Chapter 9. Maintenance: Watering, Mulching, Fertilizing, Cabling, Bracing, Recognition/Removal of Hazard Trees

Maintenance: Watering, Mulching, Fertilizing, Cabling, Bracing, Recognition/Removal of Hazard Trees

Tree maintenance is important for ensuring the health and lifespan of a tree. Proper maintenance can reduce the stresses placed on newly planted and established trees. The greatest stress on newly planted (and sometimes established) trees is water stress. Watering is one of the most important parts of tree maintenance. Related to watering, mulching acts to conserve water on site, keep mowing equipment from damaging trees, and minimize compaction: a common problem in urban soils. Fertilizing urban trees is a common practice to ensure that proper nutrients are available to the tree in nutrient-poor city soils. Cabling involves the installation of wires high in the canopy to allow one tree’s branches to support another. Bracing is the installation of large bolts to keep trees from splitting open. Recognizing and removing hazard trees is an important part of urban forest management. Hazard-rating systems can help to prioritize trees for maintenance, using resources effectively. Additionally, invasive species may increase the need for tree maintenance to protect or restore the urban forest. For example, the Emerald Ash Borer has led the City of Montreal to remove thousands of impacted ash trees.

Canadian online resources:

• City of Ottawa: Watering Your Tree
• City of Edmonton: Tree Care
• Landowner Resource Centre (Ontario): Maintaining Healthy Urban Trees
• Manitoba Hydro: Tree Care Guide (PDF)
• City of Moncton: Trees

Non-Canadian online resources: 

• American Tree: Winter Tree Watering Guidelines for Denver
• International Society of Aboriculture: Proper Mulching Techniques
• International Society of Aboriculture: Trees and Turf
• State of Maine: Fertilizing Urban Trees
• University of New Hampshire: Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs
• Virginia Polytechnic University: Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs

Further reading:

Miller, R. W., Hauer, R. J., & Werner, L. P. (2015). Urban Forestry: Planning and Managing Urban Greenspaces (3^rd ed.). Long Grove, IL.: Waveland Press. Retrieved from https://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=VdI_CQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR3&dq=urban+forest*+maintain*&ots=DR__3quIDw&sig=VfMu3InQtW03Y-MlhNmnjEqUg1U#v=onepage&q=urban%20forest*%20maintain*&f=false

Sadof, C. S., Hughes, G. P., Witte, A. R., Peterson, D. J., & Ginzel, M. D. (2017). Tools for Staging and Managing Emerald Ash Borer in the Urban Forest. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, 43(1), 15-26. Retrieved from https://joa.isa-arbor.com/article_detail.asp?JournalID=1&VolumeID=43&IssueID=1&ArticleID=3414

Vogt, J., Hauer, R. J., & Fischer, B. C. (2015). The Costs of Maintaining and Not Maintaining the Urban Forest: A Review of the Urban Forestry and Arboriculture Literature. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry 41(6), 293-323. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jess_Vogt/publication/283711528_The_costs_of_maintaining_and_not_maintaining_the_urban_forest_A_review_of_the_urban_forestry_and_arboriculture_literature/links/5643b99108ae451880a3c33d.pdf