As summer welcomes us with its warmth and adoration, homeowners all over the community are looking up to their trees and asking: “what now?”

So, what is to be expected from our warmest months as they relate to our trees? What if your trees are in fine health, do they need pruning? Are your trees visibly stressed? What does that stress even look like? Can the work you want done be completed before hurricane season?

Summer is growing season for trees

This is the part of the year where a healthy tree should be looking its absolute best. Tree stress presents in many forms but suffice it to say if you notice any portion of your tree that looks significantly different from the rest of the tree; or a particular tree that appears to be at a different seasonal stage than your
other trees, you should contact an arborist.

A few stress symptoms to look for in your trees are:

• Yellowing leaves
• Browning needles
• Bark shedding
• Slime flux (a discharge that ranges from thick and slimy to a kind of froth or foam that almost always smells like vinegar)

If your tree is showing no stress, but is encroaching in some way on your living
space or structure (home or other building) is it okay to prune your tree in the summer?

The short answer is yes. A good arborist will make strategic pruning cuts to achieve
your goals but remove as little volume from your tree as possible, thus minimizing
undue stress on the tree. As always, avoid topping and other poor pruning practices.

For more information on topping go to www.treesaregood.org.

Hurricane season in the Mid-Atlantic begins on June 1st. If you’re wondering if your tree work can be done before “hurricane season”, technically the answer is no. However, there is good news, while according to the calendar, hurricane season is well upon us, colloquially our most active hurricane months of the year seem to be in the late summer, early fall. Since reputable arborists are frequently booked many weeks, and sometimes months in advance, it is imperative that you discuss any of your tree concerns as early in the season as you can. The best time was always last week, the next best time is
today. If you have any concerns at all, have your trusted arborist come out and discuss any questions you may have. As always recommended with any contracted work, do your due diligence and ask for qualifications and certificates of insurance for anyone you have working for you.