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What is Arboriculture All About?

In short and precise terms, Arboriculture is all about the study of growing and maintaining trees, shrubs and other kinds of plants. It is a science as well as an art form which needs practice. Arboriculture knowledge is very useful from a career point of view and also for personal use.

The Arboriculture training basically teaches how to manage the trees and how do they respond with the change in the environmental factors so that this knowledge and other techniques can be used to nurture them nicely. After doing the Arboriculture training, a Certified arborist in India can:

  1. Make decisions about which plant is suitable for what location.
  2. Maintain the existing trees and plants so that they can grow and nurture. 
  3. Use appropriate fertilizers to keep plants and trees in good condition.
  4. Make use of the right kind of sprays for pest control.
  5. Do bracing and cabling. 
  6. Dispose of the tree ailments successfully. 
  7. Do pruning 
  8. Completely and safely remove and sometimes relocate the trees by following tree safety procedures.

Anyone who goes through a formal training through Arboriculture consultancy in India can be called as a certified Arborist in India. They possess not just the technical know-how of how to manage the trees, but also the physical strength to do the tasks themselves. Arborists are sometimes confused with the Landscapers. These two professions are a bit different. Landscapers can sometimes work as an Arborist, but generally, the Arborists have got more knowledge about the trees and the plants.

It will be helpful to add a pinch of the history of Arboriculture. This science is not a new field, it has been in existence since ancient times. As per the books of knowledge, Egyptians were able to transplant the trees by creating a ball of soil around them. The ball figure like structure is formed by soil around a newly planted tree so that it can retain water. In today’s time, we still follow practices like these. Texts have been found as old as 300 BC where the Greek Philosopher has written the techniques for treatment of the tree wounds and the Planning and development of trees.

Arboriculture is about taking care of the trees- either by yourself or with the help of Treecotech Arboriculture specialist. If the trees are taken care of, they grow healthy and look beautiful. They increase the value of the property they are grown in. If the landscape of the property is properly done and the trees, shrubs and plants are well maintained, it can add up to 20% value to the price. If they are not properly maintained, then it will have a negative effect and the cost of the maintenance will go high along with reduction in the aesthetic beauty of the place.  This is the reason why maintenance and arboriculture activities should be given in the hands of Treecotech Arboriculture specialists who are experienced and responsible to maintain the health of the trees to enhance the quality of the property.

Using the Foot Locking Technique of Climbing

Foot Locking is the methodology used for climbing

Foot Locking is the methodology used for climbing the canopies and is a popular one used for reaching to the heights of the trees. It is widely used by those who provide tree care solutions. It involves the use of tools like ropes etc. but the kind of gears have been changed over a period with the advancement in technology. The basic principle behind this technique is not to fix something which is not broken. There are a lot of tree safety measures which has come up regarding this technique, making it safer than it used to be. 

Use of hitching or the knot:

The climber can use any kind of hitch, the only requirement is that it should be able to hold the grip of the rope properly. Different kinds of knots or hitches are available these days and the most common type is called as Prusik. The hitch is not supposed to handle all the weight of the climber. Only when the climber needs a bit of rest or in case of emergency the hitch should be relied on. This will also ensure tree safety. The dependency on the hitch can be reduced by regular practice of foot locking technique so that the muscles can get used to it. There are standards of weight and strength of the hitch which should be followed. Note that the line of the hitch must be smaller as compared to the ascent line. This will help in making the grip better. The standard number of loops is three which forms a six-coil Prusik. More wraps will only make the climbing difficult but will be better for friction. These are some of the safety procedures for tree specialists.

The process of climbing:

The tree specialist in India might use the footlock method on the static lines. This means the load of their body is handled by the hitch. In the dynamic system, this is not what happens. For this reason, the Prusik or the secured footlock should be used while climbing only. While descending, this could prove to be a bit risky and may lead to a fall. Therefore, it is important to be aware of all safety procedures for tree specialist. Mind that the hands of the climber should always be below the hitch. By keeping hands lower, the climber can avoid accidentally holding the hitch which can ultimately lead to its complete release. It is a good way to avoid any sudden descent. 

Other methods to avoid falling is to look out for the bits of junk spread around the place. There will be some twigs, leaves, small pieces of branch which can get in between the ascent lines. Keep care of them while climbing. 

If you are looking forward to climbing a tree or canopy all by yourself, then give it a second thought. It might not be very safe for you and instead, you should hire a Treecotech arboriculture specialist.

How to Know if the Tree can be Saved or Not?

 

Trees and plants often catch diseases or gets infected. Identifying that the tree is sick is just the first step in tree healthcare. The next step is to take a remedial action. For that, you must first know whether it is worth spending time, effort and resources in saving the tree or not. Depending upon the ongoing season, the health of the tree can vary. Changing seasons always leave some effects on the trees.

The answer to whether the tree can be saved or not is not always straightforward. The judgement varies on a lot of factors. Most importantly, you should also be aware of the decline process of the tree. If the decline or decay has just started, then chances of saving the tree are pretty high. But if the tree has been sick from an year or longer than that, then saving it can be a very tough task. Even those trees which have a dead top are very difficult to save. This statement cannot be generalised for all sorts of trees. The reason for decline or decay plays a very important role here.

As said for all the other diseases for every creature on this earth, prevention is better than cure. It is important to keep the trees healthy and maintain their good health all through year, specially during changing seasons. If any signs are showing up, then it is important to follow up regularly and conducting repeat checks. Sometimes, correct usage of tree pruning techniques can also save from spreading disease.

It should be accepted that the tree is always disturbed by regular fungi and some varieties of insects during the summer season. This kind of disturbance to the health of the tree is nothing to worry about because the trees have their own healing mechanisms and immunity against these regular insects and fungi which comes up during summers. 

An example of such a problem is apple scab. This disease or infection is caught by apple trees or other fruit bearing trees. Such an issue is commonly caused in the spring season and it does not harm the overall health of the tree badly, so this can be ignored in some cases if the intensity is too high. But if this issue is coming up every year, then this should also be treated.

The colour of the leaves is also an indication of the health. Green leaves are a sign of good health but if they are having off-coloured leaves, then it is a matter of concern. In case of pine trees, if the needles are not looking like other needles, it could be a problem as well. Note that yellow leaves can be fixed.

Another concerning problem are the small dead branches or limbs. If the reason for dead limbs is insects, then it can be fixed. If the reason is something else, then it might not be fixable.

Arboriculture training includes identification and handling of such issues. You can also hire the services of a certified arborist in India if you need help in looking after your trees and maintaining their good quality of health.

Quick Steps to Evaluate and Monitor the Health of the Trees

Maintaining good health for the tree is very tricky at times. Just like any human, trees also need daily care and attention. Any changes in the tree is a sign of something- either good growth or bad health. In case there is any issue with the tree, it should be handled on priority basis before the disease or the issue grows bigger and things become impossible to fix. Practicing tree healthcare can be less tricky if the sick tree is identified early in the stages. The methods for tree risk assessment can be as simple as just visual inspection and monitoring. 

When you visually inspect a tree, you need to concentrate on all the parts, including the roots, leaves, branches and the trunk. There are various aspects that needs to be inspected for the purpose of tree risk assessment.

It is a great idea to start from the bottom of the tree. If you find any issues at the bottom part of the tree, there is a high possibility that the issue will be there in rest of the tree as well. Not just the presence, but also the intensity of the issue can be pretty alarming too.

 

Below you can find four ways to identify a sick tree and save it from getting into deeper problems:

  1. As stated earlier, concentrating on the bottom of the tree is the most important thing and the method to do so is taught in the tree care training programs. You should try to see if there are any soft spots or if there is a sign of decay anywhere in the roots. If there is a dodgy area that you can spot, better take a picture and inspect again in few days.
  2. Next level is to inspect the collar part. It is the spot where the roots and the trunk meet on the ground. For inspecting the collar, you might need to temporarily remove the grass or land-cover which might be obstructing the view. Make sure that the piece of the bark is not missing from anywhere. Even if the piece of the bark is about to fall or is broken, then also it is a problem. If there are cracks in the trunk, you can expect a problem coming your way.
  3. Going higher up, next in line is the trunk. Mostly, the trunks are never very smooth and even. You need to find deeper cracks which are longer in length. If they are present, it implies that the tree is weak structurally. You can take help from a certified arborist in Mumbai to know the intensity of the decay.
  4. Last step is to concentrate on the crown of the tree. You need to make sure that there are no limbs which are missing the bark or any hanging or broken branches. Even if there are any bare branches, then it could be a sign of a problem.

These were some quick and easy steps, but if you think they are overwhelming for you, then you can avail the services of an arborist in India to inspect the trees.

What You Need to Know About Arboriculture as a Career Option

With the increasing awareness for the environment, the demand for arborists is increasing. Future holds a lot of opportunities for them. If you are looking forward to considering Arboriculture as a career option or taking arboriculture training,

Then you first need to know who are arborists and what do they do:

  1. They are professionals who continuously have to grow their skills as per changing environment, new technologies or even issues that the trees face.
  2. They mostly give their inputs in various research programs by sharing their valuable knowledge. Arborists around the world also communicate with each other to better understand the whole ecosystem and generating better ideas.
  3. Apart from the technical side of their profession, they also have an artistic side. For example, there are multiple tree pruning techniques. Which one to choose will depend on the technical knowledge but how to do the pruning will depend on the artistic side of the arborist.  If something is technically right, it does not mean it will be aesthetically nice as well. The aesthetic side is taken care of by the artistic skills of the arborist. 
  4. Needless to say, they need to have ample knowledge about the environment. For example, unless an arborist knows the lifecycle of a tree, they won’t be able to plant a suitable one or even share the information with people who appoint arborists for decorating their urban space. The knowledge will also be helpful in knowing which tree to plant as per the landscape they need to work on.
  5. With the rising demand for arborists, the supply has also increased. If you want to become a successful arborist in India, then you also need some business management skills. This includes having good communication skills as well. Arborists needs to showcase their portfolio and maintain relations with the customers because this kind of profession also works by word of mouth. Your work will speak for itself.

All this might have left you wondering about the skillsets being taught in arboriculture training programs. If you opt for one, you will probably be acquiring the following skills:

  1. Knowledge of how the plants interact with the soil.
  2. How to understand the quality of the soil and how much water it needs.
  3. Biology of the plants and trees. This relates to tree healthcare study which includes study of pests or various kinds of diseases that the plants or trees can possibly catch.
  4. Identification of species of the tree and selection of appropriate plant for the urban space.
  5. Health and safety rules stated by the government around the maintenance and plantation of the trees or plants. 
  6. Data collection, analysis and reporting based on that data.
  7. Business management, communication skills and organisational skills.
  8. Practical training of tree maintenance like tree pruning techniques, tree risk assessment, rigging, rescue methods, replanting etc.

By now you must have got a fair idea of what it is like to be an arborist and what all skills are required. There are various tree care training institutes which provides arboriculture training in India.

Appropriate Way of Planting Trees

If the trees are not planted in the right kind of soil, it can have bad effects in later stages of that tree. This is why, it is important to first understand the kind of soil and also know how the roots function so that the plantation can be done accordingly. Below are some of the useful suggestions shared by experienced tree planning advisors:

What you must know about the roots:

Tree healthcare is a tricky thing and there is so much to learn about it. Starting with the roots is a great idea. If you expect the roots to grow nicely, then you need to make sure that they get enough amount of oxygen, water and also warmer temperature. For ensuring good levels of oxygen, they need to be present shallow in the ground. If they are too deep, they won’t get ample amount of oxygen. This will lead to slow decline of the tree. In fact, most of the tree declines are due to the bad soil quality. 

 

Investigation of the health at the root level:

Generally, trees should be planted so that the flare can be at the level or above the surface of the soil. If you need to investigate the trees, you can do so by looking at the way the trunk is formed. If the trunk is coming straight up from the ground, then most probably it is a badly planted tree, may be because tree risk assessment wasn’t done properly.

Air supply:

You need to ensure that the oxygen supply to the roots is proper, else the tree won’t be able to survive properly. One way to fix the problem is to replant the tree. It can be taken out of deep soil and put at an appropriate height. Another option is to manually remove the excess soil using some basic tools. Tree planning advisors suggests that replanting can be done only with trees whose planting is couple of months old. If the trees are quite old and replanting is not an option, then excess soil can be removed using a process known as ‘root crown excavation’. In this process, compressed air is used so that the trees do not get injured. This method is quite successful for old plants.

 

If you need assistance for any services like replanting or tree risk assessment before planting the trees, then contacting a tree development consultancy is an ideal thing to do. You can even look for an arborist in India who can help you out with these things. They are helpful not just for planting trees in the first place, but they can also guide you on how to access the health of already existing trees. If you are concerned about survival and health of an existing tree, they can help you in saving the life of such a tree by monitoring the condition and providing alternatives in case there is something wrong with the factors mentioned above like oxygen levels.

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