Essential Tree Care for Homeowners
September 27 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Beech leaf disease, Oak wilt, Emerald Ash Borer- it seems like every tree in our area has at least one major problem. These challenges make it even more important to keep our trees as healthy as possible, but how? Many of the common practices and products sold as “plant health care” in the Green Industry can actually be counterproductive to a tree’s well-being. Even pruning, unless done properly, can cause long-term damage to your trees.
Learning how to care for your trees begins with a shift of perspective. Rather than viewing trees as ornamental objects, trees should be seen as individual parts of a tree-based ecological system. We will start with a look at basic tree biology. We will discuss how trees adapt, react, and respond to their environment and what we can do to keep them healthy. We will look at how to build soils, how to shop for and plant new trees, and what proper pruning really looks like for young, mature, and veteran trees.
Christopher Roddick is an arborist who practices Conservation Arboriculture. This holistic approach to tree and land care uses a modern understanding of tree and soil biology, ecology, and organic practices as a base for maintenance and cultivation decisions. For over 28 years he was the head arborist and foreman of grounds at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He is the author of The Tree Care Primer, a guide to the care of young, mature, and veteran trees. He is the owner of Sweet Birch Land and Tree, a Litchfield County based company offering arboriculture consultancy and ecological land care services.
HHG Members $30
Non-members $40 (includes admission to the garden)
