What to do With Your Xmas Tree?

Fortunately, most municipalities now have recycling programs for green waste, making it easier for homeowners to recycle their used Xmas tree.  Recyclers grind or shred trees into a mulch which is then composted and eventually becomes available as a bulk or bagged mulch product.  This is certainly a preferable option than the “old days” when trees were commingled with regular trash and buried in landfill sites.

If you have a large tree, prune off some branches and reduce the overall size to ensure local curbside pickup.  If you have the room on your property, you can do your own recycling via a compost bin, pile or simply leaving the tree in an area where it will slowly decompose on its own.  Leaving a tree whole may also become home to birds and other animals for shelter or nesting site.  Make sure all tinsel and other decorations have been removed from the tree.

If you  have a live tree, it can be re-planted into the outdoor landscape.  Remember, depending on the variety of pine tree, these are typically large growing trees.  Despite the small size now, ten to twenty years down the road, you may have a forty to sixty foot tall tree.  I have seen this issue while consulting on residential sites where a neighbors Xmas tree planted near the property line grew to fifty-five feet, with limbs and roots encroaching into the clients property, damaging concrete improvements and posing an increased safety  risk.  If you are going to re-plant the tree, make sure you have the space for a large pine tree to grow, avoid planting near property lines, driveways, sidewalks and patios.

For more information about Xmas tree recycling, check out this article at:

Making the most of the Christmas Tree

How Did Plants Figure a Way to Survive In Freezing Environments?

I read a fascinating article on how trees and plants evolved to cope with harsh, freezing environments. Fossil evidence depicts flowering plants first survived in warm, tropical climates. As they spread into upper latitudes and higher altitudes, plants needed to adapt to cope with the colder, freezing conditions.

Unlike animals, plants cannot just get up and move to a warmer location, nor are they capable of warming themselves. While colder environmental were a challenge, the real problem was dealing with icy conditions. How did plants manage to adapt and evolve to live in such harsh climates? Read the article at:

Clues to How Plants Evolved to Cope with Cold

At Yosemite, Infrastructure Out to Benefit Giant Sequoia’s!

Read an article in the Los Angeles Times concerning upcoming changes at Yosemite National Park. There is a proposal to remove public parking, a gift shop and tram operations in an effort to minimize impacts to the Mariposa Grove, a grove of approximately 500 Giant Sequoia trees (Sequoia giganteum).

The Park service recognizes paved surfaces and infrastructure are “compacting the soil, encroaching on sequoia roots and interfering with natural drainage patterns”. Tram service will be limited to the south entry of the park and shuttle buses would take people tot he entrance of the lower grove, where the largest and oldest trees are located. Access to the upper grove would be by foot only. Approximately four acres of paved surfaces would be removed from the grove. A final decision on the proposal will be made by end of the year.

Measured by mass, the giant sequoia is the worlds largest living organism. Californian’s are fortunate to have bragging rights to hosting these ageless giants living on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada. They exist in scattered groves typically on federal land.

My dad took me to Sequoia National Park when I was just a young kid, I still vividly remember the awe I felt looking at the General Sherman tree. If you haven’t seen a giant sequoia, you owe yourself and family a trip to Yosemite or Sequoia National Park to see these living legends. Their sheer mass and regal beauty is indescribable. I think this is great news for the future survival of the sequoia grove, which we almost lost due to the recent mammoth fire at Yosemite.

When trees conflicts with infrastructure, tree usually loose out.  It is an encouraging turn of events when trees are recognized more valuable than a parking lot and gift store, hopefully this trend will continue.

Read the article at Redwood Grove Saved

Botanical Skills by Matt Ritter, Ph.D, A Great Workshop!

With the intent to continually learn new information, stay up on new industry trends, laws and practices, I attend lots of seminars, workshops and continuing education courses. Most of the seminars have been informative and useful, and for the most part, the speakers have been entertaining in presenting their material.

Lets face it, learning new information is not always fascinating or interesting, especially when the topic is technical in nature. Or, the topic might be informative but the speaker might not have the best oratory skills to keep one fully involved and listening or absorbing the message.

When I attend an industry seminar, my intent is not only to learn new information, but to hopefully gain knowledge and facts that I can integrate into my consulting practice. Typically, I manage to come away with a tidbit or two that I might be able to incorporate into my practice, sometimes more, sometimes less. After all, when a seminar is advertised, it usually comes with a schedule of speakers throughout the day, and a brief line or two about what they will present during their allotted time slot. From that brief description, you make your decision whether the speaker and seminar is worth attending.

About a year ago, I got word of seminar about Eucalyptus tree identification, taught by Matt Ritter, Ph. D., a professor of Botany at California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Colleagues told me to not miss the opportunity to attend the seminar because Matt was an incredible, knowledgeable, and entertaining speaker and I would learn a great deal of information.

So, I signed up and attended the seminar, it was in San Diego at Balboa Park. I was astounded, blown away and extremely impressed by Matt. He presented Eucalyptus tree history, biology and identification in an easy to understand, creative and entertaining manner. He provided handouts, identification keys and practical, useful information I incorporated into my practice immediately and continue to use frequently.

About a month ago, I received an email informing me Matt would be teaching a one day workshop in botanical skills and tree identification in San Diego at Palomar College in San Marcos. I signed up immediately and attended the seminar yesterday. WOW!! Once again Matt provided a powerful workshop discussing a wide range of topics including an introduction into the history of scientific and common plant names, botanical nomenclature, how plants get their names, why plant names change, plant morphology, keys, and identification. We had mini workshops and quizzes, worked outdoors practicing tree identification using keys designed by Matt, learned online resources for plant identification, names and inventories. It was an action packed, informative, practical seminar that was presented in simple, basic terminology we could all understand.

You can really get a sense of Matt’s love of botany, trees, and plants and his enjoyment at teaching and sharing his knowledge and experience. He provides manuals and handouts that are useful, practical documents that I put to use immediately in my consulting practice. He is accessible and willing to share his information rather that horde it and not allow others to use the information he teaches, a trait not often seen in other university educators. How many speakers do you know who encourage you to contact him or her concerning tree and plant issues or tell you it is okay to take his printed information and teach it to others?

In closing, just wanted to thank Matt for providing such a great learning environment. If you are interested in trees and plants, whether a student, consultant, arborist, horticulturist, landscape architect, agency or park representative, you owe it to yourself to attend one of his seminars. You won’t be disappointed. Visit his website at Matt Ritter Website

The Pros and Cons When Using a Landscape Design-Build Contractor

Pros and Cons

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This Post is Part Two of a Series, Click Here to Read Part One

In part one of the series Landscape Contractors Standard of Care, I discussed why a professional landscape contractor is held to a higher standard of care than an ordinary laymen. Wikipedia defines standard of care as “In certain industries and professions, the standard of care is determined by the standard that would be exercised by the reasonably prudent manufacturer of a product, or the reasonably prudent professional in that line of work.”

The previous article focused on primary contract documents required for professional landscape contractors and their clients. Contract documents focus on a design, plans, specifications, notes and details that provide the contractor information on how to price, bid, and construct a project. But what happens where there are no landscape plans or specifications for a project, no information is provided to the contractor to provide an accurate bid, quote or estimate and if awarded the contract, no information on how to construct the project? Continue reading “The Pros and Cons When Using a Landscape Design-Build Contractor” »