tree service canada #6 summer 2008

B Y J U L I E S TAU F F E R

ach year, City of Toronto arborists fell approximately 9,000 trees because of age, insects, disease or storm damage. Most are

destined to become mulch or firewood.Recently, however, an increasing percentage

is finding its way to a Scarborough lumberyard to be milled, seasoned and then sold to eco-conscious consumers. Welcome to Urban Tree Salvage, the brainchild of Sean Gorham.

In college, Gorham noticed truckloads of logs being hauled away by student arborists and saw the potential for higher-value prod-ucts. A year of research revealed that although businesses in the US have been successfully converting urban forestry waste into lumber for many years, nothing similar seemed to exist north of the border.

Thus, in 2005, Urban Tree Salvage was born. It’s proved to be a win/win/win undertak-ing. The city saves on the costs of disposal. Consumers get interesting, unusual wood. And somewhere out in the wilderness, a tree is spared the axe.

The company started strictly as a lumber-yard, selling kiln-dried maple, oak, ash and elm, as well as more unusual species such as willow, black locust and honey locust—all at competitive prices.

“Even though it’s a niche product, we don’t want to have a niche price on it,” explains co-founder Melissa Neist, who handles sales and marketing.

After a year and a half, Gorham and Neist expanded into furniture—a natural move, since

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BANDIT CHIPPERS from

Close Call As Crane Topples

Continued on page 6

here was a close call in Beaverton, Ont in early May as a heavy crane toppled forward sending the boom crashing into the corner of

a house. The incident occurred shortly before 10 am as work crew were cut-ting down a large tree in a residential area of the town.

An upper section of the tree was being hoisted away when the weight of the trunk caused the crane to topple forward and brought the boom down on the corner of a home.

The wheels of the crane titled up in the air as the operator’s cab went forward. The operator was able to get out safely and none of the workers on the ground were hurt. An investigation in ongoing.

By Ian Caldwell. Reprinted with permission www.newsdurhamregion.com

Photo: Mike Johnson

Beaverton tree mishap under investigation

One man’s waste is another man’s lumber business

T

E Continued on page 4

Sudden Oak Death has killed an estimated one million oaks in the US. Estimates of the prevention costs to Canadian nursery grow-ers are difficult to calculate. But this deadly disease could soon be thwarted in an environmentally friendly manner while creating a new market for a waste forestry product.

Thwarting Sudden Oak Death MicrobesWestern red cedar relatively impervious to microbes

See page 22 for details

TREE SERVICE CANADA SUMMER 2008

3986 Silky Tree Service Canada Ad.indd 1 2/20/08 1:21:32 PM


in the news

Wildlife tree or dangerous chicot? A recently released paper helps tree service workers quantify risks when working around this kind of tree.

hree of the six serious arborist accidents in Ontario in 2007 occurred during the felling of chicots. Officially a chicot is a dangerous tree or limb with the potential to harm or kill.

They are also known as widow makers. As the knowledge of the benefits of wildlife trees grows so do the challenges and the importance of knowing the differ-ence between dead trees maintained to imitate a natural forest or enhance bird watching and chicots. In November 2007 Ontario’s Ministry of Labour and Minis-try of Natural Resources released a joint paper, “Working around Chicots and Wildlife Trees” for forestry workers. Topics included assessing hazards, employer’s legal responsibility to ensure work-ers are trained in assessing and working with these hazards, a reminder that wind and weather contribute, and the potential of using harvesting equipment to limb a tree to a stub and control dangers. The complete document is at www.ofswa.on.ca/pdf/mnr_mol/chicots_mol_mnr.pdf - Wayne De L’Orme of Ontario’s Ministry of Labour says most orders written to the forestry sector are about training and super-vision. Employers need to develop work practices that include non-standard circumstances. Peterborough forestry says, “Risk management is the highest priority. There is no value in keeping a tree that is hazardous to human health. However there is value in keeping any tree that increases wildlife--if it is safe.”

~PK

Distinguishingwildlife andchicots tree

PAPER A iMS TO hELP ARBORiSTS

MAkE SAfE chOicES

T

B Y PAT K E R R

On March 20, 2008 emergency licensing was obtained from the federal government for the use of “TreeAzin” with the EcoJet system. This prod-

uct is a bioinsecticide with a base of “Neem.” It is sold through Bioforest Technology of Sault St. Marie. Joe Meating of Bioforest says they are cur-rently manufacturing the product and expect it to be ready for the treatment period starting mid May to the end of July. It is sold for $800/litre and pro-phylacticly administered at a rate of 2ml/cm dbh or to infected trees at 5ml/cm dbh. It is a schedule three. More information and training is available by contacting the company is at www.bioforest.ca or 1(888)236-7378. Dr. Barry Lyons of Natural Resources Canada began field trials in London, Ont. using “Neem” injections against the emerald ash borer in the sum-mer of 2007. Taylor Scarr of Ontario’s MNR says, TreeAzin “is environmentally safe.” It is also consid-ered effective at low doses. Its effectiveness period is still under study. Neem is a trade name for a compound extracted from the oil in the seeds of the Neem tree. The active ingredient Azadirachtin was extensively studied in Canada for its insecticidal properties. It also has antifungal and antibacterial characteristics. Previous Neem testing included aerial spraying of conifers and systemic injections for both conifers and deciduous trees for a variety of insects. Neem is considered safe for just about everything except insects and sold here in health food stores. It is used in East India in toothpaste and soap.

Early results of the Neem experiments on emer-ald ash borer will be available in the fall of 2008, with longer-term studies on going.

There is a lot of buzz about the US release of the chemical emamectin, considered the “Silver Bul-let” in the war against the emerald ash borer. But here in Canada emamectin is used as a veterinary drug in fish food to kill sea lice on farmed salmon.

Emergency approval for natural product against EAB

PROdUcT MANUfAcTUREd iN cANAdA

dr. Barry Lyons, of Natural Resources canada, began field trials using Neem in the summer of 2007. The ash logs were infected with EAB for a lab experiment.

AS iAN LONG-hORNEd BEETLE UPdATE

TO outbreak close to previous siteHoward Stanley of Canadi-an Food Inspection Agency says the newly discovered infestation of Asian long-horned beetle was within 150 to 180 m of the infected hosts that caused the tree removal in December of 2007 at Jane and Sheppard in Toronto, Ont. Since the radius of this recent removal site intersects with the previous one, it only trig-gered removal of another 200 trees. “It appears the trees were initially infested around 2003. Detecting a few egg laying signs in the early stages can be difficult.” And once again it is unlikely this is a natural transfer but it is believed to be due to human movement using firewood or plant products as the agent. Richard Ubbins of Toronto Forestry says, “They are planning for the future of the urban forest by eradicating the ALHB. We are still looking just as diligently as before.” Between forty and forty-five inspectors con-tinue doing daily intensive surveys in the “hot area” using all the current tree technology avail-able. Tree cutting restrictions and compensation

to the property owners within the 200 m radius around the infestation is ongoing. The Asian long-horned beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis was first discovered in Canada in 2003. The theory is it arrived in wood packing material. Its consumption of healthy deciduous trees including birch, elm, maple, willow, pop-lar and horse chestnut makes it one of the least wanted species to ever invade our urban forests. ~PK

horse chestnuts are just one of many species vulnerable to Asian long-horned beetle.


B Y PAT K E R R

ighty-one percent of Canada’s tender fruit production including 15,300 tons of peaches is under quaran-

tine for plum pox virus or PPV. Discovered eighty-five years ago in Bulgaria the virus has spread to Egypt, India, Syria, Turkey, Austria Netherlands, UK, Chili, Pennsylvania in 1999 and then in 2000 Nova Scotia and Ontario. PPV, or Sharka, affects all stone fruit trees in the prunus genus including plum, nectarine, apricot, almond, and ornamentals. The virus is spread by more then fourteen varieties of aphids graft-ing or budding infected stock. D. Thomas Lowery, Ento-mologist with Agriculture Canada says, “To date green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, and the spirea aphid, Aphis spiraecola have been shown to be the most efficient vectors in laboratory conditions. It would be difficult to find biological control agents that would be effective control against aphids.” Harmonia axridis (Asian ladybeetle) was intentionally released in the US and spread to southern Ontario and has “greatly reduced the number of green peach aphids,” while causing problems for the grape industry. “Several studies have shown that insecticides increase the spread of …. viruses, most likely because they change aphid feeding behav-iour and cause… the aphids to disperse.”

Antonet Svircev plant pathol-ogist with Agriculture Canada is part of a team working to develop PPV resistant peach and plum trees. “We are in the process of obtaining permission from the Canadian regulatory bodies that would allow us to plant the trans-genic material,” for plum trees. Development of a peach tree is underway, “Tissues have been transformed however plantlets

have not yet been recovered from the tissue culture. Peaches are difficult to transform and tissue culture.” The two different strains of PPV found in Canada are W and D. W is now considered eradi-cated while the battle to eradicate D continues. Agriculture Canada has committed $36.16 million, CFIA another $9.44 million, and Ontario is cost sharing.

Stoney Creek, Ontario has had three years with no positives and is expected to be declared clear soon. Nova Scotia and most of Ontario are now clear. The remaining hot spot is Niagara Lake with 261 positive samples in 2007. (It took Italy fifteen years to be clear of PPV.) The good news is there is no evidence the fruit spreads the virus but there is concern about

the seed. At this point the land owners are responsible for tree removal (including the roots) and even cut flowers. In contrast, California pro-duces 95% of the US stone fruit crop and it is PPV free. While three quarters of Canada’s stone fruit is in a PPV positive region sixty km by four to five km. We also don’t have laboratories capable of studying PPV so links were established with Spain and Bulgaria. Canada’s tender fruit industry is valued at 50 million, with 120 million for fruit processing, and another 25 million for the nursery industry.

in the newsThE cURSE Of PLUM POx

Lack of Canadian research facility hinders efforts to eradicate

california produces 95% of the US stone fruit crop and it is PPV free. While three quarters of canada’s stone fruit is in a PPV positive region sixty km by four to five km.

Photo: John Hammond, USDA Agricultural Research Service

Plum Pox Virus, or Sharka, affects all stone fruit trees in the prunus genus includ-ing plum, nectarine, apricot, almond, and ornamentals. The virus is spread by more then fourteen varieties of aphids grafting or budding infected stock.

Extracts of Western red cedar could provide an alterna-tive to more intense ways to control the spread of spores caused Sudden Oak death (SOd).

Photo: Chris Evans

E

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In April 2008 the US Agricul-tural Research Service announced the results of their study using Western red cedar and incense cedar extracts. “Tree heartwood extracts could pro-vide easy-to-use, environmentally friendly, effective tools for SOD con-trol. Heartwood could be processed into shavings, sawdust, wood chips or liquid extracts. These materials could then be distributed in areas with high human activities—such as park trails, walkways, and bike paths—to reduce spore movement and prevent the spread of the disease.” Douglas fir and redwood extracts showed little to no antimicrobial activity against Phytophthora ramorum, the microbial agent that causes SOD. The first field testing was complet-ed in California. According to Rick Kelsey, a USDA research forester, four months after placing litter samples of redwood and Western red cedar under infected trees the redwood had 4.3 times more of the microbes than the red cedar. The soil beneath the litter had unchanged levels of the microbes. Best practice guidelines and rec-ommendations will not be available until further testing is completed.

Thwarting Sudden Oak Death Microbes

Continued from cover


in the news

B Y J E F F R E Y C A R T E R

rees will need to become an integral part of Toronto’s planning policies if the city is to double its canopy to 34

per cent, according the municipality’s top forester. City Forester Richard Ubbens says coun-cil is pushing for 34 per cent canopy cover for Canada’s biggest municipality by 2050. An earlier draft proposal, as reported in the Toronto media, had originally set 2020 as the date for the objective, he notes. The time frame, however, may be less important than the fact the direction has been set. “No one is going to push for it unless you set the goal in the first place,” Ubbens says. Ubbens’ comments followed an address by University of Toronto researcher Andrew Millward at the annual conference sponsored by the Ontario Branch of the International Society of Arborists (ISAO) in Niagara Falls earlier this year. Like Ubbens, Millward believes it will require a concerted effort to meet the ambitious goal. “I think having the goal is important. I think there are many changes we could make to achieve it. It will require a cultural shift in thinking,” Millward says. Mark Procunier, who works with Ubbens in the city’s forestry department, says there are competing interests when it comes to planning. Development can sometimes

take priority to tree planting. Also joining the discussion was Don Todd who works for the non-profit, Toronto-based organization LEAF (Local Enhancements and Appreciation for For-ests). Todd says the canopy goal will only be met if planners heed the policy and politicians push it ahead. Ubbens hopes the 34 per cent canopy objective will become an integral part of

planning in Toronto, whether it involves transportation, housing, green space, pub-lic space or private properties. In order to expand the canopy, planting, maintenance and protection must be the key consider-ations, he says. Millward founded the Urban Forest Research and Database Group to develop a big picture view of Toronto’s tree cover.

Using a variety of tools, including satel-lite imagery and aerial photograph, he’s mapped canopy changes in the municipal-ity from 1985 to 2005. There is now a 17.5 per cent canopy in the city, Millward says. About 45 per cent of the city is com-posed of neighbourhoods, of which 19 per cent is treed, he says. Parks and open space represent 23 per cent of the city of which 30 per cent is treed. There is essentially no canopy in the utility corridors which represent three per cent of the city’s area. There’s little in the remaining mixed use and employment areas. Since 1985, the typical trend in newer areas of the city has been from high-densi-ty to low-density tree cover and from low-density tree cover to imperious surfaces such as asphalt and concrete. Older areas, meanwhile, have maintained much of their tree cover although some of the older trees that have died were not replaced.

University of Toronto researcher Andrew Millward believes it will require a con-certed effort to meet the city’s ambitious reforestation goal.

Toronto city forester Richard Ubbens says a target is the initial step in the reforestation process: “No one is going to push for it unless you set the goal in the first place.”

Doubling Toronto’s forest coverAmbitious tree canopy goal will require sound planning

The City of Toronto is pushing for 34 per cent canopy cover for Canada’s biggest municipality by 2050.

T


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Gorham comes from a family of cabinetmak-ers and Neist has background in design. Their offerings include dining tables, coffee tables, platform beds and a highly popular line of solid cubes.

The trees come mainly from City of Toronto and Town of Oakville arborists, but the company has worked with Tridel on condo development projects and with private arborists on institutional removals on sites such as the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Hospital and Queen Street Mental Health Centre.

Urban Tree Salvage has also reclaimed lumber from historic Toronto wharfs – stunning old-growth pine that dates back to the 1500 or 1600s.

Salvaging urban wood isn’t entirely straightforward, says Neist. First, there’s the sourcing. After a few bad experiences, they’ve limited themselves to work-ing with a select group of arborists who understand exactly what they need—nothing too curved, for example, and no leaves or small branches.

Next, each log must be scanned with metal detectors before it goes near a saw blade. Metal is the bane of processing urban trees, which can contain anything from staples to large eyehooks.

“You’d be surprised what people put in trees,” she says. “A lot of saw-mills won’t touch urban trees because of the metal content.” Concrete-filled cavities create another hazard—un-fortunately one that can’t be detected before they hit the mill.

Despite these challenges, business is booming for the young company.

Urban Tree Salvage attracts a wide assortment of homeowners, custom fur-niture shops, furniture manufacturers, designers and architects. “Everybody’s becoming more eco-conscious,” says Neist. And while most of their clientele comes from the Toronto area, the company ships across Canada and the U.S.

Hot-selling items include 2-inch-thick slabs that range from 14 to 24 inches wide, as well as products that feature the wood’s natural edge.

Neist and Gorham were happy to discover their customers gravitated to unique patterns that are typically considered defects—knots, figuring, spalting and insect activity, for example.

“People are actively seeking items that have that type of character to it, and city trees tend to have a bit more character to them just because of the stresses due to their growing environment,” Neist explains.

Thanks to Urban Tree Salvage, that character now has a chance to shine.

In college, Gorham noticed truckloads of logs

being hauled away by student arborists and saw the potential for

higher-value products.

Urban Tree Salvage takes trees like this one being removed from the University of Toronto campus, and turns them into fine furniture.


safety


If the numbers are any indication, the introduction of the Arborists Industry Safe Work Practices handbook is saving lives. First published in 2001, the workbook was an industry-led response to the high number of injuries and fatalities among arboriculture workers. Ted Whitfield is the director of preven-tion services with the Ontario Farm Safety Association (FSA), an organization that serves Ontario’s arboriculture industry along with the farm community. He says there were nine fatalities among tree service work-ers in 1999. There were none in 2007. “This industry has developed its own safe work practices . . . This is something you can be proud of,” Whitfield says. Ruuard van de Ven, chair of the FSA’s arborist work safety committee, helped design the handbook. When accidents do occur, the Ontario Ministry of Labour often uses the handbook as a point of ref-erence, he says. “If there’s anyone who sees anything that could be improved, please let us know,” van de Ven asks. The FSA fills an educational role when it comes to safety, Whitfield says. Both the MOL and Workplace Safety Insurance Board have a legislated mandate to enforce the rules. The rules include such things as having Form 82 (the “1234” bulletin) posted in the workplace, having an employee with first aid training present on all shifts and having a safety kit available at work sites. “It’s amazing how many of those ban-dages disappear even if no one is getting hurt. You need to keep those kits up to date,” Whitfield says.

When firms do have safety-related prob-lems, they can expect to be audited. Few firms receive a passing grade in the first attempt, often because required paperwork has not been kept up to date, Whitfield says.

If inspectors from the MOL do arrive at your business, Whitfield says the best reaction is to be fully cooperative. They’re able to issue an order, giving you time to comply with the rules, or they can issue a work stoppage until require-ments are met. MOL inspectors can also lay charges against employ-ers, workers or supervi-sors. MOL inspectors will want to see a posted safety policy that’s been signed by the workers. Other considerations include: having employee safety committees; mak-

ing sure employees are competent for the tasks they’re assigned to; having equip-ment that meets safety standards; and having employees trained in emergency procedures. It’s important to report any critical injuries: instances when there’s substantial blood loss, when a worker loses conscious-ness, broken limbs, amputated limbs, loss of sight and major burns. There will be serious repercussions if you fail to report, Whitfield warns.The FSA can help tree service businesses meet the required standards. Most services are provide free of charge. The Arborists Industry Safe Practices handbook can be a good starting point. It’s available through the FSA. For more information, visit the FSA website at www.farmsafety.ca . Whitfield spoke earlier this year at the annual meeting of the Ontario Branch of the International Society of Arborists.

Ontario safety initiative appears

to be helpingFrom 9 Ont. fatalities in 1999 to zero in 2007

The Arborists industry Safe Prac-tices handbook can be a good starting point to understanding safety-related regulations.

ACCIDENT REPORTS

The Ontario Ministry of Labour is investigating an industrial accident that claimed one life on Jan 23. Rene Ouellet, 42, of Thunder Bay, was reported to have succumbed to injuries sustained while working on a piece of forestry equipment. Although not confirmed by police, it was believed the equip-ment in question was a mobile wood chipper.

• • • In early 2008 an Ontario for-estry worker was attempting to clean a chipper after a jam and was drawn in. He died as a result

of his injuries. The chipper was the standard style and size used by many municipalities. At the time of printing details are not available as the investigation is not complete.

• • •In February 2008 an Alberta owner of a small logging opera-tion was clearing logs in a horse logging operation. He was standing between two of the wheels of a log skidder used to prepare the logs for hauling once they were brought from the bush by the horses. The machine started moving in reverse, run-

ning the man over. He was then caught by the blade and dragged about 100 feet. A stop work order was issued and at the time of printing the investigation continues.

• • •

In March 2008 a BC worker received a head injury while cut-ting a large maple for firewood. The tree split and struck the worker in the head. There were no known compliance issues so an investigation was not ordered by the officer who completed the inspection report.

• • •BC released a hazard alert in February 2007 due to a serious injury, “Do not fall trees uphill on steep slopes.” A worker fell a 175-foot fir tree on a 50 percent uphill slope. The fir had a sweep (“hockey stick”) at the butt and was leaning heavily uphill. As the fir dropped, it struck two previously felled trees and broke in two. The butt end rolled to one side and slid down the slope. It hit the worker as he exited along his escape route and he was dragged 28 feet downhill.

Recommendations from the incident include: Do not fall trees uphill on steep slopes. Limit the direction of fall to a maximum upslope angle of 15 degrees off level; discuss falling difficulties with your supervisor or partner; consider alternative methods if the tree must be removed uphill on a steep slope; recognize that a tree with an unusual shape may not fall in the intended direction; brush out your escape route and plan an alternative route in case the tree does not fall as intended.

Chippers, falling, figure in recent accidents


he term risk is often misun-derstood, and misused. Risk deals with probabilities, and

is defined as the probability of an undesirable event occurring, and if it did, the probability of one or more people being injured, or of property being damaged. If enough data exists, risk can be statistically quantified. In the absence of a large data set, we must deal with uncertainty, and it is important to understand that uncertainty is not quantifiable. It always exists, in many forms. Probability is measured on a scale of zero to one, or zero to 100%, where zero means the event will never occur, and 1 or 100% means it definitely will occur. Uncer-tainty is maximised at 0.5 or 50%. At 50% we lack enough knowl-edge to determine if the event and potential damage is more, or less likely.

Hazard is a widely misused term. A hazard, or a hazardous condition only exists when the associated level of risk exceeds our threshold of acceptability. For the uninitiated, tree climbing might well be considered as very hazardous. That is, the activity is perceived to be unacceptable at a low threshold of risk (low toler-ance). By contrast, a skilled and experienced climber may watch a colleague climbing, and perceive

the activity to be very accept-able (high tolerance) until truly extreme conditions are encoun-tered. Acceptable risk tolerance thresholds, and therefore, how we define hazards, are subjective, and very much a matter of perception. Often these thresholds are defined by panels of scientists, or bureau-crats, in order to form a basis for public policy, and therefore, regulations. Thus water quality standards use parts per million for contaminants considered to be hazardous to our health. If the contaminant exceeds the thresh-old, it is hazardous; if not, it is acceptable.

Managing trees in areas where humans and property are present requires two distinct steps. Firstly, the area must be reviewed to determine if there are or are not targets present. If there is no target then there is no hazard, and therefore no need to undertake

risk assessment in that area. If targets are present, then the trees are assessed on a priority basis, where the highest value, or most highly used areas are assessed first. Lesser value, or lower used areas are a second or third order prior-ity. Once the risk assessment is undertaken, the results are passed on to the risk manager. This person is responsible for allocat-ing resources to a wide range of problems, of which tree risks may be just one. The risk manager will determine how much budget is to be allocated to additional assess-ment, ongoing management, risks mitigation, time priorities, and

how tree risks are to be integrated into other risk management problems.

The risk manager relies on the risk assessor. Attempting to manage risk in the absence of risk assessment data is called guess-work. It is not recommended. Typically, the risk manger allo-cates resources (money and time) to obtain risk assessment data. Once that is done, the manager can then make informed deci-sions. The risk assessor has a key role to play in deciding which trees are to be assessed, where, when and how. Part 2 of the series will examine those issues in more detail.

Dr. Julian Dunster is a consult-ing arborist, forester, and planner based on Bowen Island, BC. He is the designer, lead instructor, and Certified Tree Risk Assessor #1 in the Certified Tree Risk Assessment course, accredited by WorkSafe BC, and administered by the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the ISA. He has worked all over the world, and regularly lectures about urban forest-ry, arboriculture, and risk issues at conferences and workshops. He can be contacted at [email protected]

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Trees & the LawB Y J U L I A N D U N S T E R

Thinking About Risks The first step in understanding tree risk assessment is a thorough knowledge of the terminology

T

Managing trees in areas where humans and property are present requires two distinct steps. firstly, the area must be reviewed to determine if there are or are not targets present. if there is no target then there is no hazard, and therefore no need to undertake risk assessment in that area.

Attempting to manage risk in the

absence of data is called guesswork. It

is not recommended.


B Y PAT K E R R

ypsy moths are in some ways like dogs and that is why the Canadian Food Inspection

Agency (CFIA) has the gypsy moth at the top of its new poster. Just as different breeds of dog can mate, gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar) have many breeds includ-ing what we now call the North American gm and they can inter-breed and share genetics. Here is a quick recap of the history. In 1869 some gypsy moths were accidentally released in Boston. Attempts at eradica-tion were made but it progressed through the east. In 1924 it was first discovered in Quebec and by 1960 it was firmly established. Today it is well established in southern Ontario, southern Que-bec, southwest New Brunswick and southwest Nova Scotia. The 2007 surveys found NAgm in Newfoundland, 2nd year repro-

ducing population in PEI, three sites in Manitoba, three sites in Saskatchewan, BC caught 155 males and Alberta is still holding on as negative for NAgm. Out-side of the eastern areas where NAgm is well established eradica-tion efforts continue. The Siberian gypsy moth is the problem. This breed looks exactly like our NAgm but the female can fly making her bet-ter at hiding her eggs. As the name indicates the Siberian is not threatened by cold tempera-tures….and it can mate with our established population. But it’s “Number 1” least wanted because unlike the NAgm that prefers deciduous trees it consumes coni-fers. The threat is considered so great that by international treaty ships that enter Siberian ports in the flight season are not allowed in NA waters. The system is not perfect. Between 1989 and 1995 the

Siberian or Asian gm was found repeatedly in Oregon, Washing-ton and BC. As dog breeds develop so has the gm. Our NAgm is moving north and now found in places like New Liskeard and Sudbury. There is some indication that a fungus limits its spread if the month of May is cold and wet. BC takes the eradication seri-ously and has additional informa-tion at www.for.gov.bc.ca. Their

attempts include egg collection (too difficult), mass trapping (under investigation), mating dis-ruption with pheromones (under study), tree banding (too labour intensive), and release of gypsy moth virus (not suitable for eradi-cation). Where the population is established NRCan recommends encouraging home owners use control measures like burlap traps on tree trunks, feed and provide

shelter for birds like blue jays and chickadees, and plant fennel, and basil. Biological insecticides for the gypsy moth are effective and are non toxic to other insects and environment. The NAgm is now part of our environment but preventing it from mating with its Siberian cousin is like controlling a dog when its mate is in heat.

news

Canada’s #1 least wantedThe persistent Siberian (Asian) gypsy moth

Port inspections are part of strategy aimed at controlling Asian gypsy moth Photo: Manfred Mielke

The Siberian gypsy moth is the problem. This breed looks exactly like our North American gypsy moth but the female can fly making her better at hiding her eggs. As the name indicates the Siberian is not threatened by cold temperatures. . .

B Y J U L I E S TAU F F E R

ean Fox doesn’t run your typical dat-ing service. Then again, his clients aren’t your average singletons. As

coordinator of the University of Guelph’s Elm Recovery Project, Fox brings together a select group of stately trees in the hope of creating a new generation that can with-stand the scourge of Dutch Elm Disease (DED).

Once upon a time, these umbrella-shaped beauties lined the streets of most North American cities. Then came Dutch Elm Disease. In the 1960s and 70s the aggressive fungus felled hundreds of mil-lions of elms across the continent, while many healthy ones were cut down in an attempt to stop its spread. Today, most elms fall prey to DED before the age of 20.

Some mature specimens do exist, how-ever—more than 1,500 in Ontario alone, according to Fox’s database. These aren’t a lucky few who escaped infection, but trees

that could compartmentalize the fungus quickly enough that it didn’t spread to their core and choke off their water trans-port system.

For nearly a decade, Elm Recovery Project staff have criss-crossed the prov-ince, identifying and cataloguing these sur-vivors. Bud samples from the most promis-ing candidates are taken back to the lab and grafted onto seedlings. The resulting clones are then inoculated with DED.

“Each one of them gets screened and tested and evaluated for their ability to tolerate the disease,” Fox explains. Most of the clones prove capable of stopping the fungus in its tracks, whereas the control seedlings quickly die back to the ground.

Those that pass the test are planted out into an orchard where clones from Wind-sor can grow, flower and pollinate ones from as far away as Ottawa and Sault Ste. Marie. If all goes well, over the next decade or so they’ll produce seeds that carry the same traits.

Fox notes that although they can’t guar-antee all the seeds will be DED-resistant, the odds are good. “What we’re hoping is by getting the best of the best together, the gene pool is going to be really strong,” he says.

Some American initiatives have omit-ted this final step, instead releasing identi-cal DED-resistant clones such as Liberty and Valley Forge. Unfortunately, diseases have a tendency to change over time, and if DED ever mutated into a form that could overwhelm the immune system of one clone, all its identical brethren would get wiped out as well.

In contrast, the biodiversity created by seeds ensures that even if one tree falls victim to a new form of the disease, other elms with different genetics may be able to withstand it.

Ultimately, Fox hopes to release the resulting seeds to conservation authorities and restoration projects across Ontario, as well as in neighbouring provinces and

Great Lake states. “There’s a strong desire for people to be able to plant elms again and have the confidence that they’ll live past 20 or 25 years,” he says.

Although Fox recognizes that he may not live to see the second generation of seeds from his “lonely elms club,” the long timelines don’t discourage him. “I’m hop-ing someone else will continue to carry this on when I’m done with it,” he says.

Indeed, if all goes well, he hopes the project will extend to other species in need—using the same approach to tackle beech bark disease, for example, or butter-nut canker.

Fox continues to welcome reports of old elms in Ontario to add to the project database, as well as donations to the Henry Kock Tree Recovery Endowment, which funds the work. For more information, visit www.uoguelph.ca/arboretum/SpProjects/Elm_Recover1.htm.

Dating Service with a DifferenceSingle, mature white elm with lust for life seeks same for cross-pollination

if the Elm Recovery Project succeeds, roadways in central canada will once be graced with stately, and healthy, elms. The project is propagating seedlings from the few elms that have survived dEd.

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B Y PAT K E R R

tephen Hill, formerly of New Mexico was shocked after a forest fire and then pine bark beetle outbreak in his home town of Waterloo,

Ont. “It seemed like three out of five trees were dead. We had a perimeter lot next to community green space. It changed from green to brown.” Soon after his family relocated to Canada his scout leader told him about the emerald ash borer and its threat to Canadian forests. “I love nature and just did a big back packing trip in Algonquin.” As a Life Scout working for his Eagle Scout rank, (the highest rank in the US boy scout system and achieved by only about five percent of scouts Stephen was stirred to action and researched on the internet and discovered the Canadian Food Inspec-tion Agency’s (CFIA) role in the EAB battle. The emails went back and forth developing a proposal for Stephen to make a real contribution to the con-trol efforts. Twenty-five volunteers signed up to help but extreme cold and a severe weather warning on the

date established brought the numbers down to six-teen. 453 trees were individually inspected on public lands for external signs of potential EAB activity. Including unusual woodpecker activity, exposed gal-leries with serpentine paths, D-shaped exit holes and cracks in the bark. Ten percent of the trees were marked and mapped as “suspicious.” These were fol-lowed up by CFIA inspectors. “I learned a lot of organization and time man-agement skills. I was studying for my exams, going to school, applying for university and working part-time all at the same time. It was busy. It taught me the value of hard work. I developed a training package and trained the volunteers, made up bind-ers and clipboards. It was a lot of administrative bureaucracy.” Stephen is heading back to the US to finish his studies in chemical engineering. “I like Canada but it is cold.” He is leaving behind a scout troop edu-cated in the dangers of invasives and the challenges of tree inspection for the ever elusive and deadly EAB.

Boy Scouts battle EABTop-ranking scout takes assault on forests personally

Lead by a determined Boy Scout Stephen hill (that’s him at the bot-tom), a troup of volunteers inspected 453 trees for signs of EAB.

Trees identified by the Scouts as possible sites for EAB were investigated by cfiA officials.

Photo: David Cappaert, Michigan State University

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n aggressive advertising campaign has paid divi-dends for Dan Knox and his family in Sault St. Marie.

Since its launching in 1996, Tree Men and a Chain-saw has become the best recognized tree service business in their community, Knox says.

“I read that when you start a business you need to put a lot of money into advertising,” Knox says.

“Every move I make with this business has the goal in mind that we’ll be here in another 50 years.”

Knox takes a multi-faceted approach to promotion.In the early years, the distribution of flyers was part

of the mix. Today, he attends trade shows, regularly advertises in daily and weekly newspapers and buys radio spots. The company phone number, appropriately, is 253-TREE.

Those things are combined with what may be the most effective promotional tool—the signage on the four company trucks. They’re a familiar sight in the city of 80,000 and travel up to 60 miles north and east.

Tree Men and a Chainsaw, naturally, figures promi-nently on the trucks but Knox also pays attention such details as customized license plates—with the words tree men, 253-tree, chainsaw and tree dude—and catchy logos.

The employees are required to wear uniforms: Husq-varna protective trousers and green T-shirts or hooded sweatshirts emblazoned with the company name. The neat appearance of employees goes along way toward instilling confidence among customers and potential

customers, Knox says.An accomplishment by Knox’s 19-year-old son also

serves in a small way to promote the family business. Harrison, his father likes to point out, is probably the youngest certified arborist in the Canada.

Harrison is somewhat modest about the achieve-ment. He attended Sir Sanford Fleming College at Lindsay and he accumulated 6,000 hours of practical experience to gain his Ontario certification.

He says woke up one morning and decided to make tree service business a career.

“College was a good time. I couldn’t see going for anything else.” Harrison’s older son, Michael, works part-time with the business and his wife, Leslie, has a key role in the home office—when she’s not working in her hair salon. There are about eight employees in total.

Safety is a key concern and Knox admits having his young son 100 feet from the ground with a chainsaw can be worrisome. Having the right equipment, training and excellent communication skills are all important to preventing accidents.

A big part of the business revolves around tree removal, stump grinding and tree maintenance. In the winter, the focus for the crew is on residential, com-mercial and industrial snow removal, including removing snow from roofs.

Knox says the biggest tree ever taken down by the company was a Carolina poplar weighing 28 tons, including six tons of cement that had been poured into the cavity. He knows the weight because the crane company he works with weighs each section as they’re removed.

Knox says he has a Vermeer BC1000 brush chipper and a Vermeer stump grinder. Many of the chainsaws are from Husqvarna but there are a number of Stihl products, including top-handle, climbing chainsaws and a pole saw with a 14-foot reach.

Knox began the business, thinking he’d also continue his career as a conductor with the Algoma Central Rail-way. The business quickly blossomed, however, into a fulltime concern.

profile

Tree Men and a ChainsawAggressive advertising and attention to detail helped build business

An accomplishment by knox’s 19-year-old son also serves in a small way to promote the family business. harrison, his father likes to point out, is probably the youngest certified arborist in the canada.

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n their natural setting, shade trees reach for the sky.

That’s simply a function of being surrounded by other trees, according to one of North Ameri-

ca’s foremost tree experts.Dr. Ed Gilman, a researcher and professor of

environmental horticultural at the University of Florida, says shade trees located in most urban set-tings often stand alone, in rows or in small groups. They need a helping hand to best withstand the rav-ages of time and the occasional storm system blow-ing through.

That’s where structural pruning comes in.“One of our goals is to try to make the tree look

more like the tree would look in its natural environ-ment,” Gilman says.

In the wild, shade trees typically develop a single leader or main trunk. In urban settings, they often

develop multiple leaders or trunks that compete against each other.

The vertically reaching leaders tend to be rela-tively weak as compared to horizontal branches of the same diameter. Horizontal branches, through the actions of gravity, develop different types of wood on their upper and lower sides that work together to build strength. That’s why it’s often the upright branches that are first broken during an ice storm, Gilman says.

The challenge for arborists is to encourage growth in the dominant leader or trunk through what are known as reduction cuts, he says. With the right technique you’ll create a shapely tree that will also live a long time.

“Typically, the trees we grow in our cities are urban shrubs,” Gilman says.

The objective is to have a main stem with many side branches coming off of it rather than compet-ing main stems.

To assist a tree in attaining a similar structure to what it might achieve in a forest setting, it’s best to start when a tree is young—with a trunk diameter of less than 20 inches—and remove wood every few years. Chose the leader that you feel should become the dominant stem or trunk and remove those that are subordinate.

The idea is to allow more sunlight to reach this dominant leader. In response, its growth rate should accelerate.

The amount of foliage pruned has a bearing on the development of the desired leader. With a 25 or 50 per cent reduction, growth in the leader should increase at a similar rate. With a 75 per cent reduction you’ll reduce the overall growth of the tree but the leader will develop at a faster rate, Gilman says.

Dramatic reduction cuts may be needed to get a tree back on track. That’s usually the case when a tree is to be pruned only once a decade.

It’s also advis-able to remove lower limbs that are likely to become an impediment to vehicular or pedes-trian traffic before they grow too large. Other lower limbs should be reduced before they get too large. When lower limbs are removed once they’ve grown to a large diameter, the chances for decay are greater, Gilman warns.

One type of pruning to avoid is the removal of foliage from the lower and inner parts of the main branches. That results in excess growth at the canopy’s perimeter and a tree that’s more susceptible to storm damage.

The same structural pruning principles apply to larger trees, although little can be done in some cases. The idea is to maintain the leader that has been established by reducing or subordinating—or occasionally removing—competing branches and stems. Gilman says proper pruning techniques can only be achieved through experience and by working with others skilled in the tech-niques. For more information, visit the University of Florida’s landscape plants website at www.hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/. There is detailed infor-mation about structural pruning, other pruning techniques and many other tree-related subjects.

Structural pruning encourages longevityTrees no longer growing in forests setting require careful attention

feature

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it’s also advisable to remove lower limbs that are likely to become an impediment to vehicular or pedestrian traffic before they grow too large. Other lower limbs should be reduced before they get too large.

Horizontal branches, through the actions of

gravity, develop different types of wood on their upper

and lower sides that work together to build strength.

That’s why it’s often the upright branches that

are first broken during an ice storm.


B Y PAT K E R R

orfolk County, Ont, is this year’s Forestry Capital of Canada, which includes

$50,000.00 in provincial fund-ing to help with the celebrations and a carved log presented by Oakville, the 2007 winner. Norfolk is also celebrating 100 years of organized forestry in Canada with Canada’s first forestry nursery. Today the St. William’s Forestry Centre is pri-vately owned but still producing seventy species of evergreen and hardwood trees in both bare root and plug. Norfolk, one of Canada’s most southerly points, is twenty-five percent forest and home to the greatest number of rare and endangered species in the country. Its present beauty is due to the hard work and combined efforts of forestry professionals, govern-ment and a furniture maker. At the turn of the century the sandy soil was cleared for agriculture and the fertility was quickly lost. To deal with the developing problem seedlings were provided free to farmers with planting instructions and information on how to obtain income from for-estry. Seedling production soon boomed to between four and five million trees per year until today they say you can’t stand anywhere in the county without seeing a tree germinated in the St. Wil-liams Forestry Centre. Their suc-cess grew and soon funding was received for six more nurseries. Another reason Norfolk was chosen as this year’s Forestry Capital according to Dave Lem-kay General Manager Canadian Forestry Association is “the Alli-gator Steam Tug boat that was produced at the West and Peachy Foundry from 1889 through to the 1930s. The Alligator Boat is an icon in Canada’s north where timber was mainly transported by waterway due lack of railways and roads. However, Norfolk County was chosen most impor-tantly because there was a group of people organized to promote the St. Williams year and a well organized Alligator Boat Preser-vation society that is proud of the local heritage.” Lemkay says, “The Forest Capital of Canada is basically a celebration of a region’s connec-tion to its forest resource, from a historical and ongoing perspec-tive. Residents of all ages and from all walks of life are encour-aged to better understand the tremendous importance of the natural resources around them. Often Canadians take their for-ests for granted, while, in fact, forests and the judicial use of the timber and non-timber are vital to the Canadian economy, our environment and on an individual basis to better health and cultural and spiritual well-being.” The celebrations in Norfolk are spread throughout the year and include powering up the

reconditioned Alligator boat, museum displays, nature walks, majestic tree hunts, historic home and open door presentations related to forestry, and tree plant-ing workshops. Full details are at the Norfolk woodlot association web site. www.norfolkwoodlots.com.

Both urban and rural forest areas from all parts of Canada are eligible to enter. Information to apply to be the next Forestry Capital of Canada is at www.canadianforestry.com

Forestry Capital of Canada 2008: NorfolkCounty was home to famous nursery, pioneering forestry tug

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ust because you’ve become an expert in your trade doesn’t mean you have nothing to learn in order to run your own business successfully.

That’s something Ian Johnston discovered after he founded Arbortech Professional Tree Care at Strathroy, Ontario in 1994. Johnston, a certified arborist, had plenty of experi-ence. A graduate of the forestry technician program at Sir Sanford Fleming College, he worked in the pulp and paper industry in Northern Ontario before spending four years with Ontario Hydro supervising a utility, line-clearing crew. As his own boss, Johnston says he began with just himself and two part-time employees--a farmer and a fireman. “Starting a new business is like starting a brand, new career,” he says. There was a learning curve. One of Johnston’s first steps was to hire a bookkeeper. While there are business owners who are multitalented, everyone is stronger in some areas than others, he says. It was also a challenge to learn about people man-agement and people motivation, despite his years with Ontario Hydro. “People are all different. What works with one may not work with another.” Johnston did make mistakes but on the whole moved his business forward with more right deci-sions than wrong. He serves an area stretching from the south part of Lake Huron to the shores of Lake Erie. There are two crews working most of the year and plans for expansion. They focus on residential and some municipal work. This includes: tree removal; stump removal; utility line clearing; the fertilizing and trimming of trees, shrubs and hedges; consulting work; and total plant health care. Concerning the use of pesticides, Johnston feels they’re a tool of last resort. Besides, with the City of London recently putting a pesticide bylaw in place, there’s a trend toward using fewer chemical prod-ucts.

“If something is going to affect health or put a tree into decline you can spray (under London’s bylaw) but you have to be able to prove the need,” John-ston’s employee, certified horticulturalist Becky Moule, says. Johnston says there’s a lot of demand for people to work in the tree industry and plenty of oppor-tunities. Johnston has enjoyed working with some long-term employees but there have been others who’ve moved on soon after gaining their arborist certification. Private industry, compared to some public sector employers, has a hard time competing in the area of wages. Still, Johnston says small businesses like his have certain attractions. For instance, every workday is a bit different and there are certain advantages to working with a smaller organization. Johnston is supportive of his employees and encourages them to improve their skills. He was an instructor in tree climbing for the arboriculture apprenticeship program at Lambton College for 10 years. Johnston and his crew are well equipped with a 50-foot Holan bucket truck, a stake truck with a Hiab crane, a truck devoted to spay operations, three chippers including two Vermeer chippers, and two Vermeer stump grinders.

profile

Arbortech Professional Tree Care

ian Johnston began Arbortech with just himself and two part-time employees--a farmer and a fire-man. “Starting a new business is like starting a brand new career,” he says.

Johnston says small businesses like his have certain attractions.

For instance, every workday is a bit different and there are

certain advantages to working with a smaller organization.

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Business ownership involves a learning curve


preservation

B Y PAT K E R R

n 1991, butternut canker was discovered in Ontario. In 2003, the butternut tree was placed on the Canadian endangered species list.

Never a common tree in Eastern Canada, the butternut was a favourite food source of pioneers and native peoples. Hybrids were planted and moved wherever people settled. Some theorize these hybrids caused the problem but in the early stages of research very little is known. The decline may be partially due to a potentially exotic fungus Sirococcus clavigignenti-juglandacearum or butternut canker. There is no known fungicide suitable for treatment.

Although not listed officially with any status in the US, the but-ternut, Juglans cinerea, has declined in some states eighty to ninety percent. Researchers from Perdue, other US universities, and US government research stations are working with Ontario’s Forest Gene Conservation, and Ontario Forest Research Institute to find solutions to the crisis.

Projects include conservation of butternut genetics with seed planting and grafting, searching for a naturally resistant tree or trees, searching for fungicides for high value trees, genetic studies, and disease studies.

Tree service workers are asked to support this effort in several ways. These include reporting butternut seed crops, identifying potentially resistant trees, educating the public, and most importantly preserving all living butternuts.

Clues to identify native butternut include a later spring leaf flush, an early fall leaf drop, and more infrequent seed crops (every 2 to 3 years) than the hybrids (often annually). Hybrids can be larger and less cankered and their two year old twigs have a wider, light brown pith. Potentially disease-resistant butternut will have full, healthy crowns, few main stem cankers and are within one hundred feet of a severely diseased or dying butternut.

Rose Fleguel of Rideau Valley Conservation has found twenty-five trees with putative resistance. Twelve are native butternut. Mate-rial from these trees is to be grafted to save the genetics, eventually produce seed and restock the landscape. To date 4005 seedlings were planted with 2800 ready for the 2008 planting season. The free seed-lings available on a first come basis are all spoken for in 2008.

The sites must have full sun, and excellent soil. The land owner should commit to protect the trees from stresses like weed whipper injuries to the trunks, burying the roots too deep, lawn mower damage, pruning of live limbs and competition. She welcomes urban property owners to unite and distribute the ten tree minimum.

Ken J. Harrison ,Disease Identification Officer, NRCan said, “ In New Brunswick, the disease has been present for a shorter time so the trees haven’t been exposed to the challenge from the disease for as long as Ontario. New Brunswick is at the extreme northeastern edge of the natural range of butternut in North America (planted trees do occur in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island). My personal guess and estimate is that somewhere around one third to one half of the natural distribu-tion of butternut here in New Brunswick currently has some infected trees.”

To share your expertise and help preserve an endangered species for both the two legged and fur baring nut lovers:

Send reports of potentially resistant trees in Ontario and their seed crops to Barb Boysen at [email protected] or go to www.fgca.net

Eastern Ontario reports of potentially resistant trees and requests for seedlings to Rose Fleguel at [email protected]. For other areas in Ontario contact your local conservation authority or forest conserva-tion association. Some areas still have a limited number of seedlings. For the western and eastern provinces trees must be purchased from private growers.

NUT LOVERS WANTEd

Keeping the historic Butternut alive in Canada

Tree service workers

are asked to support the

butternut by reporting

butternut seed crops,

identifying potentially

resistant trees, educat-

ing the public, and most

importantly preserving

all living butternuts.

from top: severe crown die-back in a mature butternut; close-up of an active canker; hybrid butternut; a healthy butternut of the sort that researchers are using for grafting.

Photos: Rose fleguel

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feature

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rborists working with nursery tree transplants need to strike a balance. While the propagation system provides convenience, additional steps may be needed to help ensure a long life for the trees once they’re planted in a permanent location.

Dr. Ed Gilman, a professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida, says there can be problems with both container- and field-grown trees. He discussed the challenges at the annual meeting of the Ontario Branch of the International Society of Arborists in Niagara Falls.

The perils of transplants

Poor propagation techniques can equal short life for transplanted trees. However, there are steps arborists can take at time of planting to ensure a tree’s viability

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Ed Gilman uses massive wind machines to assess how various manage-ment techniques affect the above-ground and below-ground structural integrity of trees


Gilman points to the example of a large planting in North Carolina that had replaced trees established more than a century earlier. While the replacements look healthy viewed from a dis-tance, an above-ground examina-tion tells another story. “Of the trees we looked at, nearly 100 per cent were girdled (by their own roots) . . . In another five to ten years, they will probably all have to be replaced,” Gilman says. The problem is linked to nursery container systems. The container walls tend to deflect the roots, forcing them to grown in a circular pattern rather than straight out from the trunk. In describing ways to handle nursery transplants, Gilman says it’s important to know how tree roots develop in a natural setting. Much of the initial growth is devoted to the tap root reaching deep into the soil profile. Unless there’s compacted soil or some other obstruction, it can reach as deep into the soil as the tree grows upward. Other roots grow outward from the trunk in a fan-like arrange-ment providing the bulk of structural support for the above-ground portion of the tree. From these laterally-extending roots, additional roots grow vertically into the soil. In nurseries, the walls of con-tainers provide an unnatural barrier to root growth and even with field-grown trees there can be problems linked to compacted soils. Gilman describes a number of problems including incidences of circling roots, diving roots and ascending roots. He feels many problems can be alleviated with steps taken either at the nursery or when the trees are planted in their permanent. Steps to address root quality issues can be taken at the nursery but the issues, at times, may be better addressed at the time of planting, said Gilman. When there’s a mass of small circling roots on the outside of the root ball, he recommends removing the outer inch of the root ball, a technique that encour-ages emerging roots to grow in the desired fan-like manner out-ward from the trunk. When the roots are small, the vigour of the tree will not be adversely affected. It’s important to either cut or spread out any circling or kinked roots growing above the up-most root. Circling roots may also be found inside the ball, a defect that is difficult to detect and is

the result of poor nursery management. When planting, Gilman recommends a wide and shallow hole. The top-most root should be located two to three inches above the landscape surface and even higher in poorly-drained locations.

Detailed planting instructions, illustrations and photographs can be found in an article written by Gilman and Laura Sadowski at the Institute of Food and Agri-cultural Sciences website at the University of Florida – www.hort.ifas.ufl.edu. In established young trees, arborists can also take steps to address defects. Remove girdling

roots before they become embed-ded in the trunk. Crossing roots should also be removed. Little can be done about div-ing roots and ascending roots in established trees. Ascending roots, those that grow toward the soil surface before growing away from the tree, are caused when trees are planted too deep.

According to dr. Gilman, steps to address root quality issues can be taken at the tree nursery but the issues, at times, may be better addressed at the time of planting, said Gilman. for example, when there’s a mass of small circling roots on the outside of the root ball, he recommends removing the outer inch of the root ball, a technique that encourages emerging roots to grow in the desired fan-like manner outward from the trunk.

featureContainer walls tend to deflect the roots, forcing them to grow in a circular pattern rather than straight out from the trunk.


here are exceptional individuals out here who can file a chainsaw tooth better than new. These people have

devoted much time and practice in per-fecting such a skill. Much like an artist can paint or a musician can play, however I think you all would agree that just like amazing artists and musicians they have a gift that many of us do not. The same goes for sharpening a chainsaw, and like so many things in life, we can all benefit from a little help or guidance. Success begins with understanding when to seek and accept help or guidance.

The design and improvement of the modern chainsaw tooth is an ongoing effort and allot of research and develop-ment has gone into developing chain that cuts the best and safest. It is amazing to me how some people believe that a five-dollar file and a few quick strokes can top all of the energy and resources that have gone into the design and development of the modern chainsaw tooth.

Most chain today is ground round—that is to say that during production a

round grinder forms the chisel and cutting angles of the tooth. Therefore, a round file sharpens the tooth after production. In my last article, I explained how a chainsaw cuts. The filing actions of the round file perform two important sharpening func-tions. It files the chisel and the side plate simultaneously. The idea is to keep all of these angles on every tooth the same. After all that is how the chain comes come out of the box and we all know how nice it is to cut with a brand new chain.

It is best to maintain all of the angles as close to the manufacture’s specs as possible. I have found the best way to do this is by using a filing guide. There are many types, styles and design of file guides. You may need to try a few and find one that is right for you. I recommend you attend a Stihl Timber Sports event in your area or your local chapter of the ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) tree climbing competition and/or conference. There you will find vendors and booths who often will allow you try various filing guides and offer advice before purchase.

One thing that is common to almost all filing guides is that they control how far down into the gullet your file goes, the gullet is the area of the tooth between the cutter and the depth gauge. It is also is very important that you have the cor-rect size file for your chain, if you do not know ask you local saw dealer and they will be able to find you the right size file for your chain and also help you select a filing guide. Controlling how far down into the gullet your file goes ensures that you are maintaining an accurate chisel angle.

The other angle of importance the top plate filing angle. This determines your side plate cutting angle which is the part of the tooth that does the hardest part of the work: cross cutting the wood fibre. This angle is maintained by following lines on the guide itself or maintaining the same angle as the witness mark on the top plate. The witness mark is the etched line you see on most chainsaw teeth it is located well back from the front of the chisel edge and serves two functions. One is to serve

as an indicator when to replace your chain: once you have filed the tooth back to this mark the chain needs replacing. The other important function the witness mark serves is to indicate the angle the manufacturer set the crosscut angle. You want to main-tain this angle when sharpening each tooth; the person sharpening performs this part of sharpening visually and manually.

Finally, I would like to add when fil-ing it is important to always where gloves, safety glasses, and do not to drag the file back over the tooth, the file sharpens in the push direction only and dragging it back only damages your file. Also, replace files regularly as they wear out easily and are difficult to work with when blunt. This concludes my series on depth gauges, how a chainsaw cuts and sharpening. I trust this series has been informative and help-ful and I thank all who have taken their valuable time to read my words. I plan to discuss chainsaw bar maintenance in my next article.

TechniquesB Y D WAY N E N E U S TA E T E R

The witness mark also indicates the crosscut angle. You want to maintain this angle when sharpening each tooth.

CHAINSAW SHARPENINGRight equipment, right skills are key to keeping a chain cutting like new

T

controlling how far down into the gullet your file goes ensures that you are main-taining an accurate chisel angle.

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ATlANTIC CHAPTER

Stan Kochanoff, the new president of the Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arborists (ISA) reports that the chapter has had a busy year since their annual meeting and tree climbing compe-tition last September.

Training is always a big issue for tree service providers in Atlantic Canada and Dan LeBlanc and Neil Trebble, arborists from the City of Moncton and Fred-ericton respectively, provided a tree-care workshop for the landscape industry at the Turf Grass Conference in St. John’s Newfoundland in mid-March.

Everyone is looking forward to their AGM and Tree Climbing Competition which will be held in Charlottetown from September 11th-13th. Kurt Laird, from Laird’s Tree care is the chair of the organ-izing committee and he promises an inter-esting weekend, especially since this year they will have a Vice President from the ISA International as a special guest.

Laird, LeBlanc, and John Denovan, another arborist from the City of Fred-ericton are also busy scouting out an appropriate site for the Tree Climbing Competition which will be held on Satur-day September 13th. They are expecting a smooth and efficient set up for the competition though. The chapter has just purchased a shiny aluminum van to house their entire inventory of tree climbing equipment, including some new additions in one central, mobile depot.

They also hope to have launched their chapter web site by late June. If so, by this summer, arborists will be able to surf over to www.AtlanticISA.ca to find out the latest updates from the chapter like where that tree climbing competition will be held.

PRAIRIE CHAPTER

2008 Tree Climbing CompetitionMay 30, 31 & June 1, 2008 – Olds, AlbertaThe 2008 Tree Climbing Competition will run in the traditional manner with all climbing events as in years past. If you have any questions about these events, please contact the TCC Chairperson, Laurie Newsham by phone: 403-556-4750 or e-mail: [email protected]. A confirmation package will be sent to you upon registration.

PACIFIC NORTHWEST CHAPTER

Upcoming EventsSaturday, May 31, 2008Puget Sound Regional Tree Climbing CompetitionTacoma, WA - South Park, 4851 S. Tacoma WayThursday, June 5, 2008Urban Forestry: A Tool for Sustainable Communities - Annual Oregon Urban Forest ConferencePortland, OR - World Forestry CenterSaturday, June 21, 2008Portland Regional Tree Climbing Com-petitionMilwaukee, OR - North Clackamas ParkTuesday, June 24, 2008Non-Defensive Conservation Arbori-culture: A European perspective on tree management/Observations of natural pro-cesses and veteran trees.Tacoma, WA - South Park Community Center - 8:30A to 4:30PThursday, June 26, 2008Tree Planting & Pruning - Two Half-Day Workshops (register for one or both)Redmond, OR - Sam Johnson Park Pavil-ionSaturday, June 28, 2008Root Disease Workshop (limit: 40)Bonney Lake, WA - WSU Demonstra-tion ForestSaturday, July 12, 2008British Columbia Regional Tree Climbing CompetitionNew Westminster, BCQueen’s Park, 51 First StreetFor more information, contact the Chapter office at (503) 874-8263.

quEBEC CHAPTER

12th Annual Quebec Tree climbing ChampionshipDate: May 30 and 31, 2008Location:École Lake of Two MountainsRue Guy, near 20th AvenueVille de Deux-Montagnes (near Laval, Quebec)This two-day championship will have five main events: Working with ropes and cables, Free climbing, Aerial rescue, Foot-locking contest, and Throwline contest (placing and setting climbing ropes). These events will be followed by the “Masters Challenge” event which will be a mixture of the five techniques mentioned above. It promises to be an exciting and educa-tional event!For more information see Society of Inter-national Arboriculture of Quebec website: www.siaq.org or email: [email protected] from French by Harry Wil-liams


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s the world warms up the value of mulches becomes more and more apparent.

Mulches conserve moisture. They control weeds and provide a bar-rier for the tree—protecting it from cultivators, lawn mowers and string trimmers.

For many trees 99% of the root system resides within the top metre of the soil and most of the absorbing roots are within the top 30 cm. With mulches in place digging and cultivating around the base of the tree—a practice which increases the likelihood of root damage—is eliminated. Mulches can be organic or inorganic. Both have their pros and cons.

Organic mulches

Like people, trees are keen to keep their feet (roots) warm in winter and cool in summer. Organic mulches can help with that task. They can also add nutrients to the soil as they decompose.

Bark nuggets, wood chips, peat moss, grass clippings and leaves can all be used as organic mulches. So can lawn clippings and leaves but they tend to compress and mat together restricting air and water movement. Shredding helps to alleviate this problem.

On nutrient-poor soils a wood chip or bark mulch may cause nitrogen deficiency in the tree as it breaks down. Its decomposition requires nitrogen which it pilfers from the soil. This can be alleviated by applying nitrogen fertilizer and letting wood chips age at least six weeks before using.

Peat moss must be applied moistened or it will blow away. Peat moss provides good water retention but if allowed to dry out it may act as a wick draw-ing moisture away from the soil.

inorganic mulches

Inorganic mulches include gravel, lava rock and decorative stone. These mulches are attractive as well as low maintenance and they won’t blow away or rot and decompose over time as do organic mulches.

On the flip side they tend to absorb a ton of heat—maybe not what’s wanted in hot dry areas and next to buildings. Also, certain types of gravel may raise the pH of the soil. When soil pH exceeds about 6.5, soil iron becomes insoluble and unavail-

able to the tree and a condition known as iron chlorosis may occur. In alkaline prairie soils spruce Scots pine seem to be susceptible to iron chlorosis as do Walker poplar and Laurel willow. Northwest poplar and Acute willow are more resistant.

Plastic mulches also their own characteristics. All prevent weed germination. Some increase and maintain soil temperature and some are designed to both retain water and allow excess water to evapor-ate.

Plastic mulch can be permeable or impermeable. Both contain a U.V. inhibitor to slow decompos-ition. The permeable woven plastic allows water to pass through, the impermeable does not. For single plantings, plastic squares are available. Made from porous plastic that allows water to reach the soil and excess moisture to evaporate these also contain a U.V. inhibitor and are embossed for extra durability.

Cellu Fib is a brand name for mulch made from recycled paper coated with wax. Unlike plastic it does not increase or maintain soil temperature. It breaks down naturally in three to five years.

The woven fabrics of landscape cloths allow for water and air exchange while still excluding weeds. But if used under an organic mulch they prevent it from enriching the soil as it decomposes.

How much mulch? The larger the area mulched, the better, say the experts. Mulch should be applied in a 10 cm layer around trees and shrubs. Don’t pile it around the base of the tree—this can lead to rotting. Keep mulch 5 cm away from the trunk. If using wood chips increase that to 10 cm to reduce rodent damage.

On nutrient-poor soils a wood chip or bark mulch may cause nitro-gen deficiency in the tree as it breaks down. its decomposition requires nitrogen which it pilfers from the soil. This can be allevi-ated by applying nitrogen fertilizer and letting wood chips age at least six weeks before using.

The merits of mulchBenefits include moisture conservation, root protection & soil building. But beware: not all mulches were created equal

Certain types of gravel mulch may

raise the pH of the soil. When soil

pH exceeds about 6.5, soil iron

becomes insoluble and unavailable

to the tree and a condition known

as iron chlorosis may occur.

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USPraxis is launching a new wood chipper—named The Wood Chipper—that is small enough to fit through a standard sized 36” gate with a large enough chipping capacity to take on large 6” tree limbs.

Manufactured in Syca-more, Illinois, the Praxis Wood Chipper is based on the engineering experience developed over the past decade of manufacturing portable stump grinders and log splitters. The machine was designed specifically with the rental, arborist, and professional landscaper market in mind. The company says it has all the functionality of the larger more expensive 6” chippers but is approximately half the price.For more information: 815-899-9700, Email: [email protected], http://www.uspraxis.com

Norwood’s mill can be configured to meet a variety of needs.

Norwood LumberMate 2000 – Customized Sawmilling Solutions The Norwood’s Lumber-Mate 2000 is being billed as the most versatile sawmill on the market.

It handles logs up to 31” in diameter, slices boards up to 24” wide accurately to 1/32nd of an inch and can shave veneer as thin as 1/16th of an inch. It mills logs 13 feet long or, with additional bed extensions, logs of any length.

The sawyer can then customize the LumberMate to suit his unique milling needs by choosing from a variety of engines sizes and milling options.For more information: 1 (800) 661-7746 ext 650 or (705) 689-2800 Email: [email protected], www.norwoodsawmills.ca/650

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Portable SawmillTree Service Canada has teamed up with well known outdoor clothing manufacturer, Arborwear, to offer readers the chance to win four midweight jackets and four oil skin caps.

HOW TO ENTER: Simply complete the form below and fax it back to us at Fax. 1-250-478-3979. (You may want to photocopy the page first to avoid

wrecking your issue of Tree Service Canada)

PRIZES:The winner of each issue’s competition will receive an Arborwear midweight jacket ideal for use in the tree service industry. Canvas on the outside and lined with a double-sided micro fleece, there’s no excuses for being cold up that tree! The jackets are also zippered with fleece-lined hand warmer pockets and fleece lined collars. Runners up of each issue’s competition will receive an Arborwear oil skin cap made of a water-resistant cotton canvas.

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WINNER Congratulations to Ben Coady, of Guelph, Ont., winner of the first draw for the Arborwear jacket. Coady is currently an apprentice linesman with Guelph Hydro Electric Systems Inc. but he says he still does a lot of tree work. A father of two girls, he got into the industry through the urban arboriculture program at Humber College in the mid-1990s. “I’ve always been an outdoors sort of person. To get paid for climbing trees seemed like a great idea,” he says, adding, “little did I know it would involve so much work!”Gerard Fournier, of For Trees Co., in Didsbury, Alberta, is runner-up winner. Fournier, a well-known figure in the ISA Prairie chapter, takes home a Arborwear oil skin hat. Events

JULY 2008

July 21-27: Indianapolis to St. LouisTour des Trees 2008: Breaking Away to the Gatewaywww.tourdetrees.org

July 26-30: St Louis, IL84th Annual ISA Confer-ence St. Louis, ILwww.isa-arbor.com

AUGUST 2008

August 17: Location TBAHarold Van Dyke Memo-rial Golf TournamentFor details: 416-984-7025

NOVEMBER 2008

Nov 13-15: Milwaukee, WITree Care Industry Expowww.treecareindustry.org

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Jobs & Opportunities

Tree Technology and Research in Burlington, Ontario requires experienced full-time Climber/Crew Supervisor. ISA Certification And DZ license an asset. Tree Technology offers $20 to $25 per hour and a benefit package.

We also will offer profit sharing to the right candidate. Tree Technology also requires a Sales Associate/Administrative Assistant, offering $40,000 to $45,000 annual Salary plus commission.

Franchise Opportunities Available. Please contact us by Tel: 905-637-4877,

email [email protected] or fax 905-637-4866. Groundsperson, Plant Health Care Technician Positions also available

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We are looking for enthusiastic members to join our team of like minded arborists. The tools are in place to learn in this great environment. Currently 3 ISA Certified, educated arborists (one an ASCA member) on staff, so the knowledge is here, we just need more help.

If you are an accomplished climber or a novice with a great attitude and a love of urban tree care in a safe environment we might have the spot for you. ISA certifica-tion (tree worker or arborist) is not a requirement, but the willingness to certify a must. Above average wages. Contact Clarence Talbot, ISA Certified Arborist.

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