Category Arborist Services

As arborists and tree lovers we do not recommend synthetic grass/turf installed anywhere near a tree.

While your tree will not die immediately and you may be reassured by your install company that they have never seen a tree die from turf install, it will kill it. 

Healthy trees do not die suddenly because of their stored energy and nutrients. 

Once a tree has a stress event (like synthetic grass installation)  they slowly start to decline. Different trees will respond at different rates. A red oak may last three years before declining while a live oak may last 5-7 years. Each tree and each tree species will respond differently.

How trees are damaged in the install of synthetic grass and why it is bad for tree health:

• The plants and soil around the tree are removed and the area is graded
• This is bad for tree health because a trees fine roots that absorb nutrients and water are removed and damaged
• The ground is compressed and a layer of filler is applied
• This is bad for trees because soil compression suffocates the remaining roots
• Turf is laid out
• During this process harmful chemicals are introduced into the environment
• This is bad for trees because without proper nutrients and water uptake (the roots that were damaged in the first two stages) the tree has no way to process or move these chemicals

How trees are damaged by having synthetic turf around them:

• After synthetic grass/turf is installed, the tree has already entered a stage of stress. Now it will try to survive with limited resources.
• All of its roots are covered with synthetic turf and they are no longer receiving nutrients and have access to limited water. Even if you add additional watering it will not be able to permeate the compressed soil well.
• The increased temperatures that synthetic turf causes scald and lead to even further root death.
• All of the living organic material (tree food) in the soil will die and there will be no way for the tree to uptake any nutrients. The organic material in the soil are also being suffocated.
• The larger support roots and remaining fine nutrient absorbing roots will start to rot and die. As this happens the entire tree begins to become unstable.

 Can you reverse the damage done by synthetic turf?

If you have a tree that has had artificial turf installed and you now want to remove it, or would like to help reverse the tree’s decline you are in for some disconcerting news. Sadly there will be even more damage to the tree and the remaining roots in this process. 

Removing artificial turf is a time consuming and difficult task. In addition to removing the turf there is crushed granite (or other material used to compress soil). If the tree was able, it would have begun to grow fine roots up to the surface to get nutrients and water, these new roots will be growing in the granite and under the turf and when you remove this material it will also remove these new roots.

If you are going to try and remove artificial turf, good on you, but get an certified arborist with Tree Health Care knowledge to help guide you. The tree will need proper watering, fertilizer/soil amendments, and a growth regulator to survive. 

It will take years for the tree to recover.

If you still aren’t dissuaded from installing artificial turf we have a few tips:

• Start turf as far away from the truck as possible, ideally there would be no turf under the canopy.
• Properly mulch the area left under the tree and do not plant other plants.
• Have your tree on a Tree Health Care service plan so your tree will have the best chances of survival.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! Synthetic turf can make lawn care easy, but it’s important to be aware of the impact artificial grass can have on trees and the living components of your landscape. If you are considering having artificial grass installed, or want to know what impact your synthetic turf is having on your trees, one of our certified arborists would be happy to come out and have a look. Contact us today!

Oftentimes we think of trees as static things that just exist near us. It is a firm belief that trees have been here before us and will be here long after us. While this is true in native forest settings it is not true for the trees you see in your neighborhood. 

In urban places like North Texas trees are growing in stressful environments, which is very different from what you find in a forest. 

Trees aren’t static things, they are complex living organisms that science learns more about everyday.  Tree health care and science is often compared to human health care and medicine, because the complexities are similar.

There are basic tree care practices that homeowners can do that will greatly improve their trees overall health like watering regularly with a drip hose and applying mulch.

In addition to doing those things, having the same local certified arborist annually visit your tree is the best thing you can do. 

Why does having the same local arborist make a difference? 

A local certified arborist will understand the microenvironment, diseases that are prevalent for the region, soil type, and weather patterns that would have impacted the tree over the last decade. 

At Texas Tree Surgeons we keep our arborist’s, crew, and tree health care technicians on the same job so they can follow a tree’s progression year after year. This allows them to adjust care and notice differences you may not. In addition our team will document your tree’s health with photos and notes so they can review how your tree has changed over time. 

Our arborists are ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualified and every time they do an estimate they will automatically do a level 1 assessment.

TRAQ Assessment Levels

Subtle signs of stress can be easily missed by tree owners who are unaware of what they should be looking for. Trees show stress long after the stressor has happened, which to a homeowner makes it seem their tree is in sudden decline despite there being signs for years.

Taking into account the history of the location, and surrounding events that could influence the tree’s health helps an arborists come up with a health care plan before damage is irreversible.

Signs of stress and decline that tree owners often miss:

• Drought and freeze stress
• Documented insects in the neighborhood like EAB
• Documented diseases in the neighborhood like oak wilt
• Changes in leaf color and size
• Structural issues like lateral cracks in the bark
• Fungal growth

 Annual check ups mitigate risk and will save you money in the long run. 

At Texas Tree Surgeons we love trees and we believe the best care is preventative care. Schedule annual visits with a certified arborist to keep your tree healthy and thriving. Know that we treat tree photos like pet photos.

At Texas Tree Surgeons we love trees. This is our top 10 list of tree trends that got to go in 2024!

• Topped Crape Myrtles
  • Just stop! It is a weird trend in North Texas that is based solely on aesthetics and doesn’t increase bloom production.
• Artificial Turf *
  • What’s worse than grass, artificial grass? It may look perfect, but it will kill your tree. 
• Decorative Rocks at the Base of Trees
  • Who decided heavy rocks at the base of trees is more attractive than mulch? It adds weight and during the summer extra heat to cook your tree roots. If you want to hide your roots, we suggest mulch. It looks great, and benefits the health of your tree.
• Lack of Tree Protection During Construction
  • Leading killer of urban trees is construction due to soil compaction. This could be easily prevented with consultation from a certified arborist.
• Improperly Pruned Trees
  • Improperly pruned trees, like lion tailing, ruins the structural ability of the tree which causes damage to its overall health. Avoid this risk by only hiring an ISA Certified Arborist for tree services. 
• Use of Weed & Feed *
  • The chemicals used on consumer products like weed & feed misrepresent its effects on trees. By nature weed & feed is designed to kill woody stemmed plants. Trees are woody stemmed plants.
• Relying on Sprinkler Systems to Water Trees
  • A common mistake people make is assuming that their sprinkler systems will adequately water their trees. Sprinkler systems were designed with lawns in mind and not trees. Trees need to be watered with a soaker hose or garden hose on slow, low pressure.
• Root Disturbance
  • The roots of a tree need to be cared for as much, if not more than the canopy of tree. Best way to care for them? Leave them untouched.
• Incorrectly Planted Trees
  • Trees are an investment, taking the time to plant a tree correctly will ensure your tree will thrive and increase the value of your home.
• Waiting Till There are Signs of Stress to Contact an Arborist
  • Preventive care is the best care. Having a certified arborist  that regularly assesses and understands the local environment in relation to your specific tree will ensure it will remain healthy in the long term. Waiting until there are signs of stress in a tree’s canopy incurs more cost and harm.

* (these articles will be released in the near future, check back to read)

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! What are your top ten harmful tree trends that need to go? We would love to know.

Live Oaks are native North Texas trees which makes them well adapted to the variety of soil types found here. Despite being acclimated to the soil systems here, live oaks can still be stressed by extreme weather. 

If it’s been more than 12-18 months since your last structural assessment by a certified arborist, now is the time to schedule. Preventative care is the best way to help protect your trees from limb failure from extreme weather.

Proper pruning minimizes the likelihood of limb breakage in moderate to heavy ice storms by improving the branching structure by properly distributing the added weight brought on by ice accumulating on the leaves and branches.

Live oaks are more prone to breakage during ice storms because they are evergreens which means they do not drop their leaves in the fall. Unlike other species, like pecan, they have more leaves on their branches and because of this the extra leaves provide more area coverage for water to collect and turn to ice (if cold enough) and create additional weight and stress, which can lead to limb breakage. 

In addition to proper pruning to prepare for ice storms we also recommend that prior to a huge drop in temperature to deeply water your tree if the soil does not have adequate soil moisture. If you are unsure if your soil has adequate moisture we have a video demonstrating how to check as well as proper watering techniques that can be found here.

Common signs of frost damage on a live oak are:

• Brown leaves
• Wilted leaves
• ‘Frost’ cracks on trunk and limbs

If your live oak is already stressed by drought, disease, or insect activity they may have a harder time recovering from freeze damage. Provide extra care to your tree in the years to come to help replenish stored energy that has been depleted due to stress. Mulch is a great way to help regulate temperature and add additional nutrients into the soil. Also, be patient, and closely monitor during the following spring and summer to assess next steps. 

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! The best care for your tree is preventative care. If its been more than 12-18 months since a certified arborist has done a structural assessment please contact us today.

Damage from construction projects is the most common cause of tree death in urban environments, and while the effects may not be immediately apparent, the tree can be in decline and die years after nearby construction has been completed.

Injury to a tree happens unintentionally from mechanical tree injury, root damage, loss of rooting space, changes in soil moisture, soil compaction and contamination.

Why? Lack of construction protection and lack of understanding what constitutes the critical root zone of a tree.

The most common problems associated with construction:

• Root loss is generally caused by stripped soil, sub-grade preparation for pavement and trenching for utilities. Severing one major root can cause the loss of 15 to 20% of a root system.
• Mechanical wounds (to limbs or trunks) caused by machines, poor pruning, high-traffic, and people.
• When the soil grade is lowered a large percentage of roots may be removed. When the grade is increased a tree can be smothered because 90% of absorbing roots are in the top few inches of soil.
• Soil compaction smothers trees by reducing available oxygen and decreasing a tree’s ability to absorb nutrients and water. This causes the roots to be more exposed to the elements, as they struggle to absorb water and nutrients.
• Spills or dumping of fluids (paint, oil, fuel, etc.) can cause quick and rapid death of a tree.

During the planning process

Decide which trees will be kept, which trees must be removed and which trees need to be protected. Consider tree location, tree size, tree heath, tree species, species diversity and tree age (younger trees usually withstand construction better than more mature trees). Then assess the potential impact to the trees and make modifications in plans when possible. Identify tree work that must be done (pruning and crown-raising where necessary, treatments, irrigation, fertilization, mulching, and pest management) under the supervision of a Certified Arborist.

Before beginning construction

• Tree Work
  This should be performed under a certified arborist’s supervision and should include the necessary pruning, removal of dead wood, and removal of trees. This is ideally done in the winter time while the trees are dormant and at least 8 months to a year before construction begins. This is the time to begin a deep root fertilization and Tree Health Care Program that will help strengthen and protect your tree.
• Erect Barriers
  The barriers should be as far from the base of the trunk as possible or a minimum of the drip line. Within the Tree Protection Zone, mulch should be applied 2-4 inches deep around the base of the tree within the barrier.
• Mulching
  Where barriers are not possible, avoid compaction by mulching 6 inches deep and laying plywood on top to disperse weight. For removal of mulch at the end of the project consult with an arborist.
• Reduce Chance of Harm
  Limit access to site to avoid unnecessary soil compaction: Create one road in and one road out of site with barriers on either side. This route can later be used to trench for utilities, water lines, driveway, etc.

During construction

• Water
  Water trees frequently with slow soak. If roots have been damaged or removed, then a tree will need more water than it did before because it has less ability to uptake necessary water.
• Feed
  Trees should be fertilized at least three times a year. We suggest a deep root organic fertilizer to increase available nutrients.
• Pest And Disease Control
  When trees become stressed from construction they are more vulnerable to pest infestations and other diseases.
• Pruning
  During construction, we only want to remove what is necessary for the project to continue. This includes damaged limb, dead wood, or infected sections. No other pruning should be done if not necessary.

Post construction

To help enable survival of your trees, treat and seal crown and trunk injuries, cable and brace, repair irrigation and drainage issues harmful to trees; remove excess mulch and mulch for long-term health of tree, aerate soil that has been compacted, fertilize for the next few years. Have the trees inspected seasonally by a Certified Arborist.

Symptoms of tree stress from construction damage

Short annual shoot elongation, small yellow leaves, thin foliage, leaf wilting, early fall coloration or defoliation, epicormic shoots, twig dieback, branch dieback, irregular wounds, secondary pest problems, and decay at wound sites.

At Texas Tree Surgeons, we love trees and we love our community! Trees are a wise investment of funds because landscaped homes are more valuable than non-landscaped homes. If you are planning to remodel, or do construction we would love to help safeguard your trees. Contact us today!