Tree and Landscape Expo offers trimming tips

As owner of Terra Verde Horticultural Care, Dan Brower sees more unhealthy trees around Yuma than he cares to.

Much of the problem, he says, stems from improper pruning practices.

So when he and others recently assumed positions on the Yuma Community Tree Council, they agreed that teaching proper techniques could go a long way in the council's overall mission of improving the health of trees in the Yuma area.

Brower raised funds to bring in certified arborists from Tucson to put on a bilingual training session in Yuma on Oct. 13 for those in the area who make their livings pruning or otherwise working with trees.

The five-hour session, which will include pruning demonstrations, will cover practices that ensure not only the health of the trees but the safety of the workers, who often must climb up in high places with chainsaws and other cutting tools.

"It will benefit the tree. There will be less debris, and it will be easier on the pruners," Brower said.

"If we save a couple of trees a year, we've done our jobs."

The Bilingual Tree Worker Training session is set for 7 a.m. to noon Oct. 13 at the Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive. It is free and no registration is required.

The training is tailored for professional tree trimmers, not homeowners, said Brower and Stacey Bealmear, a University of Arizona Cooperative Extension agent who co-chairs the tree council with Brower.

They said that homeowners wanting to learn more about proper tree pruning should instead attend the Yuma Tree and Landscape Expo 2009. scheduled for Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the civic center. More information about the expo is available from the city of Yuma Parks and Recreation Department, 373-5243.

Coming down from Tucson will be certified arborists Juan Barba and Margarito Garibo, both of whom Brower said have many years of experience in the field.

"Juan is thoroughly immersed in trees," Brower said. "He's had a 30-year career as a tree climber. He still climbs."

Garibo, on the other hand, has won a statewide tree climbing competition put on by the Arizona Community Tree Council, Brower added.

The training will be translated simultaneously for the benefit of those tree trimmers who speak only Spanish, Brower said.

The tree workers in Yuma are hard-working, said Browner. "They just didn't have the proper training that some of us have had."

Bealmear said a common practice that has contributed to poor tree health is overpruning. Trees that are deprived of all their branches and leaves in pruning are unable to get needed nutrients through photosynthesis, she said, and repeated hack jobs could leave them unable to survive the harsh conditions of summer months.

If branches are improperly pruned, the weight of the falling limbs could tear off parts of the tree, leaving the exposed sections vulnerable to disease and insects, she added.

Topping off trees in pruning can lead to the upper reaches of the branches becoming unstable or overly heavy, Bealmear said, while inadequate pruning inside a tree's canopy can make it susceptible to toppling over in heavy wind.

"The best way (to correct these practices) is to train people on how to prune trees correctly," she said. "It helps improve the health of the trees, but it also ensures the safety of those who prune trees."

She said there's another benefit of the training: Those who attend will get the fundamentals they need to work toward their certifications as arborists from the International Society of Arborists.

Certified arborists who work for themselves can command higher fees from customers, she said, while those who work for or seek employment with arbor companies have better job opportunities.

And homeowners who deal with certified arborists have peace of mind.

"They know that when they hire a certified arborist, that person has been trained, and they worry less about whether their tree has been pruned properly."

TREE PRUNING CLINIC INFO

Homeowners who want to learn about proper tree pruning practices are invited to attend the Yuma Tree and Landscape Expo 2009 on Oct. 24 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive. Admission with tri-tip lunch is $7. Admission without lunch is $4. Children 12 and under are free.