palo verde (Parkinsonia floridum)

Ripped out from the roots, this tree never had a chance against the crazy storm we just had a couple nights ago. With surging winds reaching 80-100 mph, downtown phoenix was slammed hard. This is one of hundreds of trees awaiting the chainsaw symphony to chop it up into its next life.

Chinese elm (ulmus parvafolia)

This tree snapped at the trunk, likely due to drought stress. Elms are very thirsty trees with a robust root structure and seek water wherever available. Positioned right next to a building on a slope, water is subject to runoff. In addition, the tree must compete with the lawn for water. They tree appears to have establish a stable root zone, not being uprooted. However, adequate water is necessary to keep trees strong and healthy. Lacking water, trees can become very brittle, yet may not appear so at a glance.

More Trees Please!

It's that time of year—everything is dying! Or, maybe not. Native plants are blooming and the green couldn't be better. The rains have been nice but still not nearly enough. Especially for trees. Trees need water – lots of water. Just because a tree looks brown and may lose a branch doesn’t mean it’s dying – it just needs water. The cost to keep a mature tree alive is nothing compared to the cost of removing an old tree and installing a new tree.

So, how are your trees being watered? By the sprinklers? Wrong answer! Sprinklers are for the lawn (and the lawn is much more effective at drinking all that water). Are your trees on a drip system? Is the dripper right at the trunk of the tree? Bad bad bad! Trees drink water from the tips of their roots, which are located out at the edge of the tree canopy (or even farther out). Do you water your trees by hand? Enough? Check out this cool watering guide:
Water Use It Wisely
(click on plant watering)
Providing shade, housing wildlife, mitigate the heat island affect, trees are very important in the landscape, the environment, and our local climate. Plant a tree; water a tree; save the trees.