Talking Trees with Davey Tree

Mike Holleran from Davey's Wilmington, Delaware, office discusses how to make spring-flowering trees thrive, what diseases threaten them and some of his favorites. 

In this episode we cover:  

• Flowering tree diseases (:45) 
• Disease resilience (2:39)
• Treating flowering tree diseases (4:00)
• Fertilizing (5:20)
• Inspection from an arborist (8:27)
• Pruning (11:51)
• Mike's favorite spring-flowering plants (15:21)
  • Witch hazel (15:37...

Lou Meyer from Davey's mid-Atlantic region talks about all things white oak trees, including its acorn production, role in wildlife protection and significance to pop culture. 

In this episode we cover:  

• Knowing the difference between different oak trees (:53)
• Growing differences between white and red oaks (2:01)
• Oak decline (3:29)
• The white oak's significance to Lou (4:19)
• Oak acorn production (6:22)
• White oak fast facts (...

Chrissy Balk, technical advisor with the Davey Institute, talks about fungal issues trees can experience in the spring, such as wood decay fungus and leaf diseases. Learn how to spot them as well as when they pose a threat to the tree versus when they are helpful to the tree.

In this episode we cover:  

• How do you know if a mushroom is good or bad? (0:51)
• Locations where fungus can grow (2:05)
• What happens if you see fungus on your...

Izzy Christmann from Davey's Portland, Oregon, office talks about the western red cedar tree, including essential planting tips, the variety of sizes it can grow into and how it interacts with weather conditions in the Pacific Northwest.

In this episode we cover:  

• Western red cedar fast facts (:42-2:02)
• Current weather in Portland, OR (2:42)
• What to do with trees under stress (3:52) 
• Deep root watering best practices (4:41)
• Sea...

Aaron Hoot from Davey's Dallas office shares spring planting tips to help kick off the spring, including the best native species to plant in his region as well as fertilization and watering tips.

In this episode we cover:  

• How to become successful at spring tree planting (:44)
• Aaron's favorite native species to plant (1:25)
• Planting season in Dallas (3:47)
• Watering during droughts (5:44)
• Mistletoe on trees (6:55)
• Hackberry ...

Mike Cassidy from Davey's West Columbus office shares a list of tree appearances in pop culture, such as movies, comics, songs and more, which reminds us of the huge benefit trees play in our world. 

In this episode we cover:  

• Trees have a larger space in our mind (1:17)
• Trees as creatures (2:44)
  • Lord of the Rings (3:26)
  • Maleficent (3:47)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy (4:50)
  • The Wizard of Oz (5:46)
  • The Trees by Rush (6:40)
• Tree...

Dan Hager from Hartney Greymont, a Davey company, in Concord, shares his top spring pruning tips as well as different pruning tools and common pruning mistakes homeowners make. 

In this episode we cover:  

• Pruning consultation and goals for plants (1:17)
• Not everything needs to be pruned (1:50)
• What a homeowner can prune vs what a professional should prune (3:00)
• Different pruning tools (3:56)
• The right saw to use for pruning (4:50)
• B...

Tyson Geldseth from Davey's Tacoma office shares information about bronze birch borer, including its fatal impact on trees and the steps you can take to minimize its effects on your landscape. 

In this episode we cover:  

• Bronze birch borer (:43)
• The severity of bronze birch borer (2:44)
• Is it too late to treat a tree infected by bronze birch borer? (4:12)
• Preventative measures for bronze birch borer (7:15)
• The size of birch tre...

Hear from three students attending the Davey Institute of Trees Sciences (D.I.T.S.) program, Davey’s flagship training program in biological sciences, safety, tree and plant care and management techniques. Brandon Ponciano from Davey's Dallas office, Carl Myers from Davey's Loganville, GA office and Georges Bois from Davey's Burnaby, British Columbia office share their experience in the four-week program, including t...

Lou Meyer from Davey's mid-Atlantic region shares information about green and Washington hawthorn trees, including what diseases they are susceptible to and how you can diversify your landscape by planting them. 

In this episode we cover:  

• What are hawthorn trees? (:43)
• Does Lou see fire blight on hawthorns, and can it be controlled? (4:49) (5:14)
• How hard is rust to control on hawthorns? (5:51)
• What are green hawth...

Emily Mumford from Davey's South St. Paul office shares the scoop on bare root, balled and burlapped (B&B) and container trees, including the pros and cons of each and how to plant them effectively. 

In this episode we cover:  

• What are bare root trees? (:53) 
• How to plant bare root trees (3:18) (4:42)
• What are container trees? (6:14)
• What to do if your container tree has girdling roots (7:21)
• Additional planting ...

Sean Zieche from Davey's Glen Ellyn office explains what you can do to preserve newly planted and young trees this winter to help them thrive in the spring. 

In this episode we cover:  

• What can you do if your tree is affected by winter weather? (1:05)
• Should you mulch young trees during cold temperatures? (2:15) 
• What to do before winter arrives (3:26)
• The difference between maintaining a newly planted small vs big ...

Jon Schmidt from Davey's safety team shares how he is emphasizing the importance of new, innovative safety measures throughout all of Davey's service lines. 

In this episode we cover:  

• What does Jon do in his role as program manager for human and organizational performance? (:36) (4:57)
• How did Jon's research influence safety practices at Davey? (2:30) (11:26) 
• Who does Jon work closely with in his role? ...

Nick Bates from Davey's Long Island office shares the importance of winter pruning and how to do so correctly and efficiently. 

In this episode we cover:  

• Why is it important to prune trees this time of year? (:41) (15:11)
• How does weather affect pruning? (2:07)
• Is there a correct way to explain pruning? (2:57)
• Why you should let professionals prune your trees (4:29)
• Using the right tools and preventing diseases (6:1...

Michael Spaulding from Davey's Portland, OR office talks about what post winter storm tree work looks like for arborists, including how Michael and his team handled Portland's January 2024 winter storm. 

In this episode we cover:  

• What post storm work looks like for an arborist (0:39)
• Setting up priority (3:11)
• Powerlines (4:49)
• Being a counselor to clients (6:11)
• Insurance (8:41)
• Task priority management (9:54)
• W...

Michael Spaulding from Davey's Portland, OR office talks about what an arborist does to prepare for winter storms and what homeowners can do to help, as well as how Portland's January 2024 storm affected Davey's office, clients and trees in the area. 

In this episode we cover:  

• What does an arborist do to prepare for a winter storm? (0:40) (5:33)
• How long can storm work take? (2:09)
• Portland's Januar...

Ben Cuddeback from Davey's Northwest Detroit office shares signs that your tree's roots are being affected by freezing temperatures and how to protect them this winter, as well as what you can do in the spring to set them up for the next winter. 

In this episode we cover:  

• Is snow a good insulator for roots? (0:41)
• Roots freezing (1:26)
• Mulching in the winter (2:24)
• Watering in the winter (2:43)
• Droughts and flo...

David Horvath from Davey's Lake Bluff office shares how you should be caring for your evergreens and shrubs in the winter to help ensure they'll thrive once spring comes back around!

In this episode we cover:  

• First thing that comes to mind for evergreen and shrub care in the winter (0:39)
• Anti-desiccants (1:11)
• Importance of reading the labels (3:55)
• What was Chicago's season like this year? (4:58)
• Should ...

Lou Meyer from Davey's mid-Atlantic region talks all things black gum trees, including the different names the tree goes by and the numerous benefits the species provides to a homeowner's landscape.

In this episode we cover:  

• Black gum vs Sweetgum trees (1:03) 
• Why do people love black gums? (2:45) (10:30)
• Black gum's seasonal colors (3:49)
• Are black gums historically underused in landscapes? (6:03)
• Ways to...