Introduction
What is arboriculture?
- The care of individual trees
- Looks at the system a tree inhabits
Life phases for urban trees
- Phase (time dependent on species & environment)
- New Tree (least productive, usually)
- Mature Tree (most productive)
- End of life (slow decline)
Scope of arboricultural practice
- Management of any individual tree
- Whenever the tree interacts with people
- Might manage other plants / vegetation
- I.e., cacti
Arboriculture as problem solving
- Mediating conflicts between trees & urban infrastructure
- Managing trees around sensitive environments
Analysis & problem-solving with urban trees
- Have an expansive vision
- Understand the site and site-plant interactions
- Know your trees & other plants
- Assemble expertise and research solutions
- Think creatively -- propose solutions
- Review, assess, revise -- an iterative process