CONTRIBUTED CONTENT: What our trees are telling us

Last week, I shared a glimpse into the quiet beauty of our family cabin in southern Utah. While the scenery is dramatically different from North Idaho, one thing stood out to me as I reflected on my time there: the trees are telling the same story.

Whether it’s an aspen grove in Utah or a stand of Douglas fir and ponderosa pine here at home, our forests are responding to changing conditions. Longer, hotter summers, reduced snowpack and extended periods without meaningful rainfall are placing increased stress on our trees. These trees have ways of adapting over extended periods of time, but when we have drastic shifts in weather over a shorter period of time, the stress becomes amplified.

Stress doesn’t always look dramatic at first. It often begins subtly. Leaves may be smaller than usual or begin dropping earlier in the season. Needles may thin near the interior of the canopy or turn slightly yellow. Growth slows, and trees become less capable of defending themselves against insects and disease. Many homeowners don’t notice these changes until an otherwise healthy-looking tree begins declining rapidly.

One of the biggest misconceptions we encounter is that mature trees can simply “take care of themselves.” While established trees certainly require less attention than newly planted ones, they still depend on favorable growing conditions. During prolonged periods of drought, even large trees benefit from occasional deep watering. A slow, thorough soaking over the root zone once per week during the hottest part of summer can make a significant difference.

Healthy trees also begin with healthy soil. Years of construction, foot traffic, competition with the lawn, and compacted soil often limit the amount of oxygen and moisture that roots can access. Since nearly all of a tree’s absorbing roots exist within the top foot of soil, what happens beneath our feet is often more important than what we see above our heads.

The encouraging news is that trees are usually quite resilient when they’re given the opportunity to recover. Proper watering, mulching and early identification of potential problems can add many healthy years to a tree’s life. Waiting until a tree is obviously declining often means we’re trying to solve a problem that began several years earlier.

As we move through another North Idaho summer, take a few minutes to really look at the trees around your home. Are the leaves full and healthy? Is the canopy dense? Are branches beginning to die back? Small changes today can become significant problems tomorrow.

Our trees remarkably find a way of communicating with us. The question is whether we’re paying attention.

For further questions, quotes or consultations give us a call today, 208-762-5800!

For more information on Grace Tree Service, check out our website at gracetreeservice.com.