you would

prefer to volunteer your services,

let Glen know what that is. Finding

someone to share the time with by

working in shifts or as a team is

acceptable.

You will be informed of what mate-

rials are to be provided to McDon-

ald’s customers in advance.

Radio and TV publicity of this event

is in the preparation stage. What

an opportunity for TCA’s to get

recognition for what they have to

offer the public.

Contact Glen Hambleton: Phone: 612-782-7377 Fax: 612-782-7378

e-mail: [email protected]

If you have access to the web - check out the TCA website “www.mntca.org.” The pages have been re-

worked with new backgrounds and layouts. Comments and suggestions are welcome but keep in mind it is a

work in progress.

Sandy McCartney is working up an Arbor Month Planting in Saint Louis Park to celebrate Tree Care Advi-

sors. Gary pointed out that this is the 10th anniversary of the TCA program. No specific details at this time

so we’ll let you know how this develops.

Woodland Advisors (WAs) and Tree Care Advisors (TCAs) gathered on January 18th for an update train-

ing and it was a smashing success. Sixty-four participants from 19 Minnesota counties took part. Our thanks

to all participants. Thanks go to John Gerlach (U of M alumnus). John helped everybody get checked in. Some

BIG THANK YOUS to food organizers Lorrie Stomme and Heide Ludwig a.k.a. “Betty Crocker.” And a

final BIG THANK YOU to Eli Sagor, U of M Extension Educator, for participating and for bringing the

Woodland Advisors.

The Shade Tree Short Course “Tree House of Horrors” was brought out of moth balls for the Green

Expo and was well received by the MNLA and Turf-and-Grounds joint audience.

The Shade Tree Short Course is just around the corner (March 25th and 26th). New This Year is the Tree Care Advisor Track, Brochures and information will be out soon.

The Tree Care Advisor core course gets under way February 22nd and continues the four following Satur-

days (March 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd). All TCAs are welcome to attend (depending on space), please check

the website for a schedule or call Dave. Consider Mentoring a rookie by simply being available to answer

questions, pull them along on volunteer activities or just share some wisdom - Give Dave a call 612-624-1226.

Putting Down Roots - A column in the Chaska Herald.

Late-winter pruning best for most trees and shrubs

By Cliff Johnson, Carver County

Tree Care Advisor

I'm asked just about every

month of the year when is the

best time to prune. For most

trees and shrubs, February and

March are ideal months to

prune for a number of reasons.

When trees are pruned dur-

ing dormancy, research shows

that the remaining branches

grow faster in spring because

energy stored in roots and

branches can be channeled to

fewer growth points.

The absence of leaves allows

the pruner to get a better look

at the tree's branching pattern

so crossing branches and weak

crotches can be more readily

seen and corrected.

Frozen ground facilitates the

use of larger, heavier equipment

on turf and around gardens

planted with perennials and

shrubs. The noise and commo-

tion caused by pruning is also

less intrusive in winter when

houses are closed tight and less

activity is going on outdoors.

The spread of insect-born

diseases such as oak wilt is

eliminated. Oaks, by the way,

should never be pruned during

April, May or June.

The goal of pruning is to

maintain a tree's structure and

form by removing dead

branches and by thinning large

branches to reduce weight and

wind resistance. Proper prun-

ing also enables more light to

penetrate inner branches. Be-

fore you reach for the saw, give

some thought to how much

wood you plan to remove.

Overpruning can be just as

damaging as no pruning at all,

explains Dr. Patrick Weicherd-

ing, University of Minnesota

extension horticulturist. Over-

pruning removes too many

leaves and, without enough

leaves, a tree cannot gather and

process sufficient sunlight to

survive. Weicherding advises to

never remove more than one-

third of a tree's total mass.

According to Weicherding,

there are six general forms of

pruning. Crown cleaning

refers to removal of dead, dy-

ing, diseased and weakly at-

tached branches and water

sprouts (fast-growing vertical

branches). Crown thinning is

the selective removal of live

branches to increase light pene-

tration and air movement.

Crown raising is the removal

of lower branches to provide

clearance for buildings, vehicles

and pedestrians. Crown re-duction involves using thinning

cuts to make the crown smaller

when it has grown too large for

the space. The remaining lateral

branch to which a leader branch

is cut should be at least one-

third the diameter of the branch

being removed. Crown resto-ration refers to improving the

structure of trees that have

sprouted vigorously following

breakage or from being pruned

with heading cuts (cuts made at

90-degree angle). Utility pruning is done to restore

clearance under electrical

power lines or other utility

wires.

Proper pruning cuts (figure 4)

do not injure the branch bark

ridge (the raised line of bark

that forms between the branch

and the trunk) or the branch

collar (the living, swollen tissue

that surrounds the base of a

branch). The size and promi-

nence of the branch collar and

branch bark ridge vary between

individual trees and tree species.

I've heard speakers describe the

branch collar and bark ridge as

a tree's "first-aid kit" because

the cells and tissue in these

zones are specially adapted to

help the tree heal following

pruning.

The two most-common cut-

ting errors made by non-

professional pruners, according

to Weicherding, are cutting too

close ("flush cut") and not cut-

ting close enough ("stub cut").

Both errors can lead to decay,

cracks, insect and disease prob-

lems and hazard trees. Flush

cuts destroy these tissues that

defend against decay. Stub cuts

leave an energy source for in-

sect and disease organisms be-

Figure 4: Three Cuts to

Proper Branch Pruning.

Diagram courtesy of U of M

Extension Service

Crown reduction or Drop-

crotch pruning under utility lines

Putting Down Roots...

cause the cells remaining in stub

cuts are alive but lack defense

mechanisms.

"Proper pruning is one of the

best things a person can do for

trees, and improper pruning is

one of the worst," Weicherding

says. "When people decide to

do their own pruning, rather

than hire a professional pruner,

they need to arm themselves

with the knowledge about what

proper pruning is and what it is

not." The two best ways to

help trees recover following

pruning is to water and mulch

them during the growing sea-

son. There is no need to apply

any type of sealant or wound

dressing on trees pruned in late

winter or early spring. Trees

are capable of gradually sealing

their own wounds when pruned

properly. In fact, wound dress-

ings may actually interfere with

this process. The only time

sealant is recommended is on

oak trees pruned during April,

May and June, and the trick here

is to apply the sealant within

minutes of pruning. Sealants

applied to oaks hours or days

later will not protect oaks be-

cause the insects that transmit

oak wilt will have already in-

fected the wound.

For a Pruning Reference, Please refer to: United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.

How to Prune Trees

This pamphlet is available on the web at: http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_prune/prun001.htm

Crown Raising for street and

sidewalk clearance

Frost Cracks: (photos below) It’s That time of year to keep your eyes and ears open for phenomenon related

to winter weather. One such phenomenon is frost cracking: longitudinal cracks

deep into the trunk of the tree are the result of freezing temperatures. Often

frost cracks close before spring and are not very noticeable. Over time callus

ridges form along the cracks and in some cases a tree may be weakened.

Photos taken near Hodson Hall, St. Paul Campus during a January cold snap (sub-

zero temperatures).

As a point of reference the knife handle is about two inches long.

Above: Frost cracks and a weak union

between codominant leaders.

American Beech (continued from page 1)

Autumn turns the leaves a nice coppery,

golden bronze color and the leaves persist

throughout winter. Come spring the leaves

fade to a distinctive white before they drop

prior to new bud emergence. Besides at-

tractive foliage, the bark is a smooth silvery

gray color. At the end of dormant twigs

distinctive long pointed brown buds are eas-

ily seen.

Culturally, this tree does best where it has

room to grow, much like sugar maple. It

would be a good specimen for parks and

other areas large enough for good root de-

velopment. Beech prefers a moist, well-

drained, acidic soil and will not do well in

poorly drained or compacted soils. Placing

them in typical urban boulevards or planting

pits would be a waste of effort, but reason-

able soils and root room will probably make

them successful. Like all trees, American

Beech may have insect and disease problems

but none that are particularly serious. Physi-

cal damage from lawnmowers, weed whips

and bad pruning may cause more problems

for the tree.

As for hardiness, American Beech mirrors

its natural growing range. Seed sources

from its northern range should be used. I

personally have not seen trees planted north

of the Twin Cities metro area. That doesn’t

mean they cannot grow further north. But

as you know, other factors besides tempera-

tures enter into the equation for successfully

growing plants away from its native range.

Certainly, American Beech should be tried

in the southern part of the state on favor-

able sites. After all, the grand in the specific

epithet of the Latin name probably means

large leaves, but it could very well mean

great or magnificent. I prefer the latter!

Mike Zins

January, 2003

Sharply pointed,

long buds

The smooth

gray bark invites

the carving of a

sweetheart’s

initials.

Coarsely serrate leaves and

sharp pointed bud

Photos: Leaf above and Tree

below Courtesy of Michael A.

Dirr’s Plant Information Web

Page.

Photo group courtesy of:

University of Connecticut.

Elm Disease Bacterium Identified

From the pages of Agricul-

tural Research magazine

When 1,000 mature Ameri-

can elms mysteriously died in

Illinois during the last decade,

scientists at first suspected

that the elm yellows (EY)

plant pathogen was the cul-

prit. The theory made sense

because the disease syn-

drome was so similar to that

caused by the EY phyto-

plasma, a cell-wall-less bacte-

rium, which sickened North

American elms during the

past several decades.

EY is unlike another tree

malady, the fungal Dutch elm

disease. EY occurs in elms

native to North America in a

region extending from east-

ern Massachusetts, New

York, Pennsylvania, and New

Jersey to Michigan, Minne-

sota, Nebraska, and Missis-

sippi. But historically, EY had

been absent from the north-

ern third of Illinois.

Initial tests on the Illinois

elms for EY phytoplasma

were conducted by a com-

mercial diagnostic company

and were inconclusive.

So what was causing the dis-

ease syndrome? To find out,

Agricultural Research Service

plant pathologist Ing-Ming

Lee, with the Molecular Plant

Pathology Laboratory in

Beltsville, Maryland, in col-

laboration with scientists

from Illinois' Morton Arbo-

retum, tried another ap-

proach. They used a tool

Lee developed to systemati-

cally hunt for any phyto-

plasma that may be present

in the diseased Illinois elms.

Lee's test used polymerase

chain reaction and DNA fin-

gerprinting. The phyto-

plasma detected in tissue

scraped from the elms' bark

was found to be unrelated to

the EY phytoplasma

(taxonomic group 16SrV-A).

Instead, Lee identified the

phytoplasma as representa-

tive of a new subgroup

(16SrVI-C) of clover prolif-

eration phytoplasma (group

16SrVI). The carrier, or vec-

tor, of this newly identified

phytoplasma is most likely a

leafhopper that is different

from the known EY vector.

"We think the Illinois elm

disease is being carried by a

transient insect coming in

from another state," says

Lee. "Tiny plant-feeding leaf-

hoppers can migrate up to

1,000 miles on wind power

alone." The leafhopper de-

posits the pathogen while

sucking juices from the tree's

phloem.

Dr. Lee will now concentrate

on locating the leafhopper

vector, determining its spe-

cies, and finding its origin.

He will then monitor the

insect because, he says, "A

rise in the population of the

vector signals a warning."

By Rosalie Marion Bliss, Agri-

cultural Research Service

Information Staff.

Ing-Ming Lee is with the

USDA-ARS Molecular Plant

Pathology Laboratory, 10300

Baltimore Ave., Bldg. 011A,

Rm. 252, Beltsville, MD

20705-2350; phone (301)

504-6024, fax (301) 504-

5449.

"Elm Disease Bacterium

Identified" was published in

the January 2003 issue

of Agricultural Re-

search magazine.

Minnesota State Fair Grounds -

American Elm with early DED

symptoms.

Minnesota State Fair Grounds -

American Elms with advanced

DED symptoms.

Trees and Medicine

Trees and Medicine?

By: Robert Andreucci

Is there a connection be-

tween trees and medicine?

The answer is yes. For cen-

turies man has used natural

products to deal with the

many problems he encoun-

tered. One of the most of-

ten used products was the

indigenous plant life. Listed

below are several common

tree species and some of

their medicinal uses. This

discussion of the fascinating

blend of medicine and den-

drology is for information

purposes only. Please con-

sult a physician with any

medical questions you may

have.

Quaking Aspen - Populus

tremuloides

The major chemical in this

tree, salicin, is found in the

bark. When salicin is in the

human body it converts to

salicylic acid, a common in-

gredient of aspirin. A prepa-

ration of aspen was often

used for headaches and fe-

vers.

Black willow – Salix nigra

This species also contain

salicin. All of the members

of the family Salicacea, of

which willows and poplars

are members, get their family

name from this chemical.

Butternut (White Wal-nut) – Juglans cinera

Both doctors and Native

American medicine men util-

ized this species extensively.

The inner bark was used as a

mild cathartic. The most

common medicinal prepara-

tion provided relief for upset

stomach, digestive disorders,

and was used as a mild laxa-

tive. Several Native Ameri-

can tribes also used it as a

dressing for wounds. It is

often described as similar to

rhubarb.

Black Walnut – Juglans ni-

gra

As a member of the walnut

family, the inner bark of this

species has laxative proper-

ties similar to butternut.

The leaves also had medicinal

properties. It was used to

help with eczema and her-

pes.

Red (Slippery) Elm – Ul-

mus rubra

Slippery elm is a very inter-

esting tree. Both Native

Americans and 19th century

medicine men utilized almost

all parts of this tree. Even

today, you can find slippery

elm formulas in health food

stores. The bark of this tree

provided a healing salve con-

sidered to be among the best

possible treatments for

wounds, bruises, sores and

burns. This bark preparation

was so exceptional that it

proved not only soothing to

the user but also reduced

pain and inflammation.

White Oak – Quercus alba

This is the most medicinally

important oak. Tannin is

found in both the bark and

acorns of this tree. The tan-

nin has very powerful anti-

septic and astringent proper-

ties.

Eastern hophornbeam (Ironwood) – Ostrya virgin-

iana

Eastern hophornbeam is well

known for its durable wood

that is often used to make

mallets and handles, but to

the early pioneers this tree

was also medicinally impor-

tant. The primary use of Continued page 17

Transplanting… Part II

It Might Be Worth Saving

Transplanting Trees and Shrubs - Part II:

Making the Move

Weeks or months have now passed since you made the decision to move the tree or shrub and hopefully prepared that plant for the journey. I'm sure that to some people, all of this planning seems a bit excessive. If all you are doing is moving a 24 inch Potentilla, I'd have to agree with you. Just dig it up and move it anyway you can…it WILL live. However, since of lot of other readers may be thinking about moving a 12 foot spruce, or 20 old lilacs or a 5 inch caliper basswood, the excessive planning is much more necessary.

A lot has been happening below ground since you root-pruned that tree or shrub a few weeks or months ago, but unless you have x-ray vision it hasn't been obvious. Every root that you cut during that process has rewarded you ten-fold…at least. The two photographs in Figure 1 show the effect of timely root pruning. The image to the left is of a green ash, immediately after root pruning. The image to the right is the same tree, four months later. The net result is not only a much more extensive root system, but one that is contained in a much smaller area. This visually exhibits why root-pruned plants survive transplanting so much better than those not pruned.

Root Pruned After four months of growing

Figure 1

Before you transplant, take a look up, around and beneath. It's impossible to avoid talking about tree or shrub placement in a transplanting primer. After all, the plant is theoretically being moved to a "better" site than before. Add these next steps to your checklist:

1. Look up. Don't plant in a site where the mature tree or shrub can interfere with utility lines or views from windows. And don't fool yourself by thinking that regular pruning can keep the plant size in check. Too much work, too hard on the plant, too easy to forget.

2. Look around. Will the new placement create a blocked sight line? For instance, as it matures, will it block the view of the street from your driveway as you back out? Or the clear view at an intersec-tion of streets? If so, don't plant it there.

If the proposed planting site is within 60 of the street, the street is a busy street and you know from past experience that a lot of deicing salt is used, don't plant the tree or shrub there unless it's known to be tolerant of Minnesota's main source of pollution. For a list of trees and their toler-ances to deicing salt exposure, refer to "Minimizing De-Icing Salt Injury to Trees," (Johnson, Sucoff, 1995).

If the plant could get so broad that it would interfere with pedestrians walking by or lawn mainte-


nance, don't plant it there thinking that pruning would contain the problem.

3. Look down. Actually, have Gopher State One Call look down and deep for you. I should have mentioned this in part I before you root-pruned, and hopefully none of you severed any utili-ties. Definitely contact them now at: 651-454-8388, or 800-252-1166, or www.gopherstateonecall.org. It seems like a bit of an annoyance, but it's cheap insurance.

While you're looking down, check the soil for compaction or drainage problems. If you can dig two spades lengths deep into the soil, you don't have a compaction problem. If you need to jump up and down on the shovel and have your 300 pound neighbor do it, too…you have a compaction problem. Compaction problems can be alleviated somewhat by an extensive site preparation (e.g., loosening the soil in an area 10 feet in diameter), and it's so much easier to do that before you move the new tree or shrub. Poor drainage is another story, though.

To check for drainage, dig or auger a hole 24 inches deep. Fill with water and allow it to com-pletely drain. Fill a second time. That second filling should be drained within 24 hours. If it isn't, drainage may be an issue. If the transplanted tree is a sugar maple…it's an issue. If it's a silver maple, it probably isn't. Correcting soil drainage problems is difficult and often expen-sive. Your best move is to avoid them if they could become problematic for tree or shrub health.

Might as well have that soil tested, too. The most critical thing to determine is the soil pH (whether it's acidic or alkaline), and don't think that just because the native soils are acidic that your soil will be acidic. Most "urbanized" soils are alkaline, some just slightly and others ob-scenely. If the soil pH is 7.5 or so, and the transplanted tree is a river birch…don't plant it there! It WILL decline and die prematurely. And as with poor drainage, soil alkalinity is diffi-cult and expensive to change.

I'm ready to transplant the tree but it's autumn now. Should I wait until spring? In Part I, I hinted that time of year may be more of a perceived problem, rather than a real problem. Certainly, there are some plants that are best and most successfully moved in the spring (see Part I for a partial listing), but quite honestly, there's little documented research that success or failure rates differ dramatically by seasons (obvious exceptions would be mid-winter and mid-summer).

Most of you reading this live in the southeastern part of Minnesota. That's just a demographic fact, not a location prejudice. Upstate New York is very similar climate-wise to much of Minnesota, especially the southeastern part of Minnesota. In a documented, two-year research experiment conducted by Cornell University in upstate New York (Buckstrup and Bassuk, 2000), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), ironwood (Ostrya virginiana) and bicolor oak (Quercus bicolor) survived and grew just as well when transplanted in the autumn as they did in the spring. Some-times better in the autumn. That's research-based information. It's not inclusive for every tree or shrub imaginable, but it is factual and more reliable than memory or "my neighbor said" information.


What ARE the most important factors for transplant success?

Transplant as many roots as possible.

Never let them dry out.

Prepare the new site for root growth.

Plant the tree or shrub at the right depth.

Take care of the plant after the move, for the life of the plant (figuratively and literally).

Transplant as many roots as possible. If you root-pruned the tree or shrub at least one season before the move, the plant now has a much more concentrated root system in a more confined area. This means that you will be able to move a much more extensive root system. The way it is moved depends on species and size.

Bare-root transplanting is just as the term implies: moving the plant's root system with little to no soil attached. Whenever possible, this is the preferred method because it is relatively simple, the (lighter) plant is easier to handle and move, any root problems become obvious and easier to correct, and in fact, you can usually move a larger root system this way. It is not usually recommended for moving conifers or trees larger than 2 inches in caliper (but those rules can be bent).

Step One: If possible, dig down a few inches beyond that root-pruning trench that you dug a season ago. You will hit some new roots, but the majority of the roots will be contained within the diameter of the root-pruned area. As you are digging down, pry the shovel to lift the roots and loosen the soil (figure 2).

Step Two: Loosen the soil within the diameter of the new trench. If the soil is very dry, it sometimes helps to moisten it a few inches deep the day before you dig. My implement of choice for loosening the soil is a "potato fork," which is similar to a short pitchfork with broad and flat tines. Loosening the soil is walking a fine line between freeing the roots and cutting them. You don't want to cut all the roots off, just loosen the soil from them so the plant can be lifted.

Step Three: If there are any roots growing down, slip under the root mass with your shovel or use a loppers to cut those roots. Now the plant should be free from the growing site and you can shake most of the re-maining soil off (figure 3).

Step Four: Keep the roots moist. Immediately after freeing the plant from the soil, "heel" it back in with loose soil and moisten it. An alternative would be to cover the roots with wet straw or woodchips and cover with a tarp or plastic. Those roots can die in minutes when exposed to air.

Now, I've left a couple "holes" that need filling.

Caliper. This is the thickness of the stem, which is measured approximately 6 inches above the ground line. However, if the stem measurement taken at that point is greater than 4 inches thick, move up the stem another 6 inches and record the stem thickness at that point.

Figure 2: Digging Bare-root

Figure 3: Bare-root stock


Diameter of root mass. The American Association of Nurserymen has developed the "American Standard for Nursery Stock." (reference and address in concluding reference section). According to the standards, a tree with a 1 inch caliper should have a 18 inch diameter bare root system…AS A MINIMUM. A 2 inch caliper tree should have a 28 inch diameter bare root system…AS A MINIMUM. For a 3 inch caliper tree, at least 38 inches. For a 3 foot tall shrub, 14 inches in diameter; 16 inches for a 4 foot shrub; 18 inches for a 5 foot shrub; and 20 inches for a 6 foot shrub.

Keep in mind that these are MINIMUM dimensions. The more roots you transplant with the tree or shrub, the more successful the move will be.

Balling and burlapping (B&B) the root system requires much more skill, patience and muscles! For those larger trees and/or conifers that traditionally move better with a soil ball surrounding the roots, this and moving the plants with a tree spade (mechanical digger) are the preferred methods. The irony of it is that the root system is actually smaller (according to the Standards) for B&B dug versus bare-root dug plants. For instance: 2 inch caliper B&B should have a minimum soil ball diameter of 24 inches (compared to 28 for bare-rooted).

If the plant traditionally does better as a B&B transplant, if you will not be able to immediately replant the dug tree or shrub and need to store it temporarily, or if you are digging when the plant has leafed out, then those are good reasons to B&B it. In my opinion, however, if you have the option to successfully move the plant bare-rooted, bare-root it. Referring again to the study by Cornell University, in most cases they had equal success with bare-rooted and B&B plants, and those results have been confirmed by several other research experiments at other universities and botanical gardens for many years.

If you decide to ball and burlap the plant, the process is a bit different.

Again, if the soil is dry, moisten it to a depth of several inches the day before the move. Carefully scrape away all excess surface soil until you find the first branch root/s. This should be the very top of your soil ball when the plant is finally dug. (figure 4, "Tie up the foliage and branches to reduce breakage during the transplanting operation.")

Use a flat spade, similar to a "sod-cutting" spade, instead of a rounded or "spoon" shovel. Turn the face of the shovel away from the stem of the plant as you dig down around the minimum root ball diameter.

As you sink the spade into the soil and cut the roots, press the handle back toward the stem and scoop the soil out away from the soil ball. This is the opposite action taken when bare-rooting a plant. This action compacts the soil into a solid root/soil ball with each spade of soil scooped away. (Figure 5, “Compacting the root ball as soil is scooped away.”)

After the first "lap" around the root ball diameter, begin a second lap digging down deeper. In effect, you will be digging this trench around the soil ball two spade-lengths deep.

Above - Figure 4: Foliage and

branches tied up

Below - Figure 5: Compacting and

removing soil.

Ball and Burlap


Begin "shaving off" soil from the soil ball. Don't try to move a soil ball if there are no roots to hold it intact, because it won't stay intact! Shave off soil until you hit enough roots that you can be confident that it will hold together. Then, begin cutting down and into the bottom center of the soil ball. This is known as "tapering" the soil ball, and again, if you don't hit any roots, don't try to move that soil with the soil ball. Keep tapering in until you begin cutting roots. (figure 6, "The soil ball has been shaved and tapered to where the roots are concentrated.")

Once the soil ball is shaved and tapered, fold up a sheet of burlap or an old sheet, slip it down into the hole against one side of the soil ball and roll the soil ball back onto the burlap or sheet. Pull half of the burlap or sheet under the soil ball and up around the opposite side. (figure 7, "Slipping burlap under the soil ball.")

Pull up the four corners of the burlap or sheet, tie them to each other and snug up the wrapping. Sometimes it is necessary to "bind up" the burlap or sheet with twine or a rope to hold it all to-gether. (figure 8, "Pull the burlap under and up to cradle the soil ball. Tie the corners of the burlap together.")

Get some help and lift the plant out of the hole.

That sounds like a lot of work and very confusing! You're right! It took me about four months to learn how to ball and burlap professionally when I started working for a nursery as a college student. It's very hard work, frustrating at times, and every tree and shrub is a bit different. I'd recommend that you hire someone experienced at this art if it needs to be done, or have it moved with a tree spade.

The move.

As mentioned earlier, if the soil is compacted, loosen it as much as you can tolerate. Then pass the shovel or roto tiller off to someone else and have them loosen it as much as they can tolerate. This will pay off in the form of a shorter transplant shock period and a healthier, longer-lived tree or shrub.

Replanting the shocked tree or shrub is at least as important as the digging process. For detailed information on the best planting practices, refer to "Planting Trees and Shrubs for Long-Term Health," which is listed in the concluding reference section. The steps are simple, however.

Step one. Measure the depth of the root system if it's bare-rooted, or the soil ball depth if it's B&B or tree spade dug.

Step two. That measured depth is the deepest that the new planting hole should be. If you are to err, err on the side of planting high. This doesn't mean that the roots will be sticking up out of the ground. You will just need to haul in more good soil to cover those higher roots, creating a plant-ing berm.

Step three. The width of the hole depends on the nature of the soil, the compacted nature to be specific. If the new planting site has beautiful, loose soil, the width of the planting hole is not a

Figure 6: Shave and taper the ball.

Figure 7: Burlapping

Figure 8: Tied up and ready to move.

Step 1: Measure the soil ball

Step 2: determine depth


big issue. It should be large enough to place the soil ball/roots into it and work the backfill soil in around those roots. If the soil is very compacted, then the wider the planting hole, the better.

Step four. Double-check that planting depth and make sure those first branch roots are no deeper than the landscape surface. Don't worry, they're not going to die; they will end up with a light dressing of mulch over them.

Step five. If the tree or shrub has been balled and burlapped, backfill about half way up the soil ball depth and then cut off the remaining burlap or sheet above that point.

Step six. Complete the backfilling, water the soil ball/root area thoroughly and mulch the plant-ing site with 2-4 inches of the mulch of your choice. Don't pile ANY mulch up against the stem, however.

Step seven. Religiously water, sometimes every day depending on the season, soil drainage and size of the transplant. Allow the soil to drain after each irrigation, but never allow the roots and the soil around the roots to completely dry out.

Don't prune off branches to compensate for root loss! This practice may seem logical, but it's not bio-logical. If branches subsequently die, then prune them off.

There is a "magic bullet!" Everyone wants to know what they can do to ensure transplant success. Is it fertil-izer? No. Is it soil fungi or bacteria? No. Is it cow manure, peat moss, composted leaves? No. It's water. Not too much, not too little, not once a week, not one inch of water per week, not just before planting, not only after planting. It's the amount needed to keep the roots moist from the time you begin digging until the tree or shrub is safely beyond transplant shock (at least one year). And then after that, for the life of the tree. When water is maintained at an optimum level, then fertilizers, soil amendments, microbial inoculations may be beneficial. If water is lacking or excessive, those other amendments are either worthless or damaging to plant health.

Occasionally, trees may need some support via stakes for a short period of time after transplanting. For more information on staking and guying trees, refer to the Forest Resources Extension web site listed in the reference section. Often, trees and shrubs need some winter protection from hungry critters. Again, refer to the Forest Resources Extension web site.

http://www.cnr.umn.edu/FR/extension/

Step 4: Double check depth of

1st branch roots.

Truck mounted 88 inch tree spade.

Skid steer mounted 34 inch tree spade

Examples of tree spades to handle larger trees


References:

American Association of Nurserymen. American Standard for Nursery Stock, ANSI Z60.1. 1250 I Street, N.W., Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20005.

Buckstrup, Michelle J. and Nina L. Bassuk. 2000. Transplanting Success of Balled-and-Burlapped Versus Bare-Root Trees in the Urban Landscape. Journal of Arboriculture, 26(6): November, 2000. P. 298-308.

Hargrave, Rebecca, Gary Johnson and Michael Zins. 2002. Planting Trees and Shrubs for Long-Term Health. University of Minnesota Extension Service, MI-07681. 13 pages.

Johnson, G.R. and Ed Sucoff. 1995. Minimizing De-Icing Salt Injury to Trees. University of Minnesota Exten-sion Service, FO-1413, 7 pages.

Forest Resources Extension, University of Minnesota. www.cnr.umn.edu/FR/extension. Click on Urban and Community Forestry, then click on Maintenance for: Minimizing De-Icing Salt Injury to Trees, and Tree Stem Protection. Go back to Urban and Community Forestry page, click on Planting for: Staking and Guying Trees, Tree Planting 101, and Planting Methods for Trees and Shrubs.

88 inch tree spade being lined up to lift a maple

from the TRE nursery.

Above: Tree is road-ready

Below: Chad Giblin, TRE nursery manager, stands in its place.

“AND THE WINNERS ARE…"

After entering the volunteer hours reported for 2002, we have a new list of "TCA Medalists." New medalists to a category are those with their names in bold font. The categories of achievement signify the total volunteer hours contributed by that individual since they completed their TCA training. BRONZE LEVEL (100-199 hours) Anna Barker Gary Schneider Doris Carroll Sharon Fisk Ronald Reeves Margaret Kirchner Andy Sobert Terri Goodfellow-Hayer Dorothy Pederson Gordon Hanson Jackie Overom Lee Gilligan Pat Friedrichs Paul Couture Marilyn McKay James Zastera Barbara Stendahl Gail Griffin Harold Batzer Jean Hjellming Claire Kari Kay Karsell Lou Ann Keleher Lynn Klessig Deb Kuechle Heide Ludwig Herb Pieper Kathy Pollock Beverly Quam Barbara Harlan Laurie Drolson Jay Willet SILVER LEVEL (200-299) Joyce Nellis Charles Hueser Audrey Dolby Diana Bolander Tim Wedekind Glen Hambleton Leah Peterson Bruce Granos

Paula Denman Francis Eberlein Barbara Kirkpatrick Jane Klein Barbara Leschisin Vera Wagner GOLD LEVEL (300-499) Warren Banks Cliff Johnson Sherry Atkins Janet Larson Mike Sowers Nancy Bjerke PLATINUM LEVEL (Over 500 hours) Lorrie Stromme Patti Lee Gates Carolyn Dingfelder Robert Condon * Skip Rither Esther Filson * Rita Nystrom ** Jim Nelson * Gordon Herbst Mimi Hottinger *Extraordinary Recognition. **Most Hours Recognition. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of these TCAs! YOU and your fellow TCAs are the reason that this program has such a wonderful reputation. Shade Tree Short Course Tree Care Advisors Recognition, Opportunities, and Thank You! Want to hear something really neat? The TCA program will have its own "track" at the 2003 MN Shade Tree Short Course (STSC)! Last summer, the STSC Steering Committee voted to establish a new track of courses specifically to target TCAs. When the STSC brochure is mailed out (approximately 6 weeks before the STSC), you will see several courses unique to the TCA registrant. One

of the sessions will even be taught by a team of TCAs. This really is an acknowledgement of your value to urban and community forestry in Minnesota, and shows that many others recognize the contributions that you make. The MN STSC will be held on March 25 and 26, 2003, at Bethel College. When you receive your brochure, register through me (Gary or Dave), NOT through the University. The STSC Steering Committee also passed another resolution last sum-mer. There will be an automatic price break on registration costs for TCAs that have reached a cate-gory of achievement. So, for those TCAs listed in the different "medalists" categories, here are the price reductions: Bronze Level: 40% off. Silver Level: 60% off. Gold Level: 80% off. Platinum Level: Free Registra-tion! On both days, there will be a TCA Luncheon. On the first day, there will be a recognition cere-mony at the luncheon for all the new members of the four, medalist categories. Both days, however, will provide TCAs with their own room to dine, chat, renew old friendships, make new ones, and maybe even offer to mentor new TCAs. If you want to volunteer your time at the STSC (and count them as volunteer hours), please contact me or David. Once again, Patti Lee Gates has agreed to coor-dinate the volunteers, which is a great relief to all of us. Patti has done an outstanding job in the past. If you serve as a volunteer for the expected hours of service, you can attend the STSC free. Patti Lee sets the volunteer guidelines - not me, not David, not you - and if you can work within those guide-lines, we'd love to have you help us.

Working With Volunteers..

By Jane Klein

Having organized and

worked several events,

which include MNDOT tree

planting, Bethke Park buck-

thorn removal, mulching and

replanting, and some GRG

events, I have enjoyed every

minute and learned so much.

When I started coordinating

volunteer events at Bethke

Park in Oakdale, I met a

young man (about age13)

who came to one of my

“first events” as a “court kid”

who needed to give back

some hours to the commu-

nity. Having been assigned

to our event, he wasn’t really

enthused to cut and pull

buckthorn. After giving him

instructions and tools, he

quickly started to work

through the wooded park (I

was impressed, this kid could

work) however, then he was

gone. Seeing he was in “my

charge”, I had the responsi-

bility to go find him and was

even concerned that he may

have been hurt. To my sur-

prise, he was in the back of

the park sitting on log light-

ing up a cigarette. I learned

a lot about young volun-

teers. They need to be su-

pervised!

My favorite day was a cold,

windy, and rainy early spring

Saturday. We were working

on highway 694 doing a com-

munity MNDOT planting.

We had a large group of Tar-

tan High School students

who proudly planted their

assigned number of trees,

and thought they were fin-

ished for the morning and

could go home to get warm

and dry. Unfortunately, it

was my task to give them the

bad news that the “big old

pile of brown mulch” wasn’t

affordable housing for the

highway critters; we were

responsible for putting all of

it around the newly planted

trees, along with another

bucket of water. It didn’t

take these kids long to

gather all the five-gallon

buckets available, form a

bucket brigade along the

freeway and finish the job. “

POWER of TEAMWORK” A

volunteer coordinator dream

come true.

I have been extremely fortu-

nate to have worked with

the Hubert Humphrey Job

Corps kids, girls hockey

team, girl scouts, boy scouts,

churches, garden clubs, Mas-

ter Gardeners neighbors and

sentence to serve kids. Each

group has a mixture of work-

ers that come for different

reasons. If you can find out

what brought them there,

you can usually work with

that reason to motivate them

and keep them working.

HOWEVER, THE NUMBER

ONE THING TO ALWAYS

REMEMBER, IS TO MAKE IT

FUN. Secondly, the THANK

YOU is always used freely

and every volunteer, no mat-

ter why they are there, is

treated with respect.

The key to getting things

done is to be extremely or-

ganized (have pre- registra-

tion if possible) and have

good supervisors in place.

The best supervisors also

have a sense of humor and

can be a little bossy. If you

have a group sign up, have

them bring a “team leader”

to keep them together and

take care of any special per-

sonal needs.

The following 10 tips also

may help:

1. Start and finish on time.

Know the capabilities of

School Projects are just around

the corner. Thank You(s) to

Lynn Klessig from Elementary

School Students.

Ostrya was as a cough syrup.

White Pine – Pinus strobes

Medicinally this was one of

the most important trees to

Native Americans. They

used the needles, buds, bark,

cones, roots and pitch. This

species contains vitamin C

and is used in the prevention

of scurvy. It contains five

times the amount of vitamin

C as an equal weight of lem-

ons and is also rich in vitamin

A. Smoke from burning nee-

dles (do not try this at home)

was inhaled as a cure for

backache. The cones and

buds were used by Native

Americans in the treatment

of coughs.

Obviously, trees and medi-

cine do mix.

Robert Andreucci is a man-

ager and Arborist Represen-

tative in Bartlett’s Lebanon,

NJ office.

Article from: Bartlett Tree

Experts, Tree Topics. Sum-

mer 2002. The F.A. Bartlett

Tree Expert Company. P.O.

Box 3067, Stamford

CT 06905.

Continued from page 7 your volunteers and al-

low time appropriately.

2. Have beverages and

treats-event appropriate.

Washroom directions or

furnish.

3. Have tools and extra

gloves available. Name

badges are a must.

4. Go over safety and tool

use (make sure that they

understand that your

“brand new” loppers will

be of little or no use af-

ter they are used to cut

barbed wire fencing).

Advise your volunteers

where first aid is even if

it is just someone with a

cell phone or a Band-Aid.

5. Review the tasks and

project goals (be realis-

tic).

6. Make it fun and a learning

experience. Let each

volunteer know that the

project would not be a

success if they were not

there.

7. Do a tool roundup and

count before anyone

leaves (if you spray the

handles bright pink, they

are easier to find).

8. ALWAYS bring a camera

and do a group photo.

Before and after is always

fun. Be sure to tell peo-

ple to stay for the final

photo. Keeps them

there until you are fin-

ished.

9. Get their names and

phone numbers for fu-

ture events.

10. If needed, get volunteer

waivers signed.

Finally, don’t be discouraged

if people sign up and don’t

show. It happens, and it isn’t

personal. Always try to have

about 10% more sign ups

than needed. Also, if you are

short volunteers, there is

always another day.

Vera Wagner and Volunteers

A Printable Letter - Or “Notes from the DNR”

TCAs are Key to Local Program Success

by Ken Holman, MN DNR

A few years ago, I had a run in with my city’s Street De-partment. As part of their routine pruning to clear for garbage and snowplow trucks, a crew “butchered” a specimen tree that HAD been screening an unsightly view from our front yard and living room picture window. When the Superintendent stopped by, I suggested that the city could gain more ac-ceptance of their work by notifying residents in advance of pruning work, or at least by making proper pruning cuts. Sensing a formal com-plaint, he proceeded to take pictures to defend his crew’s actions.

I didn’t pursue it, but instead have since offered him and other city staff and officials the technical information I felt could help them better care for my city’s trees. The point is, he was annoyed that I was trying to suggest how they might do a better job – of public relations, let alone tree maintenance. I use this to illustrate an old and all too common attitude about citizen advice – it’s usually not appreciated.

Welcome to the 21st cen-tury. Trained and eager Tree Care Advisors are poised to provide advice on a lot more than proper prun-ing. Your work as crew leaders and technical advi-sors on planting projects, innovative ideas for teaching tree care basics and your role as citizen advocates on local tree boards have pro-vided a key element common to our most successful com-munity programs – active involvement by informed citizens. In doing so, you have also made the Minne-sota TCA program a model for other state U&CF pro-grams. Wisconsin and sev-eral other states have adapted our approach.

Nearly 30 years ago, Minne-sota produced another na-tionally recognized model – the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee (MnSTAC). Begun in 1974 and lead for 15 years by the tree advocates’ advocate, Don Willeke, MnSTAC has helped coordinate state as-sistance to communities and advocated for continued state agency funding and grants for local programs, e.g. MN ReLeaf. When fed-eral funds became available in 1990 to start or build state

urban forestry programs, the states were required to es-tablish advisory councils, and MnSTAC was the prime ex-ample.

STAC is Minnesota’s tree board. But unlike a typical city tree board, it has been made up almost exclusively of professional foresters and arborists, except for Don. That has changed since TCAs started showing up for monthly meetings. I’m not sure when it started, but your presence has grown to where often half of the 30 to 40 attendees are TCAs. More significant is how you have stepped up into leader-ship roles and supported key STAC activities.

Lorrie Stromme is in her second year as President. Terri Stark volunteered to develop and maintain our E-newsletter. Kim Sullivan is now the Co-chair of the STAC Legislative Subcommit-tee. Lu Schmidtke and Lynda Forbes donated over 100 hours to enter survey data (and offer a citizen’s perspective on the results) for Rich Hauer’s PhD pro-ject, quantifying the eco-nomic benefits of state assis-tance to local tree programs since 1974. On a cold and rainy day out on Gary’s

New Newsletter Feature?

Notes from the DNR...

TCA website:

http://www.mntca.org

Learn More About MSA at:

http://www.isa-msa.org/

planting depth research plots at Bailey’s, Mimi Hottinger helped lift, knock wet soil off the roots and bag up some 200 caliper size trees. Thanks to “the Bag Lady of SGR” for making it a fun day. I’m sure there are other examples that I’ve inadvertently over-looked.

This leadership and support of STAC is vital, a real breath of fresh air (a.k.a. a citizen’s perspective) and truly appre-ciated. But your leadership efforts in your communities and neighborhoods will, in the long run, contribute most to building and sustain-ing local tree management programs. As TCAs, you have a better understanding of community forestry issues than 99% of elected officials, and as citizens, you should have 100% of their attention.

With Gary’s tireless dedica-tion, Dave Hanson’s organ-izational skills and your en-thusiasm, your potential is unlimited in speaking for the trees. We look forward to helping others replicate your efforts across the state, by helping Dave further develop the web-based TCA curricu-lum and by enlisting technical experts in Greater Minne-sota to help Gary provide classroom instruction. It’s a

top priority for the DNR Community Forestry Pro-gram. Let’s call it “treeroots advocacy.”

So to all who’ve gone be-yond the required TCA vol-unteer contribution, keep up the great work, and mentor others to join you. If you’re willing to help, I offer a few ideas:

> Attend a STAC meeting or learn more about our work at www.mnstac.org . The February 20th meeting is dedicated to recognizing the work of volunteers, and scheduled in the evening for your convenience. > Sign up to receive the Minnesota Shade Tree Advo-cate, STAC’s free quarterly newsletter, and share it with your tree huggin’ friends. > Share the STAC Legisla-tive report with your local, state and federal elected rep-resentatives, and invite them out to see first hand how much you and your commu-nity value your trees. Watch the STAC site for news on the legislative session. > Share the fiscal years 2004-05 MN ReLeaf pre-application and guidelines with your city staff and tree

or park board, and offer to help develop a grant project idea. DNR and Tree Trust staff are ready to help. Go to www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants . The more need cit-ies express, the more likely the legislature is to support ReLeaf funding, currently recommended to be funded at $800,000. > If you know of a program, project or individual worth recognizing, submit a nomi-nation for a STAC, MSA or Tree City USA Growth Award. Information on all these awards is linked to the MnSTAC site. > Take advantage of the new TCA Track at the 2003 Shade Tree Short Course in late March. It’s a tribute to Gary’s dedication to your continuing education.

But by all means, please let us know how we can help you with your work. It is the key to our collective success, locally and globally.

Ken Holman

Community Forestry Coor-dinator

Minnesota DNR, Division of Forestry

(651) 296-9110

[email protected]

MN ReLeaf Visit the DNR’s Community

Forestry Website:

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/

forestry/urban/index.html

Learn More at :

http://www.arborday.org/

Visit: http://www.mnstac.org/

Visit Tree Trust at:

http://www.treetrust.org/

Contact Phone Numbers Program Contacts: Gary Johnson – 612-625-3765 or [email protected] Dave Hanson – 612-624-1226 or [email protected] Mailing Address: 115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Ave. North, St. Paul, MN 55108 TCAAG Members: Paula Denman, Chair – 612-338-1871, [email protected] Bob Condon – 952-890-1228, [email protected] Laurie Drolson – 651-464-9829, [email protected] Bruce Granos – 952-423-5211, [email protected] Mimi Hottinger – 507-388-4838, [email protected] Barb Kirkpatrick – 651-490-9816, [email protected] Lorrie Stromme – 612-788-5157, [email protected] County Contacts: Anoka County (Patrick Weicherding) – 763-755-1280 or [email protected] Blue Earth – (507)389-8325 Carver County - (952) 442-4946 Dakota County (Barb Stendhal) – 952-463-8002 or [email protected] Hennepin County (Bob Mugaas) – 612-374-8400 Olmstead County (Doug Courneya) – 507-285-8250 or [email protected] Ramsey County – (Doug Foulk) – 651-777-8156 St. Louis County (Bob Olen) – 218-726-7512 Additional Reference Contacts: Debby Newman (Info-U) – 612-624-3263 Don Mueller, DNR Forestry – 651-772-6148 or [email protected] Great River Greening – 651-665-9500 Ken Holman, DNR Forestry – 651-296-9110 or [email protected] Rich Hauer, Minnesota Department of Agriculture (certified tree inspector workshop coordinator) 651-296-0592 or [email protected] Paul Walvatne MNDOT – 651-284-3793 or [email protected] Tree Trust – 651-644-5800

Photo Credits:

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) Michael A. Dirr, Plant Information Web Page. Horticulture 3700 Plant List: http://www.nobleplants.com/index.htm

University of Connecticut Plant Database: http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/f/faggra/faggra1.html

A couple of tidbits:

1) According to Dr. Treevorkian (Jim Chatfield, Ohio State University Extension) the irritating component found in

poison ivy, urushiol, is also found in the fleshy portion of ginkgo fruits.

2) If you are mulching around a pond, keep in mind that some leaves such as oak, maple, and also pine needles, leach

tannic acid. This can give the water a distinctly brown cast. This tannic acid can be deadly to your fish, especially if you

have a small pond. Provided by Deb Kuechle

Source: Water Gardening Basics. Authors: Helen Nash and Marilyn M. Cook. Page 98.

2003_volume10_issue1

Documents

native american tree

tree growth

largest tree

mature trees

gary johnson

tree care advisor newsletter

norway pine tree seedlings

stately trees