Mountain West Arbor Care is presently providing tree maintenance services to beautiful Idaho Falls, Idaho. Idaho Falls is an ISA Certified Arborist’s dream community, one that is truly invested in their trees. Idaho Falls has enjoyed the designation of a “Tree City USA” for thirteen years.
Idaho Falls has a dry, low humidity climate with very little precipitation throughout the summer and early fall. The climate and landscape is hospitable to a variety of large and small Deciduous and Conifer trees. The Western White Pine is one Conifer that particularly thrives on the dry, sandy soils of the region.
The Western White Pine is a fairly large tree which can grow 98-164 feet on average. A beautiful, narrow conical tree, it is often prized for its use as lumber. Unfortunately, the Western White Pine is highly susceptible to the fungus, White Pine Blister Rust.
Pro-active Tree Maintenance
Mountain West Arbor Care always suggests our customers practice “preventative tree care”. Preventative tree care is, simply put, taking care of your trees in a pro-active manner, ensuring that when issues arise, you are able to recognize them and take care of them before they become serious problems.
When it comes to White Pine Blister Rust affecting your Western White Pine trees there are a few things that you can do and that is where having a tree maintenance inspection schedule takes effect.
The Importance of Regular Inspections
Regular inspection of your trees is tantamount to ensuring your trees stay healthy. Regular inspections give you the opportunity to find issues before it’s too late. This includes recognizing hazardous limbs, deadwood, branches and limbs in need of pruning, insect issues, and the beginnings of disease like White Pine Blister Rust.
Unfortunately, White Pine Blister Rust is a devastating fungus, and resistance to the fungus is genetic. Though if you catch it early enough you may be able to save your Western White Pine trees.
If you discover bark blisters on branches 3 to 5 inches from the trunk, you can prune these off and can potentially stave the spread of the fungus to the rest of your tree. This is where having a tree maintenance inspection schedule is crucial, because if the main trunk of the tree is infected with the fungus, the tree is beyond help. The fungus will eventually encircle the tree, the needles of the branches will brown, and the tree will die.
Infection typically begins on lower branches, so pruning lower branches can be an effective method for protecting your trees.
One other measure you can take to protect your Western White Pine trees is removing any currant plants from around your trees. The White Pine Blister Rust travels from currant plants to your White Pines, and back again. While the benefits of this measure are debatable, if your trees are under attack from White Pine Blister Rust, it may be another arrow in your quiver.
The Take Away
Mountain West Arbor Care is currently providing our Idaho Falls customers with tree maintenance services. Part of our service is recommending our customers institute a preventative maintenance tree care schedule. With disease such as the White Pine Blister Rust affecting Western White Pine trees throughout the area, a regular inspection schedule is a must.
Regular inspection affords you the opportunity to discover issues with your trees before they become serious problems. Catching White Pine Blister Rust at the very beginning is crucial for protecting the life of your Western White Pine trees. Early detection allows you to prune away infected branches and to remove currant plants that help spread the disease. Likewise, if infection is already beyond help, quick removal of the tree can aid in stopping the spread of the fungus.
Contact Mountain West Arbor Care today to learn more about our services and what we can do to help you maintain and protect your trees.
