We are admonished all the time about the need to plant trees, due to urban development. In some cities as many as 4 trees die or are removed for every tree that is planted.  According to the houstontx.gov website, the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area (Houston CMSA) which consists of eight counties (Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller) is a network of urban sprawl that is 8,778 square miles, an area larger than the entire state of New Jersey. All this development has meant quite a bit of deforestation of the Piney Woods region of Southeast Texas, and anything we can do to raise the ratio of Texas native trees planted for Texas native trees cut down is ...

Here in Southeast Texas we have seen the 2011 drought kill off far too many of our native Texas trees. Many of our customers are looking to replace to trees that they lost, and want pointers on which are the best Texas tree varieties for hardiness, quick growth, and most of all, to have a future as a welcome addition to their landscape.

How to select  the best Texas tree for your yard.

Trees are for a lifetime, so think about the purpose of your new tree as you prepare to plant. A planting service can assist you with this process. There are many native Texas trees perfect for use as shade trees, others more ornamental, and so forth. Planting requires knowledge of the tree to be planted and the specific needs of the tree.&...

The tree’s natural born enemy is the wind storm. When a hurricane blows, or tornado touches down, some of your trees will become casualties. To what extent they are salvageable depends on the tree damage done. Some tree damage is minor and the tree will bounce back right away.  Some is major, and is tree damage that leads to certain tree death.

Minor Tree Damage – And Definitely Recoverable

If the damaged tree merely loses a few minor branches, then all will be well. You may need to clean up the break points if there are torn limbs, but otherwise the tree will bounce back given a little time. Even a mature shade tree can withstand the loss of a major limb. Prune the broken limb back to the trunk. Monitor for ...

Professional tree services have been rather vocal against the practice of topping trees. Many may wonder what is tree topping, and why is it so bad?

Tree topping is the practice of severely pruning back the limbs of the tree back to the largest branches and effectively removing nearly all – if not all – of the leaf-producing twigs and stems.

The practice of tree-topping  is a rather old school practice – it was very common in the 50’s and 60’s. More current research about the biological effects of the tree topping method of pruning proves that it is horribly traumatic to the tree. Topping trees ultimately results in trees that are more dangerous and less aesthetically pleasing.

The ...

Green debris cleanup and brush clearing services is the removal of unwanted undergrowth, cleanup of fallen trees after a hurricane or tornado, or the clearing of property that has been left unattended for a number of years and is in need of being reclaimed. While we tend to think of green debris as being completely natural and that it will very effectively break down in the organic process of time, the fact is that green debris can be very unsightly, and  indeed harmful to its surroundings.

 Whenever a hurricane blows through or a tornado touches down trees hit the ground. This is no problem if the tree is in the middle of a state forest. Nature certainly takes care of things with repurcussions that are acceptable out in ...

The Southeast Texas 2011 summer drought has brought about the doom of so many of our beautiful trees, both of our loblolly pines and our many varieties of oak trees. We have been so busy lately helping our customers safely remove dead trees in their neighborhoods and properties. And our customers, typically being conservation-conscious, ask about putting the dead wood to good use as firewood. Many ask, what is the best wood to use for firewood? That question can be answered in two phases: what type of wood makes for good firewood, and what process must be done to ensure that good firewood burns well.

Generally speaking, hard woods are the best type of wood for firewood. Hard wood is a denser wood, and this means that hard wood ...

Mulching is an important part of tree care, and many people do not know the vast array of reasons why this is true.  Here is a top-five list of most important reasons why you should mulch:

• Mulch improves soil aeration and drainage for the tree
• Mulch is a temperature barrier that shields roots from extreme heat in summer and extreme cold in winter
• Mulch conserves moisture for the tree
• Mulch impedes the growth of nutrient-hogging weeds
• Mulch prevents soil erosion by impeding water runoff

Knowing why one should mulch is the first step. The next two steps are to know what mulch types to consider, and how to apply mulch effectively.

Mulch Types

There are a myriad of mulch types out on the ...

Land Clearing can prepare a lot for new construction and will increase the value of the property.  There are many options when clearing a lot of brush.  Whether you are clearing a marked area for a home or for a pool to be installed, or clearing easements and/or lot lines, land clearing is essential for all sorts of property and construction needs. If you need to get rid of a large amount of underbrush to make way for a new home or a business, you may want to know what is involved in professional land clearing cost, or the investment involved in renting land clearing equipment. 

Land Clearing Equipment

Tractors fitted with cutter heads, and additional mulching attachments, are necessary land clearing equipment ...

Tree trimming is a vital part of a tree’s health.  Why is this so? Because a healthy tree needs proper air and sunlight to grow, not to mention that untended branches can grow in directions that are less than ideal in the long run, resulting in branches that are weak and fail to thrive.  Heavy winds, flooding and ice are more likely to cause un-trimmed trees to fall or be uprooted. Proper tree trimming also adds to the overall beauty of the tree, keeping it looking majestic and strong as it continues to grow and mature. But trimming a tree is not as easy at trimming a hedge, and knowing which branches to cut, and how to cut them safely, is a task that often involves help of the professional kind.

Trim A Tree Do-It-...

So the tree is cut down and only the stump remains, and now you are ready for your lawn to take over the place of that stump. There are a host of methods out on the internet offering do-it-yourself how-to-remove-a-stump instructions, none of them quick or easy (and most of these articles will tell you so, if they are honest). From digging them out to chopping them up, drilling stumps for chemical applications, and removal by burning, all of these take lots of time, energy, and patience. Hiring an arborist equipped with a mechanical stump grinder is the only way for the task to be rendered quick and easy. In a matter of a few minutes, large stumps are ground away, leaving a nice hole for topsoil and a couple of squares of sod, and ...