Patriot Tree Service LLC

07/11/2025

Recent work

08/29/2024

04/18/2023

🚫Topping Trees🚫

There are about 317 reasons why not to top your trees. Here are a few: You’re removing an extremely significant amount of foliage which causes stress and creates an absence in food supply, the new growth will be numerous water sprouts/sucker growth which have weak attachment points, larger wounds/pruning cuts are much harder for a tree to seal/callous, aesthetically it looks terrible. Don’t top your trees!

07/18/2022

Do tree care companies ever need to call 811?
Before reaching for that shovel or excavator to plant or remove a tree stump, you need to call 811– the national number that connects you to your local call-before-you-dig center. This will allow you to get the approximate location of buried utility lines marked.
Many homeowners and contractors incorrectly believe they don’t need to call 811 before breaking ground on projects such as tree and shrub planting. Unintentionally striking an underground utility line while digging can cause harm to you or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, and result in bills to cover repair costs and even fines in some areas. ~Arbor Day
The greatest danger to underground utilities occurs during planting!
Accidental digging into underground utilities can cause costly repairs to restore interrupted service or result in injury or loss of life. Before digging call your utility company or locator service to make sure you have located underground utilities. Never assume that utilities are buried deeper than you plan to dig. Locating underground utilities before digging is often required by law.
811 is the national call-before-you-dig phone number.
Anyone who plans to dig should call 811 or go to their state 811 center's website before digging to request that the approximate location of buried utilities be marked with paint or flags so that you don't unintentionally dig into an underground utility line.

07/18/2022

Tree Insect and Disease Problems
Diagnosis Correct diagnosis of plant health problems requires a careful examination of the situation.
1. Accurately identify the plant. Many insects and diseases are plant-specific. This helps limit the list of suspected diseases. Treatment without confirmation of the issue is often ineffective.
2. Look for a pattern of abnormality. Compare the affected plant with others on the site, especially those of the same species. Non-uniform damage patterns may indicate insects or diseases. Uniform damage over a large area usually indicates disorders caused by physical injury, poor drainage, chemical damage, or weather.
3. Carefully examine the landscape. The history of the neighboring property may reveal problems. Most living pathogens take a long time to spread, so if a large percentage of plants are affected quickly, a pathogen or insect is probably not involved.
4. Examine the roots. Brown roots may indicate dry soil or the presence of toxic chemicals. Black roots may indicate overly wet soil or the presence of root-rotting organisms.
5. Check the trunk and branches. Wounds caused by weather, fire, mechanical damage, or animals can provide entrances for pathogens and wood-rotting organisms. Large defects may indicate a potentially hazardous tree.
6. Note the position and appearance of affected leaves. Leaf damage alone is not generally sufficient to identify the pest or disease. Evidence of the affliction is needed to confirm the issue.

Insects
• Some insects cause injury and damage to trees and shrubs. Generally, the insect problem is secondary to problems brought on by a stress disorder or pathogen.
• Most insects are beneficial rather than destructive. They help with pollination or act as predators of more harmful species.
• Killing all insects without regard for their kind and function can actually be detrimental to tree health.
Insects may be divided into three categories according to their method of feeding: chewing, sucking, and boring. Insects from each group have characteristic patterns of damage that help with diagnosis.
•Chewing insects eat plant tissue such as leaves, flowers, buds, roots, and twigs. Damage by these insects is often defined by uneven or broken margins on the leaves, skeletonization of the leaves, and leaf mining. Chewing insects include beetle adults or larvae, moth larvae (caterpillars), and many other groups of insects. The damage they cause (leaf notching, leaf skeletonizing, etc.) will help in identifying the pest insect.
•Sucking insects insert their beak (proboscis) into the tissues of leaves, twigs, branches, flowers, or fruit and then feed on the plant’s juices. Some examples of sucking insects are aphids, mealy bugs, thrips, and leafhoppers. Damage caused by these pests is often indicated by discoloration, drooping, wilting, leaf spots (stippling), honeydew, or general lack of vitality in the plant.
•Boring insects spend time feeding beneath the bark of a tree as larvae. Some borers also kill twigs and leaves, either when adults feed or when larvae bore into stems after hatching from eggs. Other borers, such as bark beetles, mate at or near the bark surface and lay eggs in tunnels beneath the bark.

Diseases
Three things are required for a disease to develop:
A pathogen (disease-causing agent).
2. A plant susceptibility to that particular pathogen.
3. An environment suitable for disease development.
Plants vary in susceptibility to pathogens. Many disease prevention programs focus on the use of pathogen-resistant plant varieties. Diseases can be classified into two broad categories: • Infectious: transmittable diseases caused by microscopic living agents. • Non-infectious: non-transmittable diseases that are inherited or the result of non-living agents. Examples of infectious agents include fungi, fungal like microorganisms, viruses, and bacteria. Non-infectious diseases, the majority of plant problems in urban areas, can be caused by such factors as compacted soil, nutrient deficiencies, temperature extremes, vandalism, pollutants, and fluctuations in moisture. Non-infectious diseases often produce symptoms similar to those caused by infectious diseases. It is essential to distinguish between the two to determine proper treatment options.

Treatment
The treatment method used for a particular insect or disease problem will depend on the species involved, the extent of the problem, and a variety of other factors specific to the situation and local regulations.

07/17/2022

Topping is perhaps the most harmful tree pruning practice known!
Yet, despite more than 25 years of literature and seminars explaining its harmful effects, topping remains a common practice.
Topping is the indiscriminate cutting of tree branches to stubs or to lateral branches that are not large enough to assume the terminal role. Other names include “heading,” “tipping,” “hat-racking,” and “rounding over.”
Topping is often used to reduce the size of a tree. Homeowners may feel a large tree poses a risk to their property; however, topping is not a viable method of height reduction, and may increase risk in the long term.
Topping Stresses Trees!
Trees Leaves are the food factories of a tree; however, topping can remove 50-100% of a tree’s leaf-bearing crown. Removing the leaves can potentially starve a tree and trigger various survival mechanisms. Dormant buds are activated, forcing rapid growth of multiple shoots below each cut. The tree needs to grow a new crop of leaves as soon as possible. If a tree does not have the stored energy reserves to do so, it will be seriously weakened and may die.
Topping Stresses Trees, and may cause the tree to decline!
A stressed tree with large, open pruning wounds is more vulnerable to insect and disease infestations. The tree may lack sufficient energy to chemically defend the wounds against invasion, and some insects are actually attracted to the chemical signals trees release.
Topping Can Lead to Sunburn Branches within a tree’s crown produce thousands of leaves to absorb sunlight. When the leaves are removed, the remaining branches and trunk are suddenly exposed to high levels of light and heat. The result may be sunburn of the tissues beneath the bark, which can lead to cankers, bark splitting, and death of some branches.
Topping Leads to Decay
Correct pruning cuts are made just beyond the branch collar (see figure below). The tree is biologically equipped to close such a wound if the tree is healthy enough and the wound is not too large.
Cuts made indiscriminately between lateral branches create stubs or wounds that the tree may not be able to close. The exposed wood tissues begin to decay. Normally, a tree will “wall off,” or compartmentalize, the decaying tissues, but few trees can defend the multiple severe wounds caused by topping. The decay organisms are given a free path to move through branches.
Topping Can Lead to Unacceptable Risk
The survival mechanism that causes a tree to produce multiple shoots below each topping cut comes at great expense to the tree These shoots develop from buds near the surface of the old branches. Unlike normal branches that develop in a socket of overlapping wood tissues, these new shoots are anchored only in the outermost layers of the parent branches and are weakly attached. The new shoots grow quickly, as much as 20 feet (6 m) in one year in some species. Unfortunately, the shoots are weakly attached and prone to breaking, especially during windy or icy conditions. While the original goal was to reduce risk by reducing height, risk of limb failure has now increased.
Topping Makes Trees Ugly
Topping destroys the natural form of a tree. Trees form a variety of shapes and growth habits, all with the same goal of presenting their leaves to the sun. Topping removes the ends of the branches, often leaving ugly stubs. Without leaves (for up to six months of the year in temperate climates), a topped tree appears disfigured and mutilated. A tree that has been topped can never fully regain its natural form.
Topping Is Expensive
The cost of topping a tree is not limited to only the job cost. Some hidden costs include:
• Increased maintenance costs. If the tree survives, it will likely require corrective pruning within a few years (e.g., crown reduction or storm damage repair). If the tree dies, it will have to be removed. • Reduced property value. Healthy, well-maintained trees can add 10–20% to the value of a property. Disfigured, topped trees are considered an impending expense.
• Increased liability potential. Topped trees may pose an unacceptable level of risk. Because topping is considered an unacceptable pruning practice, any damage caused by branch failure of a topped tree may lead to a finding of negligence in a court of law.

Alternatives to Topping
Sometimes a tree must be reduced in height or spread, such as for providing utility line clearance. There are recommended techniques for doing so.
Small branches should be removed back to their point of origin. If a larger limb must be shortened, it should be pruned back to a lateral branch that is large enough (at least one-third the diameter of the limb being removed) to assume the terminal role. This method of branch reduction helps to preserve the natural form of the tree.
Internodal cuts, leaving stubs, should never be made.
Sometimes the best solution is to remove the tree and replace it with a species that is more appropriate.

07/17/2022

Benefits of Proper Mulching
• Reduces soil moisture loss through evaporation.
• Controls w**d germination and growth.
• Insulates soil, protecting roots from extreme summer and winter temperatures.
• Improves soil biology, aeration, structure (aggregation of soil particles), and drainage over time.
• Increases soil fertility as certain mulch types decompose.
• Inhibits certain plant diseases.
• Reduces the likelihood of tree damage from string trimmers and lawn mowers.
• Gives planting beds a uniform, cared-for look. Trees growing in a natural forest environment have their roots anchored in a rich, well aerated soil full of essential nutrients and soil microorganisms. The soil is blanketed by fallen leaves and other organic materials that organisms break down to release nutrients into the soil. This environment is optimal for root growth and mineral uptake. Urban landscapes and new developments, however, are typically harsher environments with poor-quality soil, reduced organic matter, and large fluctuations in soil temperature and moisture.
Many benefits of the natural environment can be replicated, while maintaining a more formal appearance, with the application of an mulch.
Types of Organic Mulch
• Examples include wood chips, pine needles, hardwood and softwood bark, cocoa hulls, leaves, compost mixes, and a variety of other products usually derived from plants.
• Decomposes in the landscape at different rates depending on the material, climate, and soil microorganisms present.
• Requires more replenishing depending on how fast it decomposes.
Types of Inorganic Mulch
• Examples include various types of stone, lava rock, shredded rubber, and other materials.
• Synthetic grass with drainage in the backing, or pavers installed with sanded joints, may also be considered a 'mulch', in some localities. https://www.snwa.com/rebates/wsl/index.html
• Does not decompose or need to be replenished often.
• Does not improve soil structure or provide nutrients.
Too much mulch can be harmful. The recommended mulching depth is 2–4 inches (5–10 cm). Unfortunately, many landscapes are falling victim to a plague of over mulching.
“Mulch volcanoes” are excessive piles of mulch materials applied around the base of trees. This is not an acceptable practice, as it disturbs healthy trunks and can cause abnormal root growth, above the soil.

05/27/2022

Map of reported oak wilt cases in Michigan. No cases reported/discovered in Huron County

https://midnr.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=aa4075c218ad4b968f15f14f84b37387

This year April 15th - July 15th the spread of oak wilt is at the greatest risk. Trimming oak trees especially red oaks should not be done during this time. The best time to trim oaks is November 1st - March 14th.

Visit www.michiganoakwilt.org for more information. And or contact Patriot Tree Service to talk to a specialist.
989-888-1776

05/02/2022

Hiring Tree Service Groundsman*

Responsibilities of the position include but are not limited to the following:

Ability to follow directions and work independently

Able to lift in excess of 70 lbs

Operate a chainsaw safely

Drag and Chip Brush

Drive Vehicles under 26,000 lbs

Drive and shift a vehicle with manual transmission

Drive and back vehicles towing trailers

Assist in the maintenance of equipment

Maintain a clean, organized and safe working environment.

Qualifications:

Athletic, positive attitude, able to withstand laborious outdoor activity, display a willingness to learn, and have a professional and courteous demeanor.

Must display pride in themselves and the work which they perform.

Must be able to think critically

Must possess a valid drivers license

Must have reliable transportation to and from the shop.

It is preferred that the applicant have 1 year of experience in outdoor labor.
It may be necessary for the individual to perform some duties beyond regular work hours on evenings and weekends in the event of an emergency. Due to the nature of the position and responsibilities, the position can be challenging and time-consuming. A successful candidate must have the ability to work independently as well as function within a team so he can deal effectively with difficult situations. A successful candidate will possess a strong work ethic, be well organized, have the ability to reassess priorities, possess strong problem solving and decision making skills and be able to handle a demanding position.

08/15/2021