TREES, PLEASE! The Silk Oak
By Tim Clancy. One of my favorite trees these days is the silk oak, Grevillea robusta. I was fascinated by its flowers when I first saw...
top of page
September 2023
Trees, Please
- Jun 1, 2021
TREES, PLEASE! Tree Watch – Minding Your Elders
By Robin Y Rivet. Is your neighborhood lined with large, mature street trees? The odds are against it. · Older communities once revered...
- May 1, 2021
TREES, PLEASE! Aesop And His Tree Fables
By Tim Clancy. I am sure most of you are familiar with the great storyteller Aesop and his fables. The most famous one being the The Hare...
- Apr 1, 2021
TREES, PLEASE! What Tree is This?
By Robin Y Rivet. I’m ‘fessing up. I get too many calls to identify commonly cultivated tree species, but the task is daunting due to the...
- Mar 1, 2021
TREES, PLEASE! One Person’s Trash Is Another’s Treasure.
Not long ago I received a call from an HOA resident who was distressed that the HOA board had decided to remove some trees. Well, they reall
- Feb 1, 2021
TREES, PLEASE! Viruses, Variegation & Genetic Mutation
The coronavirus is on everyone’s mind. COVID-19 has caused extreme loss of life - but few people understand what a virus is - and what it is
- Dec 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE! Join: Kate Sessions Commitment
Imagine a natural, low-water garden blooming with the beautiful and unique flora of California native plants, attracting a large diversity
- Nov 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE: The Gall of Some Trees!
One of the best things about working with and studying trees is the availability of subjects. If you’re a doctor you wait for patients to
- Oct 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE! Persimmons – Pretty & Plump
Bite down carefully. If it’s meltingly soft and syrupy, or spicy-sweet and crunchy, both textures might be ripe persimmons. The Oriental per
- Sep 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE: Don’t try this at Home!
A good friend of mine owns a nursery in San Diego named South Coast Wholesale. One of his business ventures involves moving big trees. Somet
- Aug 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE! How Do Trees Become “Native”?
A global pandemic is forcing humans to consider their collective vulnerability, while humbled individuals are expected to hover in place - r
- Jul 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE! A Little Slice of "hisTree"
And now for something completely different. So, for whatever reason you can't venture out and admire trees. Yet you need to get your tree fi
- Jun 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE! FREE Trees, Please!
The virus pandemic is creating tight budgets, but more time to garden. Planting new trees should not be costly.
- Apr 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE: Are Your Trees Drinking Enough? Calculate…
Although April showers may offer some respite, most yard trees will soon rely solely on you for a drink. Unfortunately, that dependence ofte
- Mar 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE! Dead as a Doornail
In the world of Urban Forestry one of the concepts we consider is the safe useful life expectancy (SULE) of a tree. There are many component
- Feb 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE: “Silky” Trees
Valentine’s Day is nigh. Do you wish for romantic gifts of silken fabric, sweet fruit or gorgeous flowers? A genuine “silk” tree could be a
- Jan 1, 2020
TREES, PLEASE: My Tree, iTree.
Trees add to our enjoyment of our daily living. Providing habitat for local fauna, screening from annoying situations, they are harvested fo
- Dec 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Do You Pine - Fir a Cedar?
Evergreens you might choose, but no larches, spruce or yews… Araucarias: Eye-catching as a towering species, the Norfolk Island pine is ope
- Oct 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Have You Examined Tree Roots Lately?
October is prime tree planting season in San Diego County. The weather is cooling and our rainy season is due. If you are expecting to plant
- Sep 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Tree Ordinances. Love them or leave them?
By Tim Clancy. Sometimes government agencies get it right. In other cases, government regulations seem arbitrary, over-reaching and...
- Aug 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Hot-Hued Trees for Sizzling Summer Daze
By Robin Rivet. Summers in San Diego increasingly remind me of places I used to live; but I’m no snowbird. I fled the east coast loathing...
- Jul 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Pruning Perils: Trees Have a Mind of Their Own
By Tim Clancy. Sometimes it almost seems as if trees have a mind of their own. This is especially true when it comes to pruning and...
- Jun 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Think Trees Are Making You Sneeze?
By Robin Rivet. Allergies are on the rise. Although grassy plants and food sensitivities account for much of this ascent, there is...
- May 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Consult the Manual!
By Tim Clancy. In the time before the internet, when you needed information, often you would begin by consulting your collection of...
- Apr 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Stopping the Topping – “It’s the Law”
By Robin Rivet. Tree topping is brutal. Although the term “butchered” is frequently used, butchers are highly skilled meat cutters. Tree...
- Mar 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Should I park under that tree?
By Tim Clancy. The disease triangle is often used to illustrate the elements necessary for a pathogen to be successful. The three...
- Feb 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Lemons and Tangors and Bearss– Oh My!
By Robin Rivet. Don’t groan about my pun. The “Wizard of Oz” was one of my favorite films, even if the famous “lions and tigers and...
- Jan 1, 2019
TREES, PLEASE: Trees and Dogs: A Personal History
Sometimes people want to know how I got into trees. Here is my story. By Tim Clancy. My interest in trees began as a young boy in Fabius,...
- Dec 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: A Tale of Firs—From Farms, Not Factories
By Robin Rivet. In the winter of 1953, an inner-city husband arrived home on Christmas Eve. He carried a three-foot balsam fir tree into...
- Nov 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: Chaotic Trees Set Sail
By Tim Clancy. I have worked for a few tree "care" companies. One thing I noticed is that as fall and winter approach, the business of...
- Oct 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: X, Y, Z: Distinctive Trees With Odd Names
By Robin Rivet. Does your surname fall at the end of the alphabet? Were you often called last at school? It seems that even with plants,...
- Sep 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: Space Invaders: Keep an Eye Out for Tree Tobacco
By Tim Clancy. Not all trees are created equal, and not all trees are benign. All over the country, there are trees that are classified...
- Aug 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: When it's Hot, Go Nuts!
By Robin Rivet. Imagine a hot summer day... This year, you don’t need too much imagination. As average summer temperatures continue to...
- Jul 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: Arboreal Caveat Emptor
By Tim Clancy. Pot-Bellied Pig Syndrome 'Right tree, right place,' is an often-repeated mantra when it comes to choosing and siting trees...
- Jun 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: Do Birds Need Your Trees?
By Robin Rivet. Have you completed “spring cleaning” your trees? Best practice timing for mature tree pruning is vague, and our bird...
- May 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: Examining the Root of the Problem
By Tim Clancy. Tree root damage to buildings, walkways, roadways, and other infrastructure components is a common concern for all. Damage...
- Apr 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: Trees of Life and Faux (Nitrogen) Fixes
By Robin Rivet. Nitrogen is an essential component of the nucleic acids found in the DNA of all living organisms. Despite the fact that...
- Mar 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: The Million-Pollard Question
By Tim Clancy. What has a dense head and was once used for animal fodder or for sustainably harvesting wood? A pollarded tree, or course!...
- Feb 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: Tree Terror: Are Your Trees on a Hit List?
By Robin Rivet. Today we face a force to rival Darth Vadar, and it ain’t pretty. The arrival and potential conquest by the Kuroshio and...
- Jan 1, 2018
TREES, PLEASE: This One's for the Birds
By Tim Clancy. One of the great pleasures of working with trees is the opportunity to observe the relationships of creatures with trees....
- Dec 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: Does Money Really Grow on Trees?
By Robin Rivet. t was there, and then it was gone—my favorite tree in all of San Diego. I went into shock. Then anger. Although most...
- Nov 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: Tree Pruning: Who’s Watching the Hen House?
By Tim Clancy. There is a cognitive bias known as the law of the hammer. The concept is that if the only tool you have is a hammer then...
- Oct 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: Bristlecones Older Than Methuselah (So How Old Are Your Trees?)
By Robin Rivet. Have you ever pondered what it would be like to live for 1000 years? What about 4000, or even 5000 years? There are such...
- Sep 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: Tree Pruning Standards
By Tim Clancy. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is the keeper of standards for all sorts of products and services. These...
- Aug 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: Pomegranates—More Than Wonderful!
By Robin Rivet. Revered for their sweet-tart taste, healthful anti-oxidants, and characteristic crimson juice, the allure of a...
- Jul 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: Wilt, Anyone?
By Tim Clancy. My first arboricultural encounter with lethal disease killing a tree from the inside was about 25 years ago. The tree, a...
- Jun 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: Jacarandas: Lovely Lavender or Purple Panic?
By Robin Rivet. Final exams and Southern California’s rainy season are over, but in June the jacaranda tree (Jacaranda mimosifolia) is...
- May 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: Queen Palms, Part II: Pests and Diseases
A mystery affliction causes queen palms’ otherwise healthy fronds to collapse. By Tim Clancy. In a recent article, we discussed the...
- Apr 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: A Shady Business: Citizens Need to Speak Up
By Robin Rivet. Do you avoid parking under a tree because you’re concerned that bird or insect feces might ruin your car wash? Although...
- Mar 1, 2017
TREES, PLEASE: Queen Palms, Part1: Growth Habit, Fertilizer, and Pruning
By Tim Clancy. Queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffianum) are popular ornamental “trees.” They are planted so frequently that some in the...
bottom of page