Yo! Got some small things for ya this time.

Pretty much as soon as we got home from Edmonton from last month’s Spoke’n Loam conference, we had to record an episode on the Timber Talk podcast. This podcast examines forestry and urban forestry concepts, and they reached out to us to speak about the Tree First project. It is a bit long, but Jack and I enjoyed being guests on their new show.

Here are some links where you can find that podcast:
YouTube
ForestryDegree.net

I’m not sure if they’re posting it elsewhere lol.

Jack and I just presented a talk at our local Wild Birds Unlimited about habitat conservation in trees. It was awesome! The crowd was very engaged and asked interesting questions. And what a cozy environment to speak in too. Will do it again.

On account of the super wet summer we’re having here in southeast Michigan, a lot of interesting scenarios are popping up. A major one is the emergence of various mushrooms!

Seeing species such as chicken of the woods, jack-o-lanterns, and various ganoderma species too. These are often par for the course for big and old trees, an entanglement nearly as old as trees themselves. A beautiful one. The moisture this time of year is causing fungi colonizing these trees to produce mushrooms.

A few other things myself and other local arborists are seeing a lot of currently is magnolia scales! Total infestations, I tell ya. Trees totally engulfed in scale and sooty mold. Somehow I haven’t taken photos of any. I’m not sure which exactly, but certain environmental conditions have aligned perfectly to make this year a great year to be a magnolia scale.

We’re also seeing a lot of weird one-off issues popping up too. Like heavy leaf loss due to excessive moisture, many crowns looking thin of varying species. And on the other side of that moisture-coin, wet-loving trees are doing extremely well it seems. Sycamore, larch, bald cypress, swamp maple, generally seem to be very satisfied with these conditions.

OK bye bye. This month I hope to have time to work on a new article. I have a few ideas but haven’t landed on one just yet.

see ya next time,

TF forever