Expert tree care by the preservation specialists
The first rule of Woodpecker Tree Care is that safety is always the number one priority. This applies to everything we do, from loading gear to felling 60 foot spruces. Something that can be a hazard for a climbing arborist is high voltage lines, which trees can interfere with. Here is how we handle power lines while on the job, and the steps you may encounter if your tree is near high voltage lines.
Everything seems to be blooming early this year, including lilacs (did anyone else’s rhubarb bolt before they managed to harvest?). It was a delightful surprise to stroll down the street with their floral scent wafting through the late-May breeze, but for Woodpecker Tree Care that meant it was time to spring into action. When the lilacs are blooming, it’s time for us to cruise around the countryside and inoculate valuable Maritime elm trees.
After months of hard desk work and organization, Woodpecker Tree Care has made the exciting transformation into Woodpecker Tree Care Ltd. We are officially an incorporated business, which is very exciting news at HQ. It has been a wonderful 20 years in the arboricultural business, and this next step is a big one for a small operation like ours.
A cracked and rotting spruce jam-packed between several structures (and other trees) at a property outside of Amherst, NS needed to come down as soon as possible. With two experienced climbers (Beck and Rory) on deck, it could be done in the afternoon if all went smoothly. What turned this lakeside spruce into an all-day adventure was its location: situated by a remote cabin only reachable by 2.5km of back-road terrain or by boat.
It’s not unusual to see laundry hanging from a line strung from a tree trunk. Your linens love it, and so does the environment, but how do trees feel about a laundry line? It depends on how it’s attached.
Insects are an important part of our ecosystem, but they aren’t always a tree’s best friend. When splitting this black locust log, Kevin noticed that a pest made a system of tunnels within the trunk. The culprit in this case is likely the locust borer (Megacyllene robiniae).
Woodpecker HQ is thrilled to encounter an elm log in the woodshed, but not everyone is as enthusiastic about burning elm. Elms hold moisture for a long time, and need to dry out in the right conditions before being thrown in the stove. It’s also more difficult to split with an axe, since its fibers interlock and resist being pulled apart. Thankfully, the Woodpeckers have access to a hydraulic log splitter that makes short work of a stubborn elm.
This log was about to go onto the fire when Kevin noticed some giveaway signs of one of the most common problems we see in urban trees.
Can you believe that spring is just around the corner? After shoveling ourselves out on a nearly weekly basis, it’s hard to imagine leaves on the trees again.
Woodpecker Tree Care is gearing up for the spring season, which begins on March 1st for us. It will be lovely to return to outdoor work among the branches in just a matter of weeks, and we are offering an “early bird” spring deal.
