Low Stump Tree Service not only provides pruning services for healthy trees and the removal of dead trees but can also consult on how to keep trees healthy. Patti Xavier is the co-owner of the business and said trees are an expensive asset to any home and worth protecting.
"I would say that different species are responding differently to the drought," Xavier said. “So, we'll see, for example, a lot of the spruces in town are the ones that are getting hit the hardest. And then the firs seem to be responding OK. Different pines are responding in different ways as well. So, it kind of varies from species to species.”
Xavier said she has seen a significant decline in the urban spruce trees along the Wasatch Back.
“It seems like they are really sensitive to what's been going on with the drought,” she said. “I think it started closer to eight years ago, more so than the last five, and it took them about five years from that to start showing signs. In the last three years, they've really been increasing in the stress signs that they've been showing.”
Xavier said Blue Spruce is the most prevalent of the spruce trees planted in the area showing signs of strain.
“The ones that we're seeing that are showing the signs are definitely on the more mature side that were probably planted 20 years ago, 30 years ago,” she said. “So, I don't think that it's necessarily the tree itself that is the problem. I just think that it's kind of making sure that the environment that it is in continues to help promote healthy growth and promote water retention and things like that. It's not a bad tree to plant. I just think that there's things that we can do to make sure that it's staying healthy.”
She said to watch for signs of drought or root-related stress like spiral dieback on branches. It’s also imperative trees get the water they need.
"With the watering schedule, it's really important to not do high quantity that you would think that would turn your water bill up but high quantities so that way the water can reach the roots infrequently, like once a month," Xavier said. "For mature trees, you just need to give it a really good soak to make sure those roots are getting moisture, and then it can dry out in between and keep doing it that way. Low quantity and frequent waterings actually stresses a tree out more, because the roots just get a taste of the water, and then it dries up really fast.”
She said, if no proactive measures are taken with watering or fertilizing, it’s likely a dying tree will need to come down for safety reasons. If replanting is being considered, she suggests trying a different species, like a fir or pine tree.
