Yesterday I auditioned for Ice Capades at TimberPine. Today I made it through second call and got to perform again. I’m fairly certain I out-skated my opponents by showcasing my camel spin right before the legendary death spiral that landed me face first into the arms of a Bradford Pear. The competition is fierce out here, but I’m confident I’ll return tomorrow for final cuts….I should know more later.
If you find yourself engaging in your own little ice competition, please leave the skate dancing to the professionals. Let TimberPine come to the rescue and demolish your ice rink. We remove snow too….in case you didn’t know.
At TimberPine we have already seen the lost of two of our cherished Bradford Pears, just within the last couple days. The ice was just too much for them and nothing could be done about it. There are several “theories” roaming about on how to care for ice-storm damaged trees, let’s put some of them to bed.
First~some things to consider when assessing the severity of a tree’s wound. Obviously safety is first and foremost. Take for instance the exposed trunk of this Pear.
Because TimberPine is a retail company with several people roaming about daily, this deep cut is a liability and the tree will be removed. Same school of thought should be applied to your residential plot. If a damaged tree could pose a threat to your house, your family, you need to have it removed by professionals. Maybe not now, in the middle of winter, but it should be assessed. Straggling branches may need to be removed before the end of winter.
If you have a less severe wound made by the ice storm, or buck rubbing, please follow these steps:
1. Clean the wound: cut any broken, ragged strips of bark. Do not try to rip or tear the bark, the trim needs to be clean for the best chances of survivability. You can apply hydrogen peroxide to the wound to clean any bacteria.
2. Leave wound exposed-wrapping causes more damage by harboring fungus and eventually rotting away at the core of the tree.
3. In the spring (before June 1st) insert slow release fertilizer spikes at the base of the tree. There are recommendations on how many spikes to insert, based on the size of the tree.
And that is it! Nothing more! Grandma’s swore by remedies to not work here!
And if you’re not sure which said magic potions I’m talking about…here’s the list of “do nots”:
- wrap the trunk with some sort of fabric
- apply black tar to the wound
- rub dirt in the wound
- paint the wound
- and don’t…don’t try to shake or remove the ice from branches
A tree’s healing process can vary on the length of time depending on the severity of damage, type and age of tree. Positive signs are when the wound starts to form a callus along the ridge of the exposed bark.
If you have any questions, concerns about the survivability of your wounded tree, please leave a comment, shoot us an email (sales@timberpine.com), or give us a call. We’re here to help!
Happy Skating!
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