Terry L. Ettinger Horticulture Consulting Services
Meeting The Needs Of Today With A Vision For The Future
Special Topics
Your Tree May Be in Trouble If . . .
It's Old!
Under perfect conditions trees
can live for hundreds to thousands of years in their native habitat.
In landscape settings, however, trees must often compete constantly with millions of grass plants for nutrients and moisture.
They’re root systems are also exposed to dramatic cycles of intense heat and drought without the protection a thick layer of rotting leaves can offer on the forest floor.
And, damage to their roots, trunks, and branches by string trimmers, mowers and improper pruning leave them susceptible to a variety of insect pests and diseases.
As mentioned on the introductory page of this section of my website, all of these factors contribute to a life expectancy of much less than 100 years for most trees in landscape settings.
If you have a very old tree on your property, it may be getting close to the end of its realistic life expectancy - especially if it's been impacted by a number of the conditions described on the pages linked to, at right.
Therefore, it will be a very good idea to have it
inspected every couple of years by an
ISA-certified
arborist for potential signs of trouble so that it can
be addressed in time to extend your tree's life - if
desired.
On the other hand, because you now understand that it's realistic to expect old trees to die, you may now feel more comfortable taking down an old tree, at left, and replacing it with one that you and your family can enjoy for generations to come!