“Making wise and well thought out choices when selecting trees will be your BEST investment”
At the time of this post, we will be heading into the early Spring, which has been proven to be the best time to plant new trees. Two reasons Spring, is optimal are; first you do not have to worry about severe cold or even a freeze that can damage your new plantings. Secondly, Spring is when trees are the happiest, they are pushing new flush growth, and they start to use all the sugars they have been storing up all winter, therefore, trees are running on all cylinders in early Spring.
Over my career, I have had the fortune to work directly with over 100 property owners, in a consulting role, that included installing their trees, as well as, having worked, in some sort of capacity, on hundreds of other projects. Trees are getting to be extremely costly, so the main theme of this post is, when choosing the tree species that you want to plant in your ‘urban forest’, make the BEST choice.
The BEST choices, are species that you have done some homework on, before planting them. Take some time to ask some questions, that will guide you to make the BEST selection. Asking other homeowners, and I strongly suggest, consulting with a well established and experienced Certified Arborist, that can help you. The BEST species selection, means that in most cases, your favorite trees, or trees that you had on another property, in any state other than Texas, should not be considered. Here in Texas, your favorite trees, or the pretty flowering species, are usually not the BEST choices. The species of trees, that can handle, and thrive year after year here in Texas, will be your BEST choice.
Texas, is unique for many reasons, but it truly special, when it comes to trees. Texas, is located in the USDA Cold Hardiness Zone #9. There are only a handful of trees that can not only survive, but thrive and become fully mature trees, in zone #9. I very much dislike, the meetings with property owners, when they ask me why their trees failed, or are underperforming. I have to be honest and blunt, I tell them, their trees failed, because they do not belong here.
Here in zone #9, the BEST choices are NOT anything tropical, yes this includes all palms, and all large fruiting trees. If you really need that one special tree, that may not be a BEST choice, but you just gotta have it, go for it! but accept that this planting requires you, to make certain environmental adjustments, that this special tree requires, so that it has a better chance to become a healthy and fully mature tree. A few of the many examples that you may need to consider, when planting anything, other than BEST species are; You may need to over excavate and haul off the soil around this tree, and import a special “constructed soil” that the special tree requires. Locating the specific area on your site, where the tree is to be planted, can provide some significant benefits, like for instance, a partial shade area, to help keep the tree cooler, planting at the bottom of a small slope, this adds extra retained soil moisture, and installing a fully functional irrigation system, to add additional hydration requirements, are just some of the considerations, that special trees may need.
To wrap this up, I do a few tree appraisals yearly. Most of my clients that contract me to produce an appraisal, are well to do owners, that are selling or buying a property, and they want to know the monetary value, that the trees on said property add. Healthy, fully mature trees, located in the right target zones on that particular property, add tremendous value to a property. When you are planning to add trees, please take some time, to make the BEST choices, it will pay off over time.
