Record Breaking Years
Drought fueled forest fires, including the worst in Colorado’s history (Fourmile Canyon), to this year’s record spring snowfall and now flooding in Boulder – the changes in our climate over the last several years have been especially challenging on both the people and trees here in Boulder county.

Trees in Boulder, Colorado
Last year we had a spring that came 3 months early and not much water to help the trees that were developing so early. The early warm weather allowed most the fruit trees to maintain their flowers long before the average last frost date. The results were as diverse as trees suffering from drought to the fruit trees having an unusually early bumper fruit crop (Read: Apples 2012).

2013
This year it was starting to look like the same was going to happen. The weather began to warm up and many trees were flowering and their leaves began to grow. Then, it began to get colder and started to snow. By the end of May – Colorado had set a new record of snow fall for the month of April. The cold had not only killed many of the early buds on trees (especially ash trees), it froze the flowers on most trees. The result was – not much fruit this year. No apples, plums, peaches, apricots or pears (unless they were in an area protected by the hard frost). Other trees have been hit hard this year included: ash, aspens, pines and maples.

These back to back extreme climate changes have severely stressed the trees in this area of the Colorado, Rocky Mountains.

And now…

Flooding
Another historical record was broken this week when Boulder’s yearly precipitation exceeded 30 inches (over 14 inches between Monday and Friday – more than twice the amount of any other storm). The average precipitation for September here is 1.6 inches and this month’s total is more than 16.5. The last record amount of rainfall for September was 4.89 set in 1961.

It may be months or even years before trees begin to show signs of stress caused by the flooding in Boulder county and by the pollutants that often are found in flood waters.

So why are calls for emergency tree removal services beginning to come in?

Mechanical Damage Caused by Floods
The affects that flooding has on trees sometimes takes times to see, at other times, the damage is immediate.  Mechanical damage caused by torrential currents that rip them up from their roots and carry them away, moving objects such as mudslides, cars, boulders and even houses carried by flood waters that slam up against trees and winds that blow trees over due to root systems where the soil is so saturated with water that they become unstable.

Calm Winds
It is still raining now and last night was much calmer. As the rain has slowed for the first time in days. It can be difficult to appreciate the weather with so many people suffering losses at this time. While it has been the worst rain storm and flooding in Boulder’s recent history, it has been surprisingly calm when it comes to the wind.

The absents of wind has been one good thing during this dangerous weather. Trees are more susceptible to topping over when the ground is completely saturated. This often causes additional hazards due the increased possibility of trees falling into roads or houses, as well as, power outages caused by trees knocking out electrical power and communication lines.

The Aftermath
Boulder simply shut down the morning after the worst night of flooding. People were walking around the areas that had been hit the hardest taking pictures and talking to friends and family on their phones letting them know they were o.k. A venue by the raging flooded river had the house sound system cranked up. The song they were playing:

“I just want to celebrate,
another day of living,
another day of life!”

Sights and Sounds
Sounds of screaming sirens through the night and emergency broadcast systems announcing “do not cross boulder creek, move to higher ground” are slowly fading into a distant memory. Now, fire engines and police sirens have joined the sounds of helicopters flying overhead (the most aerial evacuations since Hurricane Katrine) and hammers and saws as demolition of lower levels in flooded houses begins. Scenes of Boulder creek flooding are replaced with washed out roads, debris on sidewalks and bike paths, piles of mud in the streets and parking lots, and, wet carpet, drywall and insulation laying in front homes who’s homes have flooded.

It’s Not Over Yet
Our family had to be evacuated to higher ground and are now safely back at home. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the community. Those who’s homes are badly flooded, the people who lost their homes in flooding rivers and mudslides and to our friends who own our daughter’s school that was destroyed.

And… For the friends and families of the people who died in this years flood and for those who are still missing.

Winter Watering.

Many of us aware that early in the springtime and during the hot summer months trees need watering more frequently.  Did you also know that during the fall and winter months, whenever temperatures are above freezing, trees may benefit with extra watering?

How Much Water Do They Need?

There are several factors that determine how much water a tree may need. It depends greatly on the:

• Weather – How warm and dry it’s been.
• Tree Species  – Some trees are simply better adapted to drier climates.
• Age of Trees – Newly planted trees often need more water than well established trees.
• Location – Is the tree is direct sunlight or is it shaded under a canopy of other trees?
• Soil composition – The variety of soil structures is vast and each release or retain moisture differently.

From the looks of things so far I would say our most valuable trees are going to need a couple of good deep root watering sessions before they begin to bud in the springtime. Here’s why.

In Boulder, Colorado we are accustomed to it having snowed really good a few times by now, therefore, our sprinkler systems have been off and the water in them has been flushed out for several months.

Now, it’s the end of January and with the exception of a couple cold weeks the temperatures have been warm and sunny for much of the winter. In fact, other than a white Christmas, we haven’t had much rain or snow for months, it’s been a especially dry season..

Our trees have not had much to drink for quite awhile. Not good if your a tree that needs a lot of water.

Last year, the spring-like weather came early and property owners didn’t have their sprinklers on for about two months after the last frost date. All year long we received calls for tree care and many more of the trees we examined were in need of water. Read more about tree watering and water conservation.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Benjamin Franklin.

The Lesson.

It was during November and October when a couple big snow storms hit Boulder, Colorado.

Until then, the weather had been unusually warm for that time of year and many of the trees still had their leaves.

It began raining late one night and temperature was getting colder, fast. Soon the rain began to freeze and within a couple hours the trees had a layer of ice on the branches and for the majority of trees in town – the leaves remained.

The rain turned to snow. The leaves were sticky with the ice that had formed on them and every bit of snow that fell on them, stuck. The snow that began to fall was wet and heavy. In no time at all the tree’s branches where beginning to show signs of stress from the weight of snow that was accumulating on the branches.

It was 2 o’clock in the morning and I could hear the branches beginning to break. I began shoveling a foot of snow off the path and knocking the snow off any tree branch I could reach.

Nearly two feet of snow fell overnight and by morning the trees were a mess. Tree branches where laying in the roads all over town and a few had even fallen over.

Trees and branches fell on power lines causing electricity to be cut off for thousands of people living here.

Calls for emergency tree service started coming in.

Trees that had not been pruned in a long time appeared to suffered the most damage.

We checked out many of our client’s trees after the storm and only one tree we had pruned the year before suffered any noticeable damage other than a few small broken branches and twigs. We credit this to the homeowners having called us to prune their trees before the fall snow storm.

Pruning trees can help prevent too much snow from accumulating on branches. The less snow that gathers on branches  the less overall weight the the must support, significantly.

Therefore, properly pruning helps reduce the chances of damage to branches and major tree failure.

Learn more about the different tree pruning techniques we use to help protect trees here.

Assessing Risk.

Depending on the condition of trees and what type of trees are on your property (some trees hold there leaves longer than others) you can estimate the amount of potential risk when a major storm hits.

And… In Colorado the two seasons when these type of snow storms arrive are:

Spring Snow Storms – In the spring when temperature start to climb and the leaves begin to grow the trees are susceptible to being damaged by the last snow storm, we often get. Here in Colorado we may even get a snowstorm clear up until may.

Fall Snow Storms – In the autumn months, we see this kind of damage to trees due to the warm sunny weather we get late into the year. The trees hold on to their leaves and then we’ll get a sudden storm that hits them hard.

Preventive Medicine.

While nobody can completely eliminate the risk of tree failure caused by severe snow storms, there is something you can do to minimize the chances of damage.

If you want to help prevent damage to your trees caused by storms contact your local Boulder tree service company and ask for an estimate for pruning trees on your property.

It won’t cost you a dime to find out what type of care your trees may benefit from, so there really are good reasons to contact a local ISA Certified Arborist before the next storm arrives.

For a no obligation tree care estimate in the Boulder County area contact us here.

Important Update: About Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Boulder

Lately, several of our clients have been wondering why the trees on their property look like they are dying (trees that recently seem perfectly healthy). Here is a photo that helps to demonstrate the different changes trees may go through during their lifetime.

These ash trees are a great example of the different growth cycles trees experience. The tree (left) seems perfectly healthy, green and vital while the tree next to it has premature, yellowing leaves that are dying during the summer this year.

These two trees (click on picture to enlarge) live right next to one another. They are the same age, have the same soil conditions, and, both receive equal amounts of sunlight and water. Last year they both looked almost identical and this year they look completely different from one another.

Why?

Part of the reason they look so different is that the one on the right has been producing seeds all year. It grew just as many leaves as the one to the left and it also grew, literally, thousands and thousands of seeds. For such a small, young tree that seems like a lot of additional work. The amount of *NPK, water and sunlight to create that much plant material must be quite a bit more than the tree that produced only leaves. I imagine the size of the root systems are close to the same, given the similar size, age and growing conditions. But… You never really know unless you have a chance to see all the roots (good luck with that).

A question I have been asked more than once is:

Do these trees go to seed when they “know” they are going to die or is the process of making seeds just making it look as though they are dying.

My experience has shown me, more often than not, ash trees recover the following year just fine. Although, recently a woman said her tree has gone to seed two years in a row (we’ll just have to wait to understand what happens to the overall health of the tree when this occurs).

In this case, (ash tree with premature yellowing leaves that are dying) I don’t think that the tree on the right will die any time soon. It is a young tree that lives in a great location and will probably thrive for many years. These trees get enough water with a nice bed of natural mulch and decent drainage, are in a good sunny spot, have no other trees around to compete with, and, these ash trees are strong, little trees.

Note: Different circumstances can cause symptoms that look similar.

• Too much or not enough water can turn leaves yellow.
• Not enough nitrogen, especially when a plant is in a vigorous growth cycle, can  cause premature yellowing (in the springtime when it is producing all of it’s leaves or when a tree is having a bumper crop year and has begun to create an unusual amount of fruit).
• The wrong pH can block the uptake of available nutrients and may create the appearance of a nutrient deficiency.
• An imbalance of fungus, bacteria or other pathogens that feed off a tree’s vitality.
• Other trees and plants that are competing for sunlight, nutrients or are producing a phytotoxic (an organic, poisonous substance derived from plants) environment which is killing other plants to help establish themselves.

While any of these might cause premature yellowing leaves that are dying and falling off the tree, most of these symptoms require different treatments. If you treat a tree that has a pH that is preventing it from being able to absorb nutrients with fertilizer (because appears to be nutrient deficient) the tree may decline more rapidly.

We’ll see what is to come of them both, next year…

After months of observation and investigation, we finally discovered what has been killing the leaves on these trees…

Changes in Trees
Changes in Trees – Test Results

*NPK – Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potash (Potassium)

Boulder Tree Care writes articles about daily experiences while providing tree care in Boulder, Colorado.
Articles from our tree care blog.

2015: The year hardly any trees produced any fruit (again). A freezing cold snap hit the trees hard just when they were beginning to flower. Unlike the years before when this happened, this time we lost many healthy fruit bearing trees. Including: a few really nice, big apricot trees, apple, peach and strangely enough (though not a fruiting tree) Siberian Elms. I didnt think there was anything that would kill those!

2013: There weren’t many apples produced in Boulder, Colorado’s backyards. This was due to the record amount of snow and cold we had late in the spring of 2013.

2012: This year was unusual for a very different reason. This time last year (July) we’re usually asking a different question then “Are the apples ready to eat?”

How come apples are ripe and falling off trees in July? A friend and I where looking at an apple tree and couldn’t help but notice how big they were already. The apples were as big as they usually get when they are ready to be picked in the fall and there were also many on the ground. We just laughed and said, good the deer will eat them.

I didn’t think too much about it until later, when I got home and saw quite a few large apples on the ground at our place, too. I picked one off the apple tree and took a bite. It was ripe! It even tasted a little overripe, kinda mealy, similar to when they are picked late.

If you don’t have much experience with harvesting apples from your own trees here in Boulder, the reason I am so surprised is because the apples in our yard are not usually ripe until September to mid-October.

Occasionally, we have to brush the snow off them if they’re still hanging on late in October.
This time of year I don’t even think about eating them. I’m used to waiting to try them, no matter how good they look. Our apples are always hard and bitter this time of year.

Until now…

Not believing it could be true, I tried another apple from a different tree. It was ripe! Then, I went to try the crabapples. I thought for sure the crabapples couldn’t possibly be ripe. They are often the last to ripen, sometimes, weeks after the other apple trees have been harvested they are still not ripe. This was my final test. The first thing I noticed when heading over to the tree was that there weren’t  many apples on it. I picked one and it was… YUCK! Too mushy. It was entirely overripe.

The apples in our yard are either ready to be picked now or are past their best pick date by weeks. This is the earliest I can remember ever picking apples ready to be eaten from our property here in Boulder, Colorado. This is the only time I know of that we have had a thousand apricots hanging on our trees (still not fully ripe) and most the apples are on the ground!  Now, I am going to try the pears!

Our tree care blog is full of useful articles containing facts and tips about lessons were learning while providing tree care in Boulder, CO.

A weed is just a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recently, we published a post called Changes in Trees which asked questions about the growth patterns and dying trees we’re observing while working with our clients, here in Boulder, Colorado. Today, I would like to respond with an answer to one of the those questions and ask another.

At the end of the post, Changes in Trees, I was writing about going over to a friends house and observing symptoms we saw in the leaves (mostly the oak and ash). Samples of those leaves were taken to a lab to be analyzed and the results concluded that the leaves of her trees had, in fact, been affected by use of herbicides.

This came as a bit of a surprise because neither the yard, nor trees had been sprayed.

So we thought…

Continuing the search for answers, she spoke with her neighbor. As it turns out, it was her neighbor who had been doing the spaying. They had sprayed herbicides to kill (the ever feared and highly medicinal) *dandelions in their yard.

These trees are close to the fence line and the herbicides would not have had far to travel, by either the wind or ditch water. Looking more closely at the other plants along the fence we could see that other trees, bushes and plants had been affected as well.

While the use of herbicides is often used to kill unwanted plants, it comes at a price. It may kill desirable plants, contaminate air and water quality, and, affect the safety of people nearby, as well as, the health of the animals that feed on those plants and drink from the water that flows down our community’s irrigation system.
Fortunately, the leaves have not gotten any worst and we think there is a good chance that her trees will be just fine. Next year, when the leaves grow, we will keeping our eyes on them to see if they return to having healthy leaves.

* Here are a few alternatives to using toxic chemicals to help you manage mild quantities of dandelions – Taraxacum officinale.

• Pick the flowers and toss them in your salad. Yes, they are edible!
• In the early spring before the dandelions go to seed, hire one of your neighborhood kids to dig them up for you.
• Enjoy some dandelion tea.
• Make dandelion wine:)

Another client has an issue with leaves falling off the ash tree in his front yard.
When he first called me, in the spring, the tree was beginning to drop the leaves it had just produced. By early summer, most the leaves had fallen off. Recently, he told me that the ash tree is vigorously creating new growth but the new leaves appear to be doing the same thing immediately after growing.

Here is my reply to this unsolved mystery:

I’ve been doing some research and asking around about this kind of ash tree behavior. Turns out there are quite a few reports of strange ash tree activities. Some with similar issues as yours. Combinations of things seems to be what’s going on. The extreme weather we are having this year, over watering, the use of herbicides or fungicides and over fertilizing seem to be a common theme.

Many people who’d had problems with their trees, resembling the ash in your front yard, have reported healthy comebacks the following year. Back in May I saw this coming and wrote a post about it on our tree care blog.

Here is a link to that post. https://bouldertreecare.com/changes-in-the-trees/

The question now is: How come apples are ripe and falling off trees in July?

Boulder Colorado and Rocky Mountain Region

Botanical name: Quercus macrocarpa
Family: Fagaceae (beech)

A.K.A. mossy-overcup oak, mossycup oak, white oak, blue oak and scrub oak.

• The second part of the scientific name or specific epithet, macrocarpa means large seed or fruit and the bur oak produces the largest acorns (up to 2 inches in diameter) of all the oaks found in North America
• Native.
• Fully mature trees can grow massive 8 – 10′ diameter trunks with a huge open crown, that can be as wide as the tree is tall.
• Reaches heights of 70 – 100′ and occasionally more.
• They are slow growing trees, although, when they are young they can grow more than 12 inches a year in height and grow long tap roots  very quickly.
• Lifespan is approximately 400 years.
• Bur oak is a deciduous tree.
• Simple leaves are broad and 6 – 10 inches in length with lobed margin.
• Bur oak is monoecious.
• Catkins are 4 – 6 inches in length.
•  Trees produce acorns every 2-3 years.
• It is drought and fire resistant.
• Bur oaks fair well in urban environments.
• Some damaging insects include oak webworm, oak skeletonizer, oakleaf caterpillar, oak lacebug, redhumped oakworm and June beetles.
• Susceptible to (fungi)  Strumella canker, cotton root rot and Oak wilt – sometimes through rare root graphs with red oaks.
• Hardiness Zones 3 – 8

Tree Identification Colorado Rocky Mountain Region

  Photographs of the oldest bur oak in Boulder, Colorado.

Boulder Tree Care – Boulder, Colorado

From sharpening our chains to complete full service tune-ups, we repair our own equipment and perform routine chainsaw maintenance. This helps us to reduce tree service cost for our clients by:

• reducing chain and bar wear caused by additional friction created by dirt
• avoiding expensive repair facilities
• using less fuel and biodegradable bar and chain oil
• clean chainsaws run cooler and last longer
• preventing the spread of disease that may be transmitted between trees
• improving safety

Chains that are properly sharpened

• cut quicker
• leave a clean finish cut, therefore, helping trees to heal more rapidly by preventing the tearing of the cambium which can damage healthy cellular plant tissue
• reduce operator fatigue.

To help keep your property and our planet free from addition pollutants we use biodegradable chain and bar oil in all our chainsaws. Boulder Tree Care – Boulder,CO.

If you have tree service work done on your property in the past there is a good chance that a petroleum based chainsaw bar oil was used and may still be present on your land today.

Petroleum based chainsaw lubricants can hang around your yard or garden for years and workers using petroleum based chainsaw bar oils, are at risk from the consequences of daily exposure to these type of carcinogenic lubricants misting off the chainsaw bar.

To help keep your property clean and our environment free from added pollutants Boulder Tree Care uses biodegradable, vegetable based chain and bar oil in all our chainsaws, exclusively.

History of Use

There are countries that have been aware of the negative side affects of using petroleum bar oil and have been using, commercially produced, vegetable based alternatives beginning sometime in 1980. Some have gone as far as to end the production and ban the use of petroleum based bar oil altogether.

Environmental Impact

When we choose to use biodegradable, vegetable based chain and bar oil it prevents thousands of gallons of toxic, petroleum based chainsaw bar and chain oil from being released into our environment, due to operating chainsaws in our forest and on personal property, every year.

And… Helps reduces the environmental impact caused by drilling for oil, the production of petroleum products, and, the negative consequences of oil spills.

Biodegradable chain and bar oil is easily cleaned up with soap and water vs. petroleum oil which is much harder to clean from equipment, often requiring the use of additional chemical agents.

Personal Health

Using vegetable based chain and bar oil reduces health risk to respiratory tracts caused by breathing in the vapors and misting from petroleum oil being flung from the bar and chain.

Many workers who are in contact with petroleum products daily suffer from general skin diseases and medical records also show that petroleum and other harmful chemical additives, which are carcinogenic, misting from machinery causes irritation of the respiratory tract from prolonged exposure.

Cost Comparison

Is it more or less expensive to use vegetable based bar oil compared to petroleum products?

While the upfront cost of biodegradable bar oil can sometimes be almost twice as much as petroleum based oils the price is greatly offset due to chainsaws using vegetable lubricants need about half the amount oil. This is because vegetable oil naturally adheres better to the bar and does not fling off as quickly.

Vegetable based chain oil is higher in lubricity which reduces the friction between the chain and the bar so chains and bars tend to last longer when chainsaws use the biodegradable, vegetable based oils.

Boulder Tree Care uses biodegradable vegetable based bar and chain oil exclusively.

Advantages Of Using Vegetable Oil

• Better for the environment
• Reduces health risk
• Overall reduction of oil usage
• A renewable resource
• The vegetable oil used to produce many of the products on the market today can be made in the U.S. helping to create jobs
• Helps eliminate our dependence on domestic and foreign oil
• Has a higher flash point
• It is higher in lubricity which reduces the friction between the chain and the bar
• Equipment and clothes are easier to clean with soap and water

Disadvantages

• It cost more upfront. Although, the price keeps coming down.
• Cold weather use – The cold weather properties can be a disadvantage when it comes to pouring and using vegetable oil in extremely cold climates.

While vegetable oils can be used without the use of any additives, many of the commercially produced produces use additives to help stabilize (reduce oxidation) the oil, improve cold weather properties, and, to make the oils adhere better to the chain and bar. Depending on the formula, these additives are not always biodegradable.

What is going on with the trees this year? Why are so many of the same types of trees dying and have you noticed the strange growth patterns in so many others this year?

It’s no wonder there are some serious changes in the way trees are growing this year in Boulder, CO. The weather has been unusual.

We had little snow in the mountains and record snow in town during the winter months. The winter was strange in that it wasn’t too terribly cold so we had mostly mild temperatures and lots of sunny days. Then we would get a foot (once 2 feet) of snow overnight. It warmed up earlier than in years past and hasn’t gotten very cold since.

In the early spring we had record low rain fall and now in mid-May we are getting some nice rainy days these last few weeks. Some flowering trees and other plants blossomed a month to six weeks early. That is why we also have apricots on our trees this year.

Apricot trees are one of the first flowering trees to bloom in the spring and they usually don’t bear fruit because we almost always get a major drop in temperatures and some snow, killing the flowers off. This year, so far, no late winter, early spring snow or cold. Lots of apricots everywhere.

I went over to a friends house who has lived here since the 70’s and who I’ve been helping care for her trees. We were looking around and we felt like we were looking at trees we’ve both never seen before. Some are fuller and more robust than ever and other trees looked like they were going to dye (trees that appeared perfectly healthy last year). Many trees have leaves nearly twice the size I’ve seen. Some trees will have tiny leaves all over and then a few that are enormous.

We pulled some down off this tall cottonwood and the little leaves were really hard and compact growing next to soft supple leaves that appear normal. Strange stuff indeed! Please come back and visit again for updates as I continue my detective work and try to figure out the mystery to the changes in trees.

Trees I have observed dying or not doing very well recently:

• Quaking Aspen – Populus tremuloides
• Plains Cottonwood – Populus sargentii
• Siberian Elm – Ulmus pumila
• Russian Olive – Elaeagnus angustifolia
• Silver Maple – Acer saccharinum

Visit changes trees test results to read the latest update about this topic.

Have a question about tree care? Contact us anytime.

We are having some record breaking dry weather in Boulder County this year and we may be in for a longer fire season than in the past. In the last few months Boulder has received only a couple of days of rain in April and in March only 2.3 inches, the lowest since 1893. Temperatures  are on the rise. Now is the time to clear away any dead or dying trees, clean up the dead branches and remove any old brush piles. We can help.