(Dr. Tree)

They’re almost as common as topped trees in the urban environment.

What to do with improperly cut branches, or stub cuts?

Watch this brief video from Dr. Tree to learn why it’s important for a tree’s long-term health to remove stub cuts, and the proper pruning techniques for doing so.

Do you have other tree questions for Dr. Tree? Submit them to Dr.Tree@FriendsofTrees.org.

–Dr. Tree

This street tree outside the East Burn restaurant on SE Burnside is not going to make it. (FOT file)

The East Burn restaurant at the 1800 block of Southeast Burnside has a delightfully juicy pork sandwich that is garnished with a potato pancake, onions, sour cream and apple chutney.

They also have a street tree outside that is going to die.

“If this was an intentional prune, it was done without adequate understanding of proper pruning techniques,” said Dr. Tree, the Friends of Trees in-house urban forester.

Whatever the means—huge truck, wind storm, two NFL linemen hanging from the branch—this street tree has a rough road ahead of it.

Here’s to protecting our shared street trees and replacing them when they’ve been harmed.

Co-owner Mike Bender had this response:

Yes, unfortunately this tree was done in by a delivery truck. The rerouted traffic into the parking lane hasn’t helped either. We have the permit in hand and need to have the tree removed and replaced. Thank you for the concern.

–Toshio Suzuki

Sounds simple, right? A lot of folk get it wrong.

Friends of Trees plants thousands of discounted nursery trees every year, and one of the common mistakes we see is improper planting depth.

“When planting trees, we want to see the flare: the transition from the stem to the root,” said Dr. Tree.

“Planting too deeply limits the amount of gas exchange and water available to the root system.”

Submit your tips or try to stump the Doc by sending questions to Dr.Tree@FriendsofTrees.org.

–Dr. Tree

Suckers are adventitious shoots that develop from the roots of a tree, like a genetic clone. They are unsightly and divert important energy from the growth of your top stock.

Some nursery trees are seed grown, but most are grafted with a top stock and a root stock. In other words, a sucker coming from a root stock could be a completely different species than what the top stock is.

If the suckers are small, just pull them out, otherwise, cut with pruners and maintain vigilance for any new growth.

Submit your tips or try to stump the Doc by sending questions to Dr.Tree@FriendsofTrees.org.

–Dr. Tree