1. RAFFLE RESULTS
2. FALL PLANTING CAMPAIGN
3. HURRICANE SEASON
4. GOOD LUCK RORY (AND MAYBE JOHN)
5. MARITIME ELM PROTECTION INITIATIVE COORDINATOR UPDATE
RAFFLE RESULTS
The results are in! On September 1st, pulled names out of a hat (well, a Canadian Tire bucket) and chose 12 lucky winners. We are still waiting to hear back from two licence plate winners, so please check your spam folder in case you missed us. Winners, you will receive your respective prizes either in your mailbox or hand-delivered. Kevin will contact you if you’re to expect an in-person delivery.
If you had your heart set on one of our inter-provincial licence plates, we do have some available for purchase ($25.00 taxes in). Get in touch and we would be glad to send one your way.
Thank you for signing up for our mailing list and celebrating our new website with us. As promised, you will receive special offers and occasional updates from us, so you might want to stick around even if you didn’t win this time. We have more raffles planned for the future, so stay tuned to hear what we’re up to.
FALL PLANTING CAMPAIGN
Fall is the best time of year to plant a new tree, and it’s always good to have more trees in the ground. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to get saplings planted, so we’ve teamed up with Charlie the Tree Guy in Old Barns, NS to keep it simple. If you get in touch with Charlie and prepay for a tree (or several) before October 15th, we will pick it up and transport it safely to your front door. We only charge for freight costs. Book with Charlie before October 15th if this interests you.
On the topic of planting, it’s important that saplings are planted properly. The most common mistake is planting them too deep in the soil, which can be avoided easily. Read more about how to properly plant a tree on our website.
HURRICANE SEASON
The best defense you have against hurricane damage to be prepared. Before a hurricane, Woodpecker Tree Care often gets a flurry of last-minute calls to come remove a tree before the wind picks up. Since we are often booked up well in advance, it’s nearly impossible for us to make last-minute trips. If there is a tree near your home, or one that’s not in great shape, contact us right away so we can help keep your home and property safe this hurricane season. If you’re unsure if a tree will be a hazard during a storm, give us a call and we can assess the risk.
GOOD LUCK RORY (AND MAYBE JOHN)
Two beloved team members, John and Rory, are looking to upgrade their credentials this fall.
John, who got on-the-job training helping with the destruction left by Hurricane Dorian, will hopefully write his ISA Tree Worker Climber Specialist exam in Saint John this October if the exam is provided this time around. The exam includes a written and climbing test, so John will be able to test his tree-scaling skills and come home with certification.
Another crew member hitting the books is long-time Woodpecker Tree Care teammate, Rory, who will be writing an exam to become an ISA Certified Arborist. Rory has been collecting the necessary three years of experience before writing the test, and is ready to prove what he’s learned on the job.
Good luck to both John and Rory on your upcoming tests (not that you need it, of course)!
MARITIME ELM PROTECTION INITIATIVE (MEPI) COORDINATOR UPDATE
Woodpecker Tree Care established the Maritime Elm Protection Initiative, which works to protect elm trees from Dutch Elm Disease, a deadly fungus killing elms by the thousands. Recently, the Maritime Elm Protection Initiative hired a coordinator, Meg, who is gathering information on the DutchTrig vaccine, an inoculate invented and manufactured in Holland which helps protect elms from the otherwise fatal disease.
In MEPI’s first two years, we’ve vaccinated a number of Maritime elm trees with DutchTrig, thanks to generous sponsors and tree-loving homeowners. We are preparing for another vaccine campaign this spring, and would be happy to include an elm in your yard (or someone else’s). Get in touch if you think you may have an elm you want to sponsor, and we would be happy to consult with you.
According to arborists around the Maritimes, there have been issues with sick or dying elms infecting healthy ones nearby. To prevent this from happening, it’s important to remove any dead or infected elms as soon as possible. Vaccinated elms are far less likely to become ill, but they can still become infected with Dutch Elms Disease if surrounded by sick ones. If you have an elm on your property, pay attention to any signs of infection and contact us right away if you suspect Dutch Elm Disease. We will remove it safely and do our best to ensure it doesn’t infect any of the few remaining elms in the area.
