After a long, dark winter, the swelling buds on bare branches foretell the coming of an eagerly anticipated spring for many Portland area residents. A bud is an undeveloped part of the plant. Flower buds become blossoms, whereas growth buds develop into shoots. Growth buds are the teardrop-shaped parts of the tree where new growth occurs. A branch grows longer... Read More
January 25, 2018
By Sarah Fry
Tree Anatomy
Now that the leaves have fallen from deciduous trees, this is a great time to admire an often-overlooked part of tree anatomy: the bark. Bark Function Bark serves several crucial functions for the tree. Inner bark transports nutrients throughout the tree. Unintentional girdling of a tree with staking materials or ropes causes severe damage to the tree by preventing this... Read More
Portland-area winter storms can bring strong winds, ice and wet snow that take a heavy toll on our urban forest. Strong winds uproot entire trees from rain-saturated soils. Large branches, weighed down by heavy, wet snow break and either fall or are hung up in the canopy. More pliant trees and shrubs bend low to the ground under the weight... Read More
A Chinese proverb says “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The next best time is now.” Trees shade your home, beautify the landscape, prevent soil erosion and increase property values. It takes many years for a tree to mature, so planting a tree now is a long-term investment in your home, community and environment. Planting... Read More
Below are the fall tree care recommendations from For The Love Of Trees’ staff of ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) Certified Arborists. Remove dead or diseased wood before the winter storm season sets in. Dead wood is easier to identify when the leaves are still on deciduous trees because dead wood does not produce leaves. Clearance prune trees while the... Read More
Many of the fruit trees in our area are laden with fruit at this time of year. These fruit are the seed-containing ripened carpels (ovule and ovary) of the fertilized spring flowers. Some fruit, such as the apple, include other flower parts as well. After the flower is fertilized, the resulting developing seeds emit a growth hormone that causes the... Read More
Fall is harvest season in the Northwest for many of our prized tree fruits and nuts. Apples, hazelnuts, peaches, pears, plums, figs and walnuts are all available locally in the fall. To find a tree fruit near you, check out the Tri-County Farm Fresh website. Below is a monthly fall harvest guideline for when to seek out the bounty of the tree... Read More
By the time Oregon became a United States territory in 1848, the huge Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) growing in today’s Oregon Garden in Silverton was already over 200 years old. The ‘Waldo Tree’ is a mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) growing at Island Lake near Klamath Falls. It was carved in the late 1800s by a group of dedicated conservationists who lobbied for... Read More
