I get this question very often.  People see the ball moss in the live oaks on the dead limbs and automatically think it is killing the branches and that it will eventually kill the tree if it is not removed.   The truth is that ball moss is an epiphyte, or air feeder, and is not parasitic to the tree.   Because it is growing inside the canopy in shady areas around here, it looks as though it is killing tree limbs, when in fact the limbs are dying naturally over time due to lack of sunlight penetration.  Unfortunately, many less reputable and/or uneducated sales representatives for some local tree care companies often use the interior limb death as a fear factor and a sales tool to sell extensive ball moss removal for their companies.

However, the truth about ball moss with respect to tree health is not always completely cut and dry.  I attended a seminar on ball moss about five years ago at Texas A&M by Dr. Todd Watson who is Urban Forest researcher at Texas Agricultural Experiment Station and an expert on mistletoe and ball moss (as well as a great guy).  When the class full of professional, certified arborists were asked if ball moss is detrimental to plant health, half of the class raised their hands and the other half did not (I did not).  This was very interesting.  The reason for the split had to do with where specifically in Texas the arborists were practicing.

In humid areas of Texas, especially around lakes and bodies of water, ball moss infestations can be huge.  In the Austin area, however, the air is dryer and even by water, the infestations are generally not as bad.   In humid areas where ball moss is severe, it can actually grow over the ends of limbs in the full sun, causing the branches to actually be shaded out at the tips and killing sections of the outer canopy.  In these instances, it needs to be pruned off or sprayed.

Here in Central Texas, the way I handle ball moss on live oaks is to prune it out of the trees.  The air is generally quite dry here, and the infestations are rarely severe.   Trees with larger amounts of dead wood that have formed since the last pruning cycle are more apt to have ball moss.  As the canopies thicken back up since the last pruning cycle, the interior limbs die due to lower of sunlight penetration, and more ball moss forms on these limbs, and often on the interior living limbs as well, although generally not to the same extent.

It is important for long-term tree health to remove dead limbs from the interior of oak trees over time, especially large dead limbs.  This then allows the trees to heal over and compartmentalize rot, helping to keep the living limbs healthy.   As the dead wood is removed, so goes the ball moss.   Since the trees generally do not form that much ball moss between pruning cycles, it is not an issue in most cases.   Since spraying is costly, does not address the pruning needs of the tree, and is generally not necessary due to mild infestations, you will rarely see ball moss spraying as a preventive measure around here.

Central Texas Tree Care has installed hundreds of cables in Austin area trees over the last 10 years and I am very proud of our record. My staff is highly trained and seasoned in this area and we now properly install more cables every year than just about any other local company. The purpose of this article is not to be overly technical, but rather to explain to the average person that we know exactly what we are doing, what standards to follow and what hardware to use.

Cabling and bracing trees are scientifically approved methods for supporting trees with split crotches, or for trees that have limbs or crotches that are predisposed to failure. The International Society of Arboriculture, ISA standards for tree cabling that we follow are called the ANSI (American National Standards Institute, Inc.) A300 standards for supplemental support systems. When done properly, cabling and bracing will often save limbs or entire trees. They are generally considered permanent solutions, although constant re-inspection and monitoring/pruning is always recommended.

Cabling trees is generally done to tie in either limbs that are overextended (too long and heavy), or to tie in large limbs in the upper canopy to support weak or split main crotches. Cables are almost always installed in conjunction with canopy thinning to reduce the end weight of large horizontal sections.  Sometimes, come-alongs are also used to help pull together split crotches so the cables can be properly tied  in. Often with split trees, (although not always necessary) threaded through-bolts are installed through the split crotch for added support.

Through-bolts are used as anchors. These are galvanized metal bolts, with a fully enclosed ‘welded’ eye and are installed right through the limb to be supported. A hole is drilled through the limbs at exactly the right angle and then the bolt is slid through the limb. After the bolt is in place, a washer and a nut is then put into place on the back side of the limb. This practice makes for a very solid and permanent anchor solution that will not pull out of the tree or rust. Nor will it interfere with the natural expansion of the limb. Additionally, the ring on the inside will not break. With cheaper hardware, often the ring is not a welded eye and the cable pulls out during the first storm.

Once the anchor bolts have been installed, then the cables are tied to the anchor bolts using thimbles.  The two strongest ways to do this are either with ‘dead-end grips’ or twisty ties as we call them, or by bending and splicing the cable itself through and around the eye ring, then splicing it. Both of these methods are extremely strong and effective.

Most (not all) cables I see installed by other companies in the Austin area are installed incorrectly.  Almost every time, besides using inferior hardware, the cables are installed either too low in the tree or too far down the limb they are supposed to support. ANSI A300 standards specifically state that cables should be installed a minimum of two-thirds of the way from the crotch to the end of the limb being anchored.

The cables and bolts need to be the right size for the job. Large trees and limbs require larger bolts and larger diameter cables. Smaller trees require smaller diameter bolts and cables. Limbs that are being used to anchor the tree require large enough diameters to support the bolts, but conversely putting bolts that are too long into large diameter wood is often not correct either (too far down the limb).

Safety factors such as proximity to power lines or other utility lines are paramount. Metal cables conduct electricity and must never be installed in trees where power lines contact the tree. Also, metal cables can rub against themselves or tree limbs, so they must always be installed free from obstructions.

Trees with multiple large limbs and weak crotches often require multiple cables. Often triangle, box or ‘wheel and spoke’ systems have to be installed.  When more than one cable has to be anchored to the same limb, more than one anchor bolt must be installed (one for each cable). The anchor bolts must NOTbe closer together than the diameter of the limb being drilled. Note: For safety and power, we use gas powered drills with forward and reverse settings, instead of electric drills that require a dangerous power cord.

Although lag bolts are on the approved list of hardware for ANSI A300 cable systems, we prefer to stick to through-bolts. As an arborist with more than 15 years experience installing support systems, I find lag bolts to be unpredictable and weak anchors, especially in large trees. They often pop out in storms.  Although they work better, for example, in oak limbs that have stronger wood, and are significantly easier to install, I have seen them come out or generally fail too many times in stormy weather. I would NEVER recommend lag bolts in softer wooded trees other than oaks, mesquite or black walnut trees in this area and prefer not to use them at all.

Often cables are not necessary at all, and I have seen cables installed when they are not needed with startling regularity. Always get your trees evaluated first to see if they even need cabling or bracing. I often see other tree companies promoting them because the crews need the work and not because the tree in question actually needs a cable. Beware of unnecessary tree work! Contact us if you want an honest professional evaluation.

Topping? Lion-tailing?  What do these terms mean? 

Of the damage that can be done by improper pruning, topping and lion-tailing are certainly two of the worst things that can be done to tree.

Why you shouldn’t top your trees

Topping involves removing the tops of the limbs and leaving huge, ‘stubbed off’ limbs and nothing else. A fellow arborist I worked with over 15 years ago likened it to a person having their arms and legs cut off.  More often than not, it kills a tree outright.  If the tree does survive, it has to tap into all of its energy reserves to re-grow multiple limbs from each cut. Unfortunately, as these new long skinny limbs re-grow around the outside of each large wound, the center of the wound then begins to rot slowly over time.  While the weakly attached re-growth often eventually breaks at the area of attachment, the actual limb itself rots from the center causing even weaker and more dangerous limbs over time.

Topping typically kills slow growing trees, such as oaks, right away. Unfortunately, these are the trees that are the best at compartmentalizing rot and have the strongest wood.   Also, topping usually kills excurrent trees such as pines or bald cypress (that have a pyramidal shape and one dominant, central leader), outright.  Survivability after topping is much higher in faster growing, softer wooded trees such as maples or ash trees.  Unfortunately, these are the very trees that rot the fastest because they are poor at compartmentalizing rot.  These softer wooded trees quickly become hazardous after topping.

Heading is like topping, but is done to an individual branch.  Heading back a limb has the same effect as topping.  If the limb gets enough sunlight, it re-sprouts many new branches from the cut.  These branches are also weakly attached, and unsightly.  Branches that are pruned properly are much less likely to re-sprout.  If limbs that are in full sun are headed back into the canopy and are shaded, they typically die.

Why lion-tailing should never be done

Lion-tailing, or ‘poodle-tailing’ is done by stripping branches of all their lateral limbs, except for the branches at the end of the limb. This causes the limbs to look like a lion’s tail, or a Dr. Seuss truffula tree, for example.  This is extremely bad for the tree, and causes the limbs to eventually break off due to the excessive weight at the very end of the branch. This also has a weakening effect over time.  Limbs have many living ‘lateral’ limbs along their length.  These lateral limbs have the effect of strengthening the limb over time as they expand, but also have the effect of increasing the limb diameter at that point along the limb, increasing taper by increasing the limbs diameter at that point along the branch.   Limbs with little to no taper are always very weak, and much more prone to failure.  Add to that the effect of weighting the branches only at the ends, and we have a seriously unsafe situation that gets much worse over time.

Certain trees, such as maples, are more prone to re-sprouting.  Oaks, for example, often do not re-sprout.  Certain trees have more inner leaves than others.  Oaks, for example have much less interior leaf growth than maples, ash or elms.   This contributes to the trees ability to re-grow leaves in the center after limb loss.  This is of course taken into consideration when pruning each species.

The costs of improper pruning

When it comes to pruning, you can pay a great deal of money to have your trees destroyed.  I have seen it happen before many times.  Years ago my neighbor paid $2400.00 to have his four ash trees lion-tailed.  For five years after he had it done, limbs were continuously breaking and hanging down in the canopy, causing hazardous situations continually.  Over-thinning or topping trees leave you with an additional expense to have them removed when they die.  Then you have the expense of re-planting as well.

I still see these types of poor pruning today.  Although it is not as prevalent as it was years ago, it does still happen.  Bad pruning cuts are a daily occurrence with poorly trained pruning crews. A ‘flush cut’ that cuts off the branch collar cannot be corrected, and may never heal, leading to rot and even tree failure in the future.  Stub cuts, although they can be corrected, are unsightly and can also lead to decay and infection when left.

It is better to get a seasoned certified arborist out to your property to have it done properly the first time Trees can add up to 20 percent to your property value.  There is simply no substitute to hiring the right person when it comes to your valuable trees.  Don’t cut corners.  Often you will even pay the same for bad pruning work, as you would for a quality job.  Call us for a free estimate!

Maintaining Bradford pears in the United States is a multi-million dollar per year industry. When Bradfords were more widely planted, billions or dollars were spent maintaining, bolting, cabling and bracing them. Cities are and have been moving away from Bradford pears for years, and are replacing them with less problematic, more easily maintained and longer lived species.

Every time we have a storm of any intensity, I ALWAYS get a phone call for a split Bradford pear. Upon inspection, the question always arises as to whether or not to remove the broken limb(s) or, in cases with extreme tree/trunk damage, remove the whole tree. Often the damage it too severe or the aesthetics of the tree is so compromised the homeowner wants to remove and replace.

Another problem with Bradford pears is that they do not live very long. A life expectancy in the range of 18-25 years is typical, depending on the site. As for the size, people are often surprised at their canopy spread as the trees approach maturity. When they start getting large, the limbs have a tendency to have very few upright limbs, as most of the limbs pull down as they thicken up. This leaves the center sparse and aesthetically displeasing to many people.

The reason Bradford pears split, is quite simple. Firstly, they have numerous limbs that all originate from the same point on the stem. These limbs all have weak, acutely angled crotches to begin with, all with included bark. Included bark is bark that forms on the inside of the branch unions, and where it forms there is no wood to wood connection. Additionally, as these limbs expand in diameter they put pressure against one another. As these limbs are already weakly connected due to the included bark, the additional end weight exacerbates failure potential. Add to this weak dry wood, due to drought conditions, or wind and added water weight in summer storms, and you have a recipe for disaster.

I have had customers in tears before due to Bradford pear failures from summer storms. If it’s the only front yard tree you have, it can be quite devastating to the landscape when it fails. They are beautiful trees in the springtime. They explode with striking white flowers, and they are relatively bullet-proof with respect to most diseases. Also, there is no messy fruit to deal with.

So, are there any substitutes for Bradford pears? Yes! There is the aristocrat pear, Pyrus calleryana, ‘Aristocrat’, 25-45 feet tall at maturity and considered a much better species, with a dominant trunk and more open form. Why reputable tree nurseries still sell Bradford pears is beyond me. There are of course many other species to consider as well, such as crepe myrtles, non-flowering species like Chinese pistache trees, and many others.

If you do have a Bradford pear, it is not necessarily the end of the world. If the tree is maintained and thinned out regularly, and cabled in extreme cases, it can give the homeowner many years of shade and spring color.