Arboriculture

Should tree care estimates generate revenue? While many arborists desire to charge for sales calls and site visits, most tree care companies are in the habit of providing “free” estimates. Many tree care professionals will invest an hour or more on a potential jobsite – identifying problems, detailing specifications, even making informal risk-tree assessment – and not charge a fee. This “free” time is wasted when it doesn’t result in a sale.

We'll look at the issues, risks and rewards of “free” versus “for-fee” estimates.

Modern landscapes and lawns harbor a host of forces which depreciate trees and shrubs. These are not infectious disease or attacking insects, but are “affectious” disease — abiotic agents and actions that annually compromise and cause the death of trees and shrubs worth millions of dollars.

This seminar will delve into common abiotic diseases, as well as planting procedures and landscape conditions that can influence tree health. Solutions for repair will be presented and Q&A opportunities will be engaged throughout the session.

This session will review the process of identifying and managing abiotic problems commonly seen in the landscape.

Join John for a discussion of the efficacy of natural/organic pest management. This talk will cover FIFRA Section 25(B), safety claims, and unregulated pesticides.

Herbicides represent important tools to manage unwanted plants (weeds) in Landscapes and Nurseries. Herbicides are especially efficient and efficacious in lieu of physical means. Unfortunately, mistakes do happen. And when herbicide mistakes happen, they often present HUGE problems for our industry. Mistakes may occur from supplier advice, our failure to thoroughly read and understand herbicide labels, notoriously confusing labels, uncontrollable variables such as weather, and misapplication, among other contributors.

It's been said by some that 80% of tree problems are the result of belowground issues. That's a startling statement, but is it true?

A Board Certified Arborist will examine the fundamentals of soils, water, roots, nutrients, and microbes with the goal of understanding how significant they are to tree health and survival.

The science of Arboriculture is crucial to understand to grow and maintain healthy, safe trees. The amount of research is increasing at a rapid pace, and is hard to keep up with.

A Board Certified Arborist will share some of the most important research to increase our understanding of what trees need and how they respond.

Spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula), or SLF, is an invasive insect that has spread throughout the mid-Atlantic and parts of the Midwest since its discovery in central Pennsylvania in 2014.  SLF damages plants directly while feeding and excretes honeydew that can foul surfaces and attract other pests.  Infestations in both rural and urban areas can be a significant nuisance to the public. Though SLF can cause damage to a wide variety of plants, it is of specific concern for grape producers and a potential concern for other fruit producers.

In this program I will provide an overview of sucking insect pest biology and life history. We will discuss Integrated Pest Management (IPM) philosophies that will guide your management approach and enable you to identify and build prescriptions for problematic pests. We will cover pesticide selection, points of intervention, monitoring, and application approach.

In his role as Michigan’s Plant Doctor, aka “The Tree Doctor”, Dr. Dave is called upon every year by Nurserypersons, Arborists, Landscapers, Suppliers and the Public to solve perplexing plant problems in the landscape and nursery. These plant problems range from pests to diseases and from environmental issues to dilemmas from cultural inputs. In this interesting session, a variety of problem-solving scenarios will be presented in his interesting story-telling style that will not likely lull you to sleep.