Cold Damage to Trees Jan., 2021

 I just learned that Palms can fail two years after a hard, windy freeze. The North side of the trunk has most likely been damaged by the freeze resulting in the loss of structural integrity. Trunk failure with a healthy looking palm can occur up to 2 years later as the palm grows and adds weight to the damaged trunk. The top of the healthy palm is heavy when it's full and green and the damaged trunk will not be able to the support the healthy looking top or fronds.

Palms grow from the top so each year's growth adds height and weight. 

Test the trunk each year to monitor the integrity of the January, 2021 portion the the palm trunk. Strap something onto the palm trunk real close to the top or just under the fronds. It doesn't matter if the fronds are brown or green. This will keep track of the year the great freeze happened on the palm. Palms are not trees so to constrict the trunk will not hurt it. Don't squeeze the life out of it, of course, but get it tight enough to hold.

Please make sure your palm is far enough away from targets under it that if the top fell it wouldn't hurt anything. The skinny portion of a palm trunk indicates a bad or hard year it had. Keep a close watch on the thinner portions on a palm trunk. 

I'm not attempting to sell palm removals at all. I just want you to know the risks that MAY be present if your palm is real tall over pools and areas where people will be present. Be aware, Be alert and Be safe. You can leaf your tree concerns to me...

Thank You, 
 Sent from Curtis Hopper
aPerfectTree.com Totally Trees..., LLC.        214-288-0783
Angie's Super Service Award Winner 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. 
The Better Business Bureau A+ Rating. 
International Society of Arboriculture Board Certified Master Arborist BCMA TX-3236B
Tree Risk Assessment Qualification
Texas Oak Wilt Certified TOWC-0082 
Texas Dept. of Agriculture Pest Control License 0486846 To Treat Trees For Insects and Disease
Certified Landscape and Tree lighting system installer
Curtis Hopper is a Member of :
American Society Of Consulting Arborist ( ASCA )
The International Society of Arboriculture ( ISA )
ISAT ( Texas Chapter ) Currently Serving On The ISAT Board Of Directors 
Western Chapter ( WCISA )
Aloha Arborist Association
San Antonio Arborist Association
National Arborday Foundation 
PADI Advanced Open Water Certified Scuba Diver / Equipment Specialist :-)

Trees are my passion!

It’s not an occupation...it’s a lifestyle!

Essential services

TreeCare and service personnel and companies are considered essential. Trees are necessary to produce oxygen for us. It takes approximately 5-8 trees per human, not including animals and everything else that needs oxygen.

Webworms

The webworms are here. Put fly strip around the tree to stop the caterpillars from crawling up the tree(s). They don’t fly, they crawl up trees or drop down from taller trees.

The egret birds are coming, the egrets are coming!!

Our Climate

Arborists in our area have been told to do our Spring treatments. I’m still reluctant to fertilize just yet. I don’t want the new growth freezing. I don’t trust Texas weather.

Emerald Ash Tree Borer

EMERALD ASH BORER EAB #texastreeman #EmeraldAshBorer #EAB

 Fear not !! I can systemically treat, no spraying, TO PREVENT Emerald Ash Borer, and from what I've learned, save your Ash trees.

 The way this works is this treatment kills the adult beetle BEFORE she lays eggs. These eggs hatch into larva that borer perpendicular into limbs. This doesn't "kill" the limb right away. With the weight of the foliage and a gust of wind the branch, no matter how large, falls on top of whatever is under it. It's like drilling holes into the limb.

  If a climber doesn't know to look for the D shaped holes that the larva makes when exiting the limb, branch, or stock that it has been boring holes into like a drill... the branch breaks easy and if an unexperienced climber isn't tied in that climber falls to the ground hitting limbs on the way down and that's big trouble.

 Always make sure the person climbing your tree has a harness on and a rope that ties to the tree as a safety measure to catch the climber so he or she doesn't hit the ground bouncing off limbs on the way down.

Here's a site that I found for you that has good information about the emerald ash borer.  

http://www.emeraldashborer.info

  Please be safe and enjoy the beauty of our trees