Two Types of Health in Trees: Physical & Structural

Physical health is the appearance, when everything is working well the tree should have an overall healthy appearance. For example, leaves should be thick and green, canopy should have less than 17% dead branches, branches, limbs and trunk should be free of any disturbances. Root flares should be free of any soils, mulches and debris. Root flares should be pronounced.

Structural health is when limbs and branches are free of inclusions, bifurcations, embeds, rubbing and competing limbs. The limbs and trunk should have good taper and branch distribution, free of bark disturbances.

I have told my Arborist that if they ever see a perfect tree to call me immediately. That is why there is Arboriculture and Arborists (Advanced Tree & Shrub Care Inc.). It is we who care and take care of Trees, it is called Arboriculture. We do it best because we understand their needs. We treat them like pets.

Pet: Denoting a thing that one devotes special attention to or feels particularly strong about.

Trees do not grow perfect, we understand that, that is why we irrigate, feed and treat them for the physical part and prune them for the structural part of health. “Trees Are Pets Too”, when you put your thoughts of trees into this frame of thinking then that is when you are successful.