Mulch – Best Management Practices
Mulch – Best Management Practices When done correctly, top dressing tree rings and planting beds with mulch is one of the highest benefiting practices homeowners can do for the health of their trees and woody ornamentals. However, when mulch is applied incorrectly, it can adversely affect plants. Mulch that is too deep, piled against the […]
Integrated Pest Management & Benefits For Your Trees
The urban environment can be extremely stressful on trees and in a lot of cases does not reflect the natural growing conditions of our trees. Trees will adapt to stresses in their natural conditions, but many times the stresses they experience in the urban environment are much more severe. As with any living organism, stressed […]
Spring Tree Care Tips
Spring is the perfect time to review your trees and get them prepared for the season of growth. This quick list will provide you with guidance and tips to set your trees up for a successful growing season. Cleaning – “spring cleaning” is not just for the interior of your home. This is a very […]
Limb Walk Talk
Kramer Tree Specialists and our Evolution of Rigging Practices Kramer Tree Specialists has been performing arboriculture services in the Chicagoland area for more than 45 years. Over that time, we have continually evolved and advanced in our skills, techniques, and work practices. The constant evolution of technology, work practices, and training in the industry continually […]
Arbor-Culture: Balancing Act, part 2:
How does KTS keep balance? When we were developing a program, we knew the program needed to be simple to understand, visual and directly applied to every single team member. We developed and implemented the Performance Triangle. Safety is the foundation of the triangle and like any triangle, no side is more important than the […]
Arbor-Culture: Balancing Act, part 1:
Balance is something every organization needs in order to be successful, whether that organization is a private tree care company, professional sports team or manufacturing corporation. A strong offense is useless without a strong defense. Quality products are weak unless they have strong sales and marketing to support them. Staff of any organization will not […]
PHC on the Lookout – Why is my Tree Yellow and it’s not the Fall Season?
The Plant Health Care Department has received many calls this spring regarding yellow leaves on trees. This is often determined to be chlorosis, which is when the leaf tissue yellows due to a lack of chlorophyll. There are many factors that contribute to chlorotic symptoms in Chicago area trees. The most common factor is a […]
Tip of the Week – Ticks on the Rise in 2017
Warm weather early this year and a mild winter in North Central Illinois has created the ideal situation for an increase in ticks this year. There has been a rise in sighting reports and there is no sign this will change anytime soon. It’s important to be aware of this when visiting wooded and tall […]
Come Watch The Professionals Climb!
The Illinois Arborist Association is hosting the 2017 Tree Climbing Competition May 20th at Salt Creek Park in Wood Dale. Thirty climbers will compete in five different events that test the climber’s ability to quickly and safely maneuver in a tree while performing tree care tasks. The top climber that wins the Masters’ Challenge will […]
PHC on the Lookout – Boxwood Blight Hits the Area
A devastating fungal disease, boxwood blight has made its way into Illinois. First identified and confirmed in the United States in 2011, boxwood blight remained concentrated in the eastern part of the country for many years. There have now been cases identified in Missouri, Ohio and Illinois. As the name states, boxwood blight affects boxwood […]