Tag Archives: new york arborists

Seasonal Maintenance

Seasonal maintenance is a great way to keep up with the health of your plants, trees and shrubs!  Westchester Tree Life offers tree care in New York, and has a full service menu.

Tree Care

Westchester Tree Life has been offering quality, affordable tree care in New York since 1985!  Keep your trees healthy with our tree care services, including pruning, cabling, plant health care management and more!  View services here.

Tree Care New York Stump Grinding

Tree Stump Grinding New York Westchester Tree Life

Remove that unsightly tree stump from your property properly, with professional assistance from Westchester Tree Life!  We also offer wood chipping services, if need be.

Tree & Shrub PlantingArborist New York Westchester Tree Life

Considering planting a tree or shrub, but need help?  Let us help select the perfect area for your new tree or shrub, properly plant it, and explain the ideal plant health care management plan so your new plant can thrive!

Request a Consultation

Westchester-Tree-Life-Servi

Select the most convenient date for your Westchester Tree Life consultation and our staff would be happy to get back to you!  Our ISA-certified team of professional arborists are trained in safety and precautionary tree care.

Summer Pruning

Maintain your Westchester County residence looking its best this summer with summer pruning from Westchester Tree Life!  Our professional arborists can properly and safely prune your tree branches and shrubs.

Summer Pruning Westchester Tree Life

Summer Pruning

Summer Pruning Westchester Tree Life

Summer pruning is ideal when attempting to direct the growth of your tree branches.  Pruning can also reduce the total leaf surface, which overall reduces the amount of food which is created and sent to the roots.

Defective LimbsPruning-Westchester-Tree-Li

Removing defective limbs should be left to professionally-trained arborists, due to the serious danger risks associated with the process.  Westchester Tree has the training and equipment to properly removed defective limbs.  Defective limbs can be defined as dead branches or limbs that hang down too far.

 

 

About the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid

How much do you know about the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid?

In New England, hemlock trees play an important ecological role.  They are important for limiting erosion along stream beds and provide food and shelter for deer and other wildlife.  The hemlock is valued as an ornamental tree as well as a source of lumber.  Unfortunately, hemlock trees are vulnerable to infestation by a pest called the Wooly Adelgid.

Wooly Adelgid

Wooly Adelgid

The Wooly Adelgid is a destructive insect that was accidentally introduced to the United States from Japan.  Wooly Adelgid infestations have been noted from Georgia to Massachusetts and can have drastic effects on hemlock populations.  Trees infested with the Wooly Adelgid become desiccated and typically die within ten years.  Specimens that survive the pest are often so weakened that they eventually die of secondary causes.  Westchester County’s tree care professionals, Westchester Tree Life want to keep your trees safe!

"Adelges tsugae 3225077" by Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Archive, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station / © Bugwood.org. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 us via Commons -

“Adelges tsugae 3225077” by Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Archive, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station / © Bugwood.org. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 us via Commons –

Wooly Adelgid infestations can be identified by the presence of the insect’s egg sacs.  These sacs look like fluffy tufts of cotton clinging to the underside of the hemlock’s branches.  Infested branches change from a healthy dark green color to a paler greyish-green shade.  This pest reproduces asexually and in North America can have two generations a year.  The Wooly Adelgid feeds on the hemlock’s sap and probably injects a toxin into the tree while feeding.  This results in a loss of needles and a lack of new growth.

There are a few options for addressing an infestation of the Wooly Adelgid.  Insectcides that are sprayed on the tree, injected into the tree, or applied to the soil around the tree can be effective in treating individual trees.  This sort of treatment will remain effective for two or three years.  However, such treatments can only be used when there is no risk of the insecticide contaminating nearby bodies of water.

Another option is use a non-toxic insecticidal soap or horticultural oil.  These products are applied to the hemlock’s affected foliage and work by smothering the pests.  Trees treated in this manner will need to be retreated annually.

When multiple hemlock trees are affected by the Wooly Adelgid, a biological approach to eradicating the pest may be best.  The Wooly Adelgid can be controlled by introducing a natural predator to the area.  There are two beetles that feed on the Wooly Adelgid and are highly effecting at keeping the pest’s numbers at a manageable level.  These are P. tsugae, a black lady beetle, and the larva of the L. nigrinus.  Releasing these beetles into areas where Wooly Adelgids threaten the health of hemlock trees has proven to be an effective and safe method of control.

P. tsugae and L. nigrinus

P. tsugae and L. nigrinus

If you have hemlock trees on your property and suspect they are infested by the Wooly Adedgid, contact Westchester Tree Life today for a consultation.  We can examine your trees and advise you on the best way to eradicate this pest in your unique situation.

 

Tree Care in Westchester County

A Guide to Tree Care in Westchester County

When you buy your first home, you may be so focused on the house itself that you don’t give much thought to the trees on your property.  Even if you quickly find a landscaper to cut the grass, mulch beds, and keep hedges looking tidy, odds are you won’t think about your trees until one of them has a problem.  Westchester Tree Life has all of the skills and services needed to care for every tree on your property.

Many of the services offered by Westchester Tree Life are probably obvious to most homeowners.  Yes, we prune trees and remove trees that are dead or pose a falling danger.  We grind stumps once a tree has been removed and can advise you on how to deal with tree pests and disease.  However, we can also help with issues such as tick control and prevention of damage from your local deer.  We are experts at cabling trees — installing steel cables to support the tree, reduce strain, and help prevent damage during storms.

cabling treesBeyond dealing with major tree issues, Westchester Tree Life offers a variety of services to keep your property looking its best.  You can count on us for species selection advice, planting, landscaping, organic fertilization, insect spraying, land clearing, wood chipping, managing the health of all of your plants in addition to trees.  Westchester Tree Life provides tree care in Chappaqua, New York, tree care in Rye, New York, tree care in Armonk, New York and tree care in the rest of Westchester County!

deer preventionWhether you have a large tree in need of pruning or a set of bushes being devoured by deer, Westchester Tree Life can help!  Give us a call to request a consultation to learn more about what we can do to keep all of the plants on your property in excellent health and condition.

 

Trees and Your Health

New York’s tree care professionals, Westchester Tree Life believe in maintaining tree health, but did you know that trees also affect your health?  The International Society of Arboriculture has provided evidence from global research supporting the fact that forests and green spaces have a positive effect on people’s health!  Here are three ways trees and your health correlate:

Trees Benefit Your Environmental Health:

Westchester New York Tree Care

Trees remove carbon dioxide and pollutants from the environment.  A study from the USDA shows that 100 trees remove 53 tons of carbon dioxide and 430 pounds of other air pollutants from the environment annually!

Trees Benefit Your Emotional Health:

Westchester Tree Life Tree Health

The next time you are searching for a new neighborhood, consider one with lots of trees and vegetation!  The United Kingdom’s conducted a national study which proved people exposed to the greenest environments have lowest levels of health inequality related to income deprivation.  The bottom line?  Lush deciduous areas of plant life and trees positively affect moods!

Trees Benefit Your Community’s Health:

Westchester Tree Life NY Tree CareTrees do a great job of keeping our community cool during the summertime.  Westchester Tree Life knows that New England heatwaves are uncomfortable; planting trees will provide shade and cut cooling costs.  A worldwide review of scientific literature showed that an urban park was an average 094 degrees Celsius cooler in the day than the surrounding metropolitan area, making warm days more tolerable.

 

Horticultural Oils

Horticultural oils can help in the protection of your plants, shrubs and trees!  It’s that time of year again to begin mapping out your seasonal plant health care plan, and Westchester Tree Life is here to help!  Our certified arborists are here to assist you in maintaining the health and beauty of your plants, trees and shrubs!  Horticultural oil applications are a very necessary procedure that should be on your spring to-do list!

Prunicola Scale

This photo shows Prunicola Scale, a very hard to control scale insect that damages and can even kill cherry trees and other ornamental trees, and horticultural oils are very helpful in controlling this pest.

Prunicola-Scale-Westchester-Tree-Life

Early season oil sprays help maintain your tree’s health!

Note the white substance on the trunk of this tree is the scale; these are the males. The females are much harder to detect because they are dark in color and blend into the background color of the bark.  Early in spring, the males are hardly present,  so great care must be taken by the arborist to monitor and treat for this insect. Controlling this harmful insect and preventing damage is possible through horticultural oil application.

Spider Mites

Many different trees and shrubs can be attacked by mites.  Mites are very, very small; you need a powerful hand lens or small microscope to see them.

Mites-Westchester-Tree-Life

Close up of a mite through a microscope

The Spruce Spider Mite can attack Arborvitae, Norway spruce, Alberta Spruce and many other hosts.  There are also many different types of mites which occupy many other host plants.
The following is damage on Norway spruce from Spruce spider mite:

Spider-Mite-Norway-Spruce

Hemlock Adelgid

The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Is another insect that can be controlled with horticultural oils.
The following are pictures of hemlock branches infested with Adelgid:

Hemlock-Wooly-Adelgid-Westc

Hemlock-Wolly-Adelgid-WTL

Scale Insects

Scale insects are another group of insects often targeted with horticultural sprays.  Holly trees are susceptible to the damage of scale insects.  The black residue shown is called sooty mold, and is caused by mold colonizing on the honey dew which is a byproduct from the scale.  The scale insect’s excrement is almost pure sugar, which is the ideal breeding ground for mold to colonize.

Scale-Insect-Mold

The following photo gives a closer look at scale insects (the white shapes are the scale).  These white insects are usually resting on the underside of the leaves.

Scale-Insects-White

Prepare your landscape for a healthy season, with a horticultural oil application!  To schedule an appointment with a professionally certified arborist, call Westchester Tree Life at (914) 238-0069!

March Contest

Have you entered Westchester Tree Life’s March Contest?  One lucky winner will receive our New York Nature Bundle!

Westchester Tree Life

The New York Nature Bundle includes:

  • Three bundles of split firewood

  • One pint of New York Maple Syrup

  • Local New York honey

 

To Enter:

Post your favorite tree in Westchester on our Facebook or Instagram page!

Westchester Tree Life

Contest ends Wednesday, April 1st, 2015!

Winter Tree Emergencies

It’s February in New York without at least one heavy snowfall, and with that comes the risk of property damage if your trees aren’t quite up to the challenge. The same branches that provided you lots of shade in the summer are now catching all the snow and being weighed down to the point where you might have a winter tree emergency. Luckily there are some steps you can take ahead of time to prevent these winter tree emergencies, rather than waiting until a big snowy branch crashes through your living room.

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Take some time before it snows to have an arborist prune back some of the branches on your trees, especially if they look dead or weak, and/or hang over your roof. Trees that are covered in vines or ivy are at higher risk as far getting weighed down with snow, so be sure to remove or have someone remove any invasive vines in your trees.

Risk Signs of Winter Tree Emergencies

  • Dead areas – Dead wood is more brittle and prone to snapping.
  • Decay – Hollow or decayed trees are not necessarily unsafe, but it is best to have a trained arborist evaluate any decay.
  • Cracks –  Cracks indicate that a tree is not structurally sound, and can be made worse by the weight of heavy snow.
  • Poor root stability – If a tree is not rooted properly into the ground it is more likely to blow over in heavy winds or snow
  • Leaning – A leaning tree is not necessarily unsafe, but again, a trained arborist can assess if it poses a risk to your property.

If you have a possible winter tree emergency that involves powerlines or other hazards, make sure you call in a professional. Falling branches might hit wires and knock out your power, but attempting to prune those branches yourself can be very dangerous.

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Westchester Tree Life can help you prepare for snow and prevent winter tree emergencies, just call our trained arborists at (914) 238-0069 or request a consultation here.

New York Tree Care

Source: Preparing Your Trees for Winter

Winter Plant Healthcare: Anti-Desiccant

Written by Westchester Tree Life’s  Jeff Gourion, Plant Healthcare Manager

Westchester Tree Life Winter Burn

Prevent “Winter Burn” with an anti-desiccant!

Winter Burn is the damage to our plants that we seem to notice every spring after the long  cold winter starts to lose its grip, and we start paying attention to our trees and shrubs again.  We notice that some of the leaves on our Hollies, Boxwoods and Rhododendrons and various other broad leaf evergreens turn brown or appear spotty and scorched.  This condition closely resembles drought stress; that’s because that is exactly what winter burn  is.

Winter Burn Westchester Tree Life

A closer look at damage due to “Winter Burn”.

What is an anti-desiccant?

An anti-desiccant spray is a bio-degradable acrylic coating.

What does an Anti-Desiccant do?

An anti-dessicant coats the leaf, especially the underside where the stomata are located, and lows the rate of transpiration.  This coating protects the plant from harsh winter conditions.

Anti-Desiccant-Tree-Care-NY

Don’t leave your trees unprotected this winter!

Why is an anti-dessicant important?

This method of protection is highly effective in reducing
Winter Burn damage.

Which of my plants will an anti-desiccant protect?

  • All broadleaf evergreen plants
  • New plantlings
  • Plants that are stressed from insect and disease damage
  • Small leaf plants (Arborvitea, Boxwood, Ilex, Holly, Rhododendron, Skip Laurel)

Winter Tree Care Chappaqua New YorkHow does winter harm my plants?

During winter, plants go dormant and shut down the normal growing process, however all plants will still transpire (give off water vapor and exchange gases) through the stomata (small pores on the under side of leaves) if conditions are right; an example of conditions are wind blowing across the surface of leaves; warm sunlight on a warmer than normal winter day is another.  These conditions working together are the worst case scenario. While cold wind alone is hard on plants, wind on a relatively warm day is even worse!  The soil is still frozen and any moisture that the plant would normally try to pull up from the roots is unavailable, making the outcome is almost exactly what happens in summer when you don’t water your plants.

We recommend that you consider calling us for a free evaluation and estimate today!

WESTCHESTER TREE LIFE- 914-238-0069
Ask for Jeff Gourion. Plant Healthcare Manager

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church’s Christmas Tree 2014

Westchester Tree Life recently donated time to help decorate St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church’s Christmas tree for Christmas 2014 in Armonk, New York!

The following article was featured in St. Stephen’s Weekly Touchstone e-mail:

Our Newly Lit Christmas Tree

New York Tree Specialists NYWe have been getting compliments from parishioners and residents on our beautifully lit Christmas tree. We have Westchester Tree Life, LLC of Chappaqua to thank. In the spirit of holiday giving, they donated the men, bucket truck, and considerable time to completely wrap our Blue Spruce tree with new multi-colored, energy-efficient, LED Christmas lights.  Vestry members Laura Desmarais and Trina Fontaine had been exploring different ways to replace the old lights that had either burned-out or were deeply hidden inside the tree’s canopy by years of branch growth, but were finding costs prohibitive.

Armonk Tree ServiceWestchester Tree Life Armonk New York

Hearing about the church’s need, Remington Arnold, a co-owner of Westchester Tree Life, LLC, volunteered his company’s services as a way to give back to a community that has been so supportive of his business over the years. “Rem” (as everyone calls him), remarked at the completion of the job, “The tree now looks like what a Christmas tree is suppose to look like … something of beauty, something that glows brilliantly in the night, and something that hopefully makes people feel happy when they gaze upon it.”

Westchester Tree Life Armonk NY

 

We extend our sincere gratitude to Westchester Tree Life, LLC, “Rem”, and the two employees who worked tirelessly at dizzying heights, decorating our church’s iconic tree.  We are especially touched that a local business made time in their busy holiday tree work schedule to accommodate us on such short notice.  We invite one and all to come view our beautiful Christmas tree!

Arborists Armonk New York Westchester NY