Tom Kimmerer: Tree Trends Pictures

Announcing Bluegrass Urban Wood

Wed, 06 Jul 2005 02:41:11 GMT

Our new division, Bluegrass Urban Wood, is now shipping products. We make fine wood products from trees growing in the streets, yards and horse farms of the Bluegrass region of central Kentucky. Presently, we are making flooring from red oak, walnut and other species, with more products to come. Read more about it here.
	Select red oak
	Quarter sawn red oak (vertical grain)
	Street grade red oak

Phenology: Oak pollen almost done

Wed, 27 Apr 2005 19:23:53 GMT

Oak flowering in central Kentucky is almost done for the year. This is good news for allergy sufferers, here in the pollen capital of the US. Oak catkins (male flowers, pictured on the right is scarlet oak) are dropping from the trees, and pollen counts are declining. This has been a good year for oak flowers, with no late-season frosts. Most of the wind-pollinated trees flower early (oak, elm, hackberry, hickory) before or at the time of first leaf flush. For the remainder of the season, insect-pollinated trees will continue flowering. These do not pose problems for people with allergies, since they do not release large amounts of pollen. However, grass pollens will begin to pick up shortly.

Redbuds come in colors

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 01:21:03 GMT

Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis, comes in two color varieties in nature. At least 99% of redbuds in central Kentucky are of the normal lavender color (top picture). Every now and then, you can see a white redbud, which stands out in a sea of lavender. Redbuds along the Kentucky River palisades form huge stands, mixed with eastern redcedar. The white redbuds are easy to spot in the purple haze. White redbuds (lower picture, this is a wild tree) are prized in ornamental horticulture and make a nice pairing with typical redbuds.

I saw two white redbuds this morning in the purple haze. I don't know how many I have seen in total, but it is probably fewer than 20.

Phenology: redbud in bloom

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 01:05:31 GMT

Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis, is blooming in central Kentucky. This morning, the blossoms were not quite open, but by late this afternoon, the tree in my front yard was fully in bloom. The blossoms are delicious, making a nice colorful addition to salads. The trees are normally in bloom for about 2 weeks, but warming has been rapid this spring, so it is likely that the bloom will be shorter than usual.

Degree days 516

Phenology: Pawpaws in bloom

Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:56:16 GMT

Pawpaw, Asimina triloba, has begun blooming in Lexington, KY. The blooms are small and green now (picture), will turn deep purple as they approach anthesis (fertility) in the next few days. We have had a sudden warming in the last week and the pawpaws have popped out very quickly in the last 24 hours.

Degree Days: 516

Technical Difficulties

Sat, 02 Apr 2005 11:52:32 GMT

We are continuing to have technical problems. New posts will be limited until the problem is resolved. We lost some posts and will try to recover them.

Update: Thanks to Steve Kirks of Radio Userland, I think we have solved the problem.

The obsessive bird returns

Mon, 21 Mar 2005 01:43:55 GMT

Today is the first day of spring. Our obsessive-compulsive robin (Turdus migratorius) has returned for the third year. This bird spends hours every day attacking and/or mating with its reflection in the window and side mirror of my truck. Here are a few pictures of him (or go to this story for larger pictures: "The obsessive bird").

Can this tree be preserved?

Sun, 20 Mar 2005 17:30:42 GMT

We often encounter trees that present a risk to property owners. The decision to take the tree down or to try to mitigate the risk is one of the most important ones that a homeowner and arborist can make.We often encounter trees that may present a risk to property owners. The decision to take the tree down or to try to mitigate the risk is one of the most important ones that a homeowner and arborist can make.

Here we have a mature white ash (Fraxinus americana) that has two codominant stems with included bark between them. A pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) has been making feeding holes along the seam of included bark between the stems (top figure). There is a decay pocket on the side opposite this photo. The question is, do we recommend removal of the tree or mitigate the risk by cabling and bracing? We examined the tree and took two readings with a Resistograph (bottom right figure). Our initial impression was that the tree may not have enough sound wood. But the Resistograph showed us that both codominant stems were quite sound and that decay was limited to the seam. We recommended to the landowners that a cable and brace could lend stability to the tree and possibly prolong its life.

I'll post more about this tree as work continues.

Included bark

Mon, 14 Feb 2005 14:24:28 GMT

Trees with very narrow angles between branch and main stem may trap bark between the stem and the branch as both grow in diameter. This creates included bark, where bark is surrounded by wood from both the main stem and the branch. Included bark is weak, and trees with substantial amounts of included bark are prone to branch failure. Urban trees should be pruned to avoid narrow branch angles. Click pictures for more.

Harvesting urban wood

Mon, 07 Feb 2005 17:22:24 GMT

We are harvesting and milling urban wood in Lexington KY. We saw with a Lucas Mill and transport to ArborCity Wood Products in Winchester for resawing, drying and manufacture.