Protecting Newly Planted Trees in the Winter

Matt Betz from Davey's Charlotte office talks about what to do to help a young tree be successful in the winter and his family's history at Davey.

In this episode we cover:  

• Winter in North Carolina (00:40)
• Considerations for young trees in a cool climate (1:28)
• Wrapping trees (2:36)
• Staking young trees (5:50)
• Watering young trees in cold weather (7:53)
• Mulching (8:57)
• Matt's Davey journey (11:47)
• When to plant in North Carolina (16:40)
• Charlotte's tree canopy (18:43)
• Chinese Elm Trees (21:57)

To find your local Davey office, check out our find a local office page to search by zip code.  

To learn more about taking care of a young tree during the winter check out our blog, Winter Tree Pruning: Young Trees, Fruit Trees, Spring Flowering Trees.

To learn more about wrapping trees in cold weather check out our blog, Should I Wrap Trees for Winter Protection?

Connect with Davey Tree on social media:
Twitter: @DaveyTree
Facebook: @DaveyTree
Instagram: @daveytree
YouTube: The Davey Tree Expert Company
LinkedIn: The Davey Tree Expert Company 

Connect with Doug Oster at www.dougoster.com. 

Have topics you'd like us to cover on the podcast? Email us at podcasts@davey.com. We want to hear from you!  

Transcript

Doug Oster: Welcome to the Davey Tree Expert Company's podcast, Talking Trees. I'm your host, Doug Oster. Each week, our expert arborists share advice on seasonal tree care, how to make your trees thrive, arborists' favorite trees, and much, much more. Tune in every Thursday to learn more because here at the Talking Trees podcast, we know trees are the answer. I'm joined this week by Matt Betz. He's an assistant district manager for the Davey Tree Expert Company down in Charlotte, North Carolina. Today, we're talking about protecting newly planted trees from the winter. Matt, when I think about winter and I think about North Carolina, I think you guys have the most perfect climate ever. Tell me about your winter. What's it like?

Matt Betz: It's pretty good. It's typically mild. Each year seems to be a little different. This morning, I'm sitting in my truck right now and it's 28 degrees. That's very cold for down here. I think it's going to be nearly 70 on Tuesday. We're supposed to receive a couple inches of rain on Tuesday. It fluctuates, but I'd say we have temperature extremes, but on the low end of things, it doesn't stay cold for a long time. It's a lot different than you'll experience in the Northeast and Midwest and other parts of the country as well. It's certainly mild down here.

Doug: For a cooler climate, what things do you think about when you do have young trees out there? What's the first thing that comes to mind?

Matt: A lot of it's the freezing and the ground changes and the biology that occurs in the ground when things are freezing and thawing and what that can do to a frail root system. Then I think that's where most people's minds will go to, but then you also have to think of the sun and what that can do to a very tender young tree and how that can affect the roots. It affects the new growth that these trees can-- Just like you and I, you can go out on a very cold day, and if the sun is beating down on you, you can get warm. That same thing can happen to a tree where it can warm up and then a cloud can roll through or dust can settle in and those temperatures drop significantly and get below freezing, and that can kill off all that new growth in a matter of hours. That's probably something most people don't think about.

Doug: For a young tree, what about wrapping? Is that something that we're still doing these days?

Matt: It is. We don't do it much down here. It just isn't a need because we don't have the prolonged cold, and we certainly don't have days on end that are below freezing. It's not as much of a concern down here. We'll wrap trees in the spring when they're starting to bloom because then we'll get those cold snaps just like you all do up there. Especially in the areas where they see consistent temperatures below freezing, you can wrap the trees in a couple of different ways. A lot of people will use just basic burlap to where you can wrap the trunks and even the canopy and the whole tree if you have a small enough specimen. You can also wrap the trunk.

A lot of people will use corrugated pipe. You can put that around there. I won't say it acts as an insulator because I don't think that's the intent of it, but it really relieves the sun scald of having the direct sunlight beat down on that tree and warm it up enough to where it starts producing new growth and then it's killed off, which can lead to further issues many years down the road. It is a pretty common practice. We'll even see nurseries here down South that will wrap trees in almost like a felt material and tape them up to try to prevent any of that from happening over the winter.

Doug: Then, of course, that comes off in the spring when our temperatures normalize.

Matt: Yes, once you see a consistent temperature rise to where it's not dropping below freezing, then all that can come off. I would say it's like a Band-Aid. You don't want to put something on a tree and just leave it there indefinitely. It's about being proactive and monitoring the forecast. If you see, "We're going to have a really cold spell, we better protect this tree," go ahead and do that. Then once it's over, you want it to breathe essentially. You want to open it back up to where it can be exposed to some of those elements, because that can have a positive effect too. It helps the tree somewhat build resilience.

If you shelter it its whole life and then it's rapidly exposed to something it's not been exposed to before, that can have an even more of an impact. A good example I tell folks is when they stake their trees, a newly planted tree, tie it up, stake it up, and they'll leave those stakes and ties on for a year or two, and then they'll take them off. The tree's grown twice its height in that amount of time. They take it off and the first storm that comes through blows the tree over because it hasn't developed its muscles essentially. It hasn't developed those roots to be able to provide stability. Same thing with the cold and the freeze as well.

Doug: With that staking, I'm wondering, do you do that all the time when you plant a new tree, and how long do you keep that on there so that doesn't happen?

Matt: We do it quite a bit. Traditionally, we're planting ball and burlap or 30 to 50 gallon trees that are 2 to 3-inch caliper diameter, 10-feet tall or so. We'll properly plant them. In reality, they probably don't need stakes because if you properly plant and backfill and compact around that root ball enough to where it is in the ground the right way, you shouldn't need to do that. Then from a consumer's point of view, they almost want to see the stakes and the ties. That way it provides them a little bit of security and insurance. We'll do it just because it makes sense to do it right then, but then we'll also go out there and remove those.

If we plant in the late fall, early winter, we'll want to remove them probably mid-summer after some of the major storms come through that we'll see in the spring and everything. Just, again, a little bit of security. At that point, especially in our climate, the tree has been growing for six to seven months. It's developed enough structural roots to where it can support itself and it shouldn't be as much of an issue at that point.

I don't know that there's a lot of harm if you leave them on longer than that, as long as they weren't constricting the tree or some of the limbs when it was installed. We do see that a lot too, especially with evergreens where a landscaper planted them. We'll see these trees 10 years later, and they're like, "Why is my tree dying?" You'll start to look into it, and they've got straps on the base, straps on the limbs, and the tree's grown around it. That can play a part in why a specific lead is dying or possibly the entire tree.

Doug: Back to our young trees in winter. Let's say up north here that our ground hasn't frozen yet, what is the importance of watering for a young tree?

Matt: Insulation, not in the sense of keeping it warm but providing some of those new roots the proper water they need to maintain their health. A lot of these trees that we put in, you've got it in a container or burlap, and you dig a hole, you put it in the ground. The tree was either raised in that container or in a nursery where it was cared for or it's been on a yard at a nursery for six months being watered routinely. It's gotten used to that. We need to keep that up and then pair the watering with mulch at the time of install is going to provide that insulation and try to protect those new, very tender, delicate roots at that point.

Doug: Let's go with mulch then next and talk a little bit about that. We talk about mulch incessantly on this podcast as you can imagine.

Matt: Right.

Doug: One thing, we've been low on snow cover up here, and that snow cover is a great insulator-

Matt: It is.

Doug: -but the mulch will work that way too, right?

Matt: Yes, sir. On both ends, you've got the freezing end of things where the mulch can act as an insulator, it can hold moisture, it can hold in some of that heat, essentially, and keep those roots in a better state. Then on the flip side of that, especially in warmer climates, it can do the exact same thing with the moisture. You don't have to water as frequently if you've mulched correctly. That can lessen the frequency of needing to water, but then also if something gets overlooked, it can help that along.

Flip side of that coin is it can be detrimental too if you don't apply mulch the right way, which I know you all have talked about in the past with-- We see a lot of volcano mulching down here where just people, yard after yard each year and it's three to four feet off the ground, that tree's toast. You have to be mindful of what you're doing, apply it the right way at the right time, and that can certainly protect a newly planted tree and give it its best chance of survival.

Doug: I ask this question all the time. When you got other people in the car and you're driving around and you see that volcano mulch, are you quiet and just shaking your head, or are you saying, "I can't believe this." Like you said, [crosstalk].

Matt: Oh, yes. It's pointed out often. My wife works on occasion in the office with us. She's well aware of my quirks when it comes to that stuff. I grew up in a Davey Tree family. I've been hearing it for 36 years now. Especially down here, it's a very common occurrence to see. You'll see a 4-inch diameter maple that's 20 feet tall and it's got 3 to 4 feet of mulch up its trunk, which at that point there's little to do if it's been that way for 5, 6 years. You can't hardly go in there with an air spade or anything and break up that compaction. It is certainly something we see often and point out regularly.

Doug: Boy, we have a bat up here too. It's just so sad to see. Talk about being from a Davey family and how you got into this. That's interesting.

Matt: Oh, yes. I started working for Davey Tree in 2007, essentially right out of high school. I graduated in 2006, and worked with Davey through college. My dad's been with Davey since the late '80s, early '90s. He'll be retiring very shortly this year. He'll have 38, 39 years with the company at that point. He started at the ground level like many of us do and just worked his way up. We're partners in the Charlotte residential office right now. He's been very successful in his role and a valuable asset to Davey Tree for sure.

It was good. Growing up, being able to see-- He was in the field when I was young as an arborist, as a plant healthcare technician. Then I got to see that phase all the way through sales, and then into management and how he's built the business that we run today. That's put me in a position to be able to do the same thing and following those footsteps where it was starting at the ground level, literally a ground man. Then climbing trees and plant healthcare and lawn care and sales and management. Davey's a great company and provides all those opportunities to where if you're willing to put in the time, you'll be rewarded.

My goal is to continue to move up through the company and do whatever is asked of me to no end at that, really. It's been good. I've enjoyed it. It's a very rewarding and fulfilling company to work for. Then just what we're doing, trying to, like what you and I are talking about, educating the general public and trying to help folks understand the importance of having these trees, and not only having them, but caring for them the right way from the point of installation up through 100, 200 years, and how taking care of these trees from day one can allow those trees to have 100 year-plus life without issue.

Doug: Was it hard to work with your dad, especially when you were younger? Did you guys figure it out from the beginning?

Matt: We've had our ups and downs, but for the most part, it's been good. I've always been willing-- My mindset has always been, this is his house. This is his operation. Until it's mine, we're going to do it the way he wants it done. It's going to help me in the long run because he knows that I know what not to do at this point. We've had long conversations about how he would have improved things and how he would have done things differently. That should help me in my career be able to excel. Then I also know what to do to make us the office that we are in this company.

Our focus on safety and profitability and keeping our guys-- allowing them to go home every night without issue. It's been very rewarding. We've had a good relationship with working with each other. At this point, it's a family affair. My brother works for us. He's a foreman. He's been here about five years now. My wife works in the office on occasion when we need an extra hand. My mom's worked here many years ago, helping out. I believe my grandma worked here at one point helping out. It's for as big of a company as we are. It's still very family-oriented. I think that's the case in a lot of offices across the company.

Doug: You're like Davey's version of the Royal family.

Matt: A little bit, a little bit. I don't know that some of the folks at Davey would want to say that or admit it, but we try to do it the right way.

Doug: They have that show, The Crown. It could work for trees too, because trees have a crown.

Matt: No doubt. No doubt about it. That'd be perfect. That sounds like a good podcast.

Doug: [laughs] Hey, let's talk about some cool trees that you can grow down there. I repeat this time after time, right tree, right place, but tell me about some cool stuff you're planting down there that might be maybe a little bit off the beaten path.

Matt: We'll get those questions from clients often where they'll have us out and they're like, "Hey, we want to plant some trees." "What do you think? What do you want to see?" It is tough. I'd say we are limited with what we plant down here just because of the drought stress that we see with these trees and plants every year. I think we're still in a moderate to severe drought as of today. We've had quite a bit of rain in December, but it shut off in probably May, June of last year. We didn't see rain for three months, not a drop. If you plant the wrong tree at the wrong time, it's not going to make it. Even with proper watering, it may not make it.

We do quite a bit of planting for the size of operation that we are. We highly focus on doing it at the right time. That's the biggest thing. Probably more so than picking the right species is planting at the right time. We'll plant from end of November until end of February. After that, we either turn the work down or we will set it up for the following fall, early winter, just because we've had 80 degree days in March, and we've seen it get very dry in March and April. If you can't count on a homeowner to water regularly, that tree is going to die and it's going to hurt our reputation when it does die, even if it's not directly our fault. That's focus one is planting at the right time.

Charlotte is-- Their canopy is very important. We've got organizations dedicated to planting trees. We've got different laws and rules that we have to follow as far as removing them. We consistently see-- You can't see it, but I'm in my lot right now and we've got 50, 60-inch diameter willow oak logs piled up from city removals for these 120-year-old trees that are just at their end of life. We have a lot of oak species. We plant quite a few oaks. We see a lot of crepe myrtles, which can be great trees if they're cared for correctly and pruned the right way, which that comes into educating the homeowners as well.

We plant a lot of Chinese elms down here, like Allee or Princeton, Bosque, Chinese elms, just because they seem to be very drought-tolerant and resistant. They don't really have many insect issues. Those are go-to trees. I'm from Ohio, so I don't recall seeing many of those up that way. I know American elms are native all over the East Coast, so we see a lot of those. We won't plant ash trees, but we still have quite a few ash trees that we take care of down here. We really push the native theme, like let's plant something you're accustomed to seeing. Red buds, cherry trees.

I mentioned the crepe myrtles. We plant quite a few maples, even though they are really over-planted down here. You'll see red maples in all the new neighborhoods. It used to be Bradford pears, used to be the go-to tree down here, and now they're essentially outlawed. You can't plant a Bradford pear. A lot of magnolias. They're native trees. What's always been strange to me is North Carolina state tree is the dogwood, and I think every dogwood we've planted in the last 10 years has died.

They are very frail, it seems like. I've even planted them at my own property and had them die, even with proper care. We've been shying away from those quite a bit just because we haven't had a good success rate with them. I don't know if it's due to the change in the climate and it being hotter, longer, and drier more often. They don't care for that. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it with the gardening background.

Doug: When you bring up the dogwood, even up here, I hate to see them planted out in the open, because our native dogwood, it's shallow-rooted. As our climate has changed, they really struggle unless they're planted as an understory plant. There was one tree you mentioned in there that I want you to talk a little bit about, the Chinese elm. I've only seen one up here. They'll grow up here, but man, that is a cool-looking tree. It's certainly underused.

Matt: Very unique bark pattern with how the bark almost peels off, almost like a crepe myrtle to an extent, where that bark will shed and peel. We've got some very big ones here, but we've also got city streets that are lined with them. They'll be 30 to 40 feet tall. Very little litter, in my opinion. The leaves are small, so you don't have to worry. I don't even think I blow my leaves with the ones I've planted. You can mow over them easily and mulch it up.

I think they can have some structural issues. I know I've had some clients where it almost seems like the tree has grown too fast and they split, especially when they're out in the open, but that can happen with nearly anything if it's not in the right spot. They've been our go-to just because of the drought tolerance. A lot of people, they'll remove their red maple that either has bleeding canker issues or gloomy scale is a big issue down here that we treat for all year long.

When we remove a maple, if they're allowed to plant whatever tree in there, if they're in an HOA, if they're not directed by the HOA to plant another maple, we'll steer them towards a Chinese elm just because it's like, "Hey, we can plant this tree that's going to be 10 to 12 feet tall when we install it, and within three to four years, it's going to provide you shade. It will be a nice tree."

They tend to hold up really well. Time will tell. They are a fairly new species, so we'll see what happens in the long run, just like a Bradford pear. I'm sure that was talk of the town 30 years ago and we see how that went. I've been very happy with them. I've planted them in a couple of my houses that I've had just because I want that instant gratification. I want to enjoy it in 10 years, not 50.

Doug: Matt, that was a lot of fun. When you go back to the office, until your dad retires, you have to refer to him as your highness.

Matt: Yes, sir. [laughs]

Doug: Thanks again for spending some time with me, and great information.

Matt: Very good. No, it was fun. I'm glad we got to bounce around a bit and touch on a little bit of everything. That's what I enjoy about the job. That's for sure.

Doug: We will talk to you again, I'm sure. Thanks.

Matt: All right, Doug. Thank you.

Doug: Tune in every Thursday to the Talking Trees podcast from the Davey Tree Expert Company. I am your host, Doug Hoster. Do me a favor, subscribe to the podcast so you'll never miss one of these fun shows. Have an idea for an episode or maybe a comment? Send us an email at podcasts@davey.com. That's P-O-D-C-A-S-T-S at D-A-V-E-Y dot com. As always, you know it, we like to remind you on the Talking Trees podcast, trees are the answer.

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