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Specialty Services
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Arborist Consultations

Tree Risk Assessment

Holistic Soil Management

Arborist Consultations
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Arborist Consultations

The benefits of discussing your trees with a certified arborist

 

When a human or animal ailment needs treatment, a doctor must first diagnose the problem. Without knowing what the issue is, it can be near impossible to prescribe the right medication. The same is true with trees. There are hosts of pathogens, both biotic and abiotic, that can affect trees. Without knowing what is truly affecting the tree in question, any treatment recommendation is pure guesswork.

 

At New Leaf Tree Services Inc we draw on our own knowledge and experience, and we consult the finest diagnostic labs in the area to provide you with as complete a picture as possible. 

 

Key questions an arborist should ask about your trees:

  • How long has the issue been present?

  • What were the early symptoms?

  • How have the symptoms changed over time? 

  • Has there been any new activity (construction, landscaping, fertilization, etc.) in the surrounding area?

  • Are any other nearby trees showing similar symptoms?

 

Plant health problems may be due to living (biotic) agents, or non-living (abiotic) agents. Here are examples of biotic disorders: 

  • Plant pathogens

  • Insect pests

  • Animals

 

Here are examples of abiotic disorders: 

  • Soil compaction

  • Mineral deficiencies

  • Mechanical injury

  • Environmental problems

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Caleb Discussing the removal of an ash tree infected by the Emerald ash borer (EAB).

Tree Risk Assessment
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Fungal spores growing on a sugar maple

Tree Risk Assessment

We offer 3-levels of services to identify and diagnose potential risks, along with a plan to mitigate those risks. With ice storms, Nor'easters and hurricanes increasing in our area, downed trees and limbs causing power-outages and damage to assets are becoming more common. 

 

This proactive service is designed to protect businesses, homeowners, and municipalities from:

  • Personal injury and liability

  • Property damage

  • Disruption of activities

 

We look for signs such as: 

  • Targets

  • Included bark

  • Co-dominant stems

  • Visible decay, cracks, holes in tree trunks or branches

  • Construction damage--> severed roots, compacted soil

  • Removal of adjacent trees--> loss of wind buffer

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Large cavity in a catalpa tree

Level One

Level 1 is a Limited Visual Assessment performed by walking or driving by a tree and looking for obvious defects, hazards, or problems.  

Level Two

Level 2 is a Basic Assessment that involves a detailed inspection (from the ground) of the site and the tree, including the root zone, the trunk, the scaffold branches, and the upper canopy. This assessment also considers potential targets that may be impacted by tree failure and the possible consequences of failure.

Level Three

The Level 3 is an Advanced Assessment involves a more thorough examination of specific defects, tree parts or targets. 

Specialized tools are often used in an advanced assessment.

 

Examples, include resistance drilling devices, sonic imaging devices, air tools for excavating roots, etc. The use of these tools requires special training and the ability to interpret the acquired information.

 

Advanced Assessments are most often performed by arborists (us!) with experience in the use of these specialized tools, as well as an understanding of tree biology and biomechanics.

Holistic Soil Management

 

Healthy soil = healthy plants. Soil needs to be active in order for your plants to thrive. 

 

All of our tree planting are inoculated with APF Biochar - Micronutrient Tree Mix and organic compost to help increase the biology in the soil. 

 

Biochar is made by heating biomass in the absence of oxygen - a process known as pyrolysis. Biochar contains about half of the carbon and one-third of the mass of the original biomass feedstock (Lehmann and Joseph, 2015).


Mycelium serves an important function in the decomposition of organic matter in the soil. Some research has demonstrated that it acts as a filter, removing ground water contaminants and pollutants.

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Holistic Soil Management
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Jan injecting our soil treatment into the base of a tree.

Soil Treatments


 

We offer soil treatments that increase natural soil biology and encourage new root growth. These treatments can be delivered topically through granular formulas, or injected into the soil using water soluble methods. 

 

Our amendments typically contain a mix of mycorrhizal fungi, beneficial soil bacteria, biochar, and compost. 

Increasing soil biology and activity can have numerous positive effects on trees, plants and their root systems. Benefits include lower levels of compaction, increased access to water and nutrients, and greater resilience in times of stress. 

Contact us to discuss the benefits of improving the health of your soils.

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Plant Health Care

Managing and husbanding the surrounding environment is vital for the longevity of your trees. Our plant health care strategy aims to manage the health and appearance of all plants within the landscape in a holistic and ecologically beneficial way.

 

Trees are often competing with grass and other plants for water and nutrients, and other stressors such as drought, soil compaction, and lawn equipment can often create a negative environment for trees where disease can fester and lead to decline. The addition of a mulch rings and organic soil amendments that augment soil biology can have positive effects in these situations, as can managing the landscape as a whole, supporting complimentary species that work in concert with each other, and support native pollinator and insect populations. 

Caleb and his crew were amazing! My family and I were extremely pleased with the work they did. They were informative, courteous and professional. We thank them for leaving our yard better than they found it. We would highly recommend New Leaf to anyone looking for an excellent and reputable company to work with.

~Lena in Kinderhook, NY

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