25Jun

June 25, 2021

Understanding the Purpose of Arboriculture

Introduction
You may have heard of the term tree doctor or a tree surgeon. The proper term for them is an arborist. These are professionals in the field of arboriculture that is all about the study, management as well as study of individual trees, plants, vines and shrubs. Many people hire the services of a tree doctor for planting as well as for the health and safety of the trees. In this article, we will look at what arboriculture is and why it is important.
If you’re based in Mumbai or Delhi, we recommend Treecotech for excellent and professional services, especially as they are ISA certified.
Arboriculture
As addressed earlier, arboriculture focuses on managing and cultivating individual shrubs, plants, and trees. So, a tree doctor helps with advice for handling and taking care of them. They do not focus on managing forests as a whole, and their work is distinct from that of a forester and a logger. This is a practice that, however, does come under urban forestry.
A tree doctor or an arborist is involved in things like removal, shaping, pruning, pest and pathogen control, fertilisation, training, planting, and selection of trees. Their services are for private properties, institutions, cities, etc., for the benefit, protection, and enjoyment of all people around.
A tree surgeon is a person who is trained in maintaining and manipulating the physical appearance of the tree. They also handle aesthetic considerations, legal issues, as well as risk management in this field as well. They are often hired to do tree risk assessments or tree hazard surveys by businesses to also manage the trees on-site to make sure that all safety and health obligations.
Arboriculture Training
One cannot be an arborist without training and qualification. Arboriculture training is of the utmost importance when it comes to entering this field. While a degree may not be of utmost importance, it is necessary for certain courses in this field. The highest recognized certification is the ACP course given by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).

Importance

Tree doctors are hired to help in planting and cultivation of trees at the properties. They also give advice on how to identify a diseased tree, how to take care of it, as well as how to prevent it from happening.
They also handle pruning and removal of trees, and this is something that only tree doctors should be doing. This is because pruning and removal can be extremely dangerous, and people can be severely injured as the tools required are power tools.
Tree doctors can help you maintain the health and safety of the trees, property, as well as people around while also being considerate of any power lines.
Conclusion
We hope that this article has helped you understand the importance of an arborist and the field that they work in. If you have trees in your property that need care, we recommend hiring a tree doctor. And as mentioned, we recommend Treecotech for this.

28Jul

July 28, 2020

Do You Mix Landscapers with Arborists?

If you do not have an idea of the services of landscapers and arborists and you are mixing up their jobs by hiring the wrong professional for your desired service then here you can have a precise view of which services are offered by a landscaper and when is it apt to hire a certified arborist in Mumbai. Landscapers and arborists belong to different professions. Though they both take care of natural surroundings, each of them specializes differently.

Landscapers handle horticulture as their specialized field of activity. They take care of your land by designing and reshaping natural features on the land and by installing man-made fixtures. This management of landscape and hardscape is the proficiency of landscapers. Additionally, landscapers install a sound irrigation system for the land to be cultivated. Ensuring an appropriate water drainage system is part of their job as well. Whatever is involved in preparing and maintaining garden beds like insulating soil, mulch cover, pruning of shrubs, etc., comes under the responsibility of your hired landscapers.

On the other hand, arborists offer plant health care services. They are like doctors for trees and possess skills and expertise to assess the health conditions of plants and trees. Accordingly, they advise tree care solutions to the caretaker of the tree. If asked, they can also do the needful to improve the health of the trees on your property. As against landscapers, arborists are equipped with tree pruning techniques and transplanting trees and can do the same for your trees if required after tree risk assessment done by them. You can rest assured about safety with them because they are trained in climbing trees and are well versed in the technicalities and the procedure involved in the process. Also, they have the tools required for the purpose. Furthermore, they grind stumps and clear the debris for you after the pruning or transplanting the trees thereby, reducing your hassles involved in the whole process. Furthermore, a tree arborist in Mumbai can also do the cabling of vulnerable branches to support trees from decaying. Pest control and injection of fertilizers are other tasks performed by an arboricultural consultancy in India to maintain trees in good and healthy condition. Arborists not only maintain your existing trees but also give species selection and planting advisory so that you can add aesthetic value to your property by planting beautiful trees that can grow and survive healthily in given weather conditions.

Thus, the role of both the landscapers and arborists is distinguished and you should hire the one depending on the type of service you desire.

October 8, 2019

No Arborists Just When You Need Them

MMRCL began cutting trees despite having no arborist on board to oversee the operation. Singapore-based Rick Thomas and Mumbaikar Vaibhav Raje, who was attached to MMRCL, have both left – Thomas in June 2018 and Raje in August this year.

In an email to Mumbai Mirror, Thomas, director of consulting firm Arbor-Culture, confirmed that his contract with MMRCL had expired. “It [his contract] was in operation for one year and MMRCL has not approached me for extension or renewal,” he said.

In June 2017 MMRCL claimed that it had appointed Singapore-based arborist Simon Leong to oversee a tree management plan for the Colaba-SEEPZ Metro 3 project – a claim Leong denied. MMRCL then hired Thomas, who, it claimed, visited all sites and conducted training workshops for contractors.

Raje was associated with the Metro 3 project from 2015. “I was on a contract with MMRCL and after August this year, I’m no longer working with them,” he said, refusing to comment further.

Raje, a graduate in horticulture from the Dr Balasaheb Sawant Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth in Dapoli, is the only arborist in the city with a qualification from the International Society of Arboriculture in the US.

Green activists said felling and transplanting trees without consulting arborists was not advisable. “MMRCL is in a hurry to cut the trees. This is when arborists are required. The survival rate of transplanted trees is poor. MMRCL should have taken on board top arborists before felling the trees,” said activist Zoru Bathena.

An official from the BMC’s Garden Department said the trees would be cut under the supervision of horticulturists appointed by the MMRCL. “We have been told that the contractors appointed by the MMRCL have horticulturists on board and the MMRCL also has a horticulturist. But beyond that we don’t know if they have any arborists,” he said.

When contacted SK Gupta, Director, Works, MMRCL, said he did not want to comment on the issue and asked Mumbai Mirror to get in touch with the PR team.

Vaidehi More, PR consultant with MMRCL, did not respond to calls and text messages.

source:- https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/no-arborists-just-when-you-need-them/articleshow/71461165.cms

September 23, 2019

How to get a Tree Removed from Your Property

Arboriculture consultancy in india

Due to the increase in awareness about the trees and their importance, the government has changed regulations and have put a lot of rules in place to protect the trees. There could be some cases where BMC tree permission issues could clash with the intents of the owner of the property. Problematic situation could be when the tree is decaying or dead and the owner needs to get it removed but the government or council like BMC might not allow you to do so. In some situations, the case could be reversed as well. A tree can be a hazard sometimes and it those situations either the government needs to put proper signs or remove the tree altogether.

Whatever the case may be, the need for removing the tree can crop up which requires arboriculture knowledge. It has to be done by a certified arborist in India because the disposal of tree means safely disposing of the debris, brush and stumps.

The local city council like BMC will mark the tree if it has to be removed. If you see any such sign for the tree in your property, you can ask them about why the tree needs to be removed.

After identification of the tree that has to be removed and getting the BMC tree permission, one of the following ways can be adapted:

Hiring an Arboriculture consultancy in India:

This is the safest bet for you if you want to get a tree removed. Hiring a professional agency will also be advisable by the local city council. This may not necessarily mean that you can hire any consultancy. Most councils have contracts with certain specialists and you can get recommendations from them for the same. It is safer and cheaper to hire a consultancy through the council.

You can let the city council manage this work. Chances are that this option will cost you much more since the council will leverage the bills on you. It will include the cost of the specialist as well as the administrative cost. This method is used by the Municipal corporation itself if the owners do not take the appropriate action on time.
DIY: Probably the riskiest thing to do is to try removing the tree all by yourself. It is unsafe not just for the people or property around the tree, but also for other trees/plants nearby. If the tree that is removed has a disease, then it needs to be debarked. You would also not know much about the safety procedures for tree specialist. The empty space created after removal of the tree needs to be filled with sod and all this might have to be done within the deadline given by the local council.

If there is any tree which you think has caught a disease, you should immediately refer to a tree specialist in India. They can themselves do a survey of the trees on your property or they can guide you on how to hire an expert for a tree survey. Once you get in touch with experts like that, the need and procedure of removal of the tree will be their headache to look into.

July 19, 2019

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:

They are professionals who continuously have to grow their skills as per changing environment, new technologies or even issues that the trees face.
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.
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.
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.
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:

Knowledge of how the plants interact with the soil.
How to understand the quality of the soil and how much water it needs.
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.
Identification of species of the tree and selection of appropriate plant for the urban space.
Health and safety rules stated by the government around the maintenance and plantation of the trees or plants.
Data collection, analysis and reporting based on that data.
Business management, communication skills and organisational skills.
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.

April 16, 2019

How to Plant a Tree for a Longer and Healthier Life

Planting Tree for Longevity

If you have a love for trees and you are looking forward to planting them, then you can give them a longer and healthier life by going through the following points.

Apt tree planting spot:

The pre-requisite to plant a tree is finding the right place where you can plant the tree. Whether it is in your garden or surrounding your premises, before selecting a spot, check out the powerlines overhead. There should not be any kind of obstruction up to 10 feet over the expected height of the tree you want to plant. This will give the tree a scope to grow well without being affected by unwanted surroundings. If you yourself cannot make out the right spot, then tree planning consultancy services can help you for the purpose.

Digging Caution:

When you have selected a spot to plant a tree, you would need to dig a spot nearly 2 times the width of the root ball of your choice of tree. The depth of the hole will range from at least one inch more than the length of the tree from its first root to the bottom of the root ball. Additionally, the shape of the hole will be like a saucer dish. If you are unable to dig a hole on your own then arboriculture consultancy in Mumbai can do the task for you. They also make sure that digging at any spot may not damage any underground utility lines probably laid out at the spot. Accordingly, they help in selecting the plant growing spot.

Soil Check:

Take a sample of soil from the spot where you want to plant a tree and get it checked in the laboratory for checking the nutrient levels of soil. The lab will also brief you of organic matter percentage, pH, level of compaction, etc. which will help you to decide the suitability of tree planting spot. Also, the test results will help you choose the type of tree which is perfect to survive in the available conditions. Percolation test of the tree planting spot can also be done by filling water in the hole which you had dug to plant a tree. If the water stands in the pit for a day or more then you may have to select a tree which can prevail such type of conditions or look for a different tree planting spot or you can also go for compaction in the area to drain water faster. If it sounds way too complex, then you can approach arboriculture consultancy in Mumbai to find all solutions under one roof.

Tree Selection and Plantation:

When you have the above information handy, it becomes easier for you to select a tree. Fitting above conditions you can select a tree whose size, color, bark, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. appeals you. You can also seek the guidance of species selection and planting advisory services to plant a tree. After final selection of the tree, bring it to your place and plant it in the hole you dug. The soil you dug out should be filled back in the hole after planting the tree. You can add new soil on the top of the hole if you feel necessary. It is even better to add compost but it is recommended not to add fertilizers over it at least while planting the tree. To complete the plantation of the tree, as the last step add water to the tree. The amount of water shall be figured out as per your percolation test results.

Post plantation care:

The tree will need constant care throughout its life. Once you have planted the tree, regular watering of the tree is a must. Water the tree cautiously as excess water or less water will lead to a short life of your tree. Tree care is like child care. You can stake your tree at least till it gains strength to face environmental challenges. Furthermore, you can also add fertilizers as and when required. Do not forget to regularly check for the health of your tree. You can know about your plant health either by regularly inspecting the tree or with the help of plant health care services. If your tree is sick at any time do not skip to seek its treatment by tree arborist in Mumbai.

Tag: arboriculture