Choosing what to plant is the one tree decision a homeowner makes with a completely free hand, and it is the one that lasts longest. Soil, winter salt, wind exposure and how much room the crown will need when it is full grown all belong in the choice. This guide […]
A lifted slab at the edge of the lawn is where tree biology meets the property line. Roots follow water and air near the surface, concrete sits on top of them, and something has to give. This guide explains why it happens, what can be done about it without killing […]
Carefully pull mulch back from the trunk down to the original soil grade Identify the root flare (the natural widening at the base of the trunk) — it should be visible Check for girdling roots wrapping around the trunk. A certified arborist may need to cut these out if they’ve […]
Clearing a building lot is not the same job as taking trees out of a yard. Access, stump depth, where the brush goes and where the machines can safely sit all change the work. This guide covers how clearing is planned on New England parcels, and the questions worth asking […]
There is real work a homeowner can do with a pole saw on a Saturday, and there is work where the difference between a good day and an ambulance is rope technique. This guide draws the line: what is reasonable to handle yourself, what needs climbing gear and insurance behind […]
Ash trees go downhill fast once the borer is in them, and the early signs are easy to walk straight past: thinning high in the crown, woodpeckers working the upper trunk, bark splitting in fine vertical lines. This guide covers how to check an ash on your own property and […]
Once the tree is down you still have the stump, and the two ways of dealing with it are not interchangeable. One leaves the root plate in the ground; the other takes it out and leaves a hole to fill. This guide explains what each method does to the ground, […]
A tree down across the drive is an ordering problem before it is a cutting problem. What is underneath it, what is still holding it up, and whether anything electrical is involved decide everything that follows. This guide covers what to check first, what not to touch at all, and […]
Trees decline slowly and then fail suddenly, and the gap between those two is where an owner can still do something. The signals are there long before the trunk gives way, in the crown, at the base and under the bark. This guide runs through what to look for, roughly […]
Pruning is as much about timing as technique. A cut that helps an oak in February invites trouble in June, and species disagree about when they want to be touched. This guide works through the New England year month by month, so you know what can come off now and […]