Tree Damage by Linemen

cutting or local burning caused by friction between a loose wire and a branch, or, more often, the mutilations performed by careless or ignorant linemen. The rules of the electric companies forbid their employees to use any tree without the consent Of the owner and provide for expert super- vision of any tree trimming that is authorized. Linemen fre- quently ignore these rules, but no tree need suffer if its owner will take the trouble to report the case to headquarters before the damage is done. In many cases the company will completely trim and fix up a tree for the privilege of carrying their wires thru it. In this State an owner should always be represented by a Shade Tree Commission. ; STREET TREES. 19 Fig. 12. A Row of Old Trees Butchered to Make Room for High Wires. Compare With Fig. 13. Fig. 13. The Same Trees as in Fig. 12, With Crowns Saved and Wires Carried Thru Them in Cables on Low Poles. The construction of electric lines is a necessity of our civilization the cost of carrying the wires underground is prohibitive except in : 20 SHADE TREE GUIDE. cities where the service is concentrated ; they must therefore be carried on poles along the streets and must be accommodated to ex- isting structures and trees. In making these accommodations five rules will govern i. Set the poles as far out of the tree line as possible, to avoid interference. 2. Use low rather than high poles. Where the trees are small, and in line with the poles, it is necessary to carry the wires above them, but as they grow, lower the poles so that the wires may be carried, on offsets, brackets and insulators, away from or thru the A firm bodies of the trees. wire fastened so that it does not rub can do no harm ; a bolt carefully driven into the heart of a branch to support an insulator or a cross arm is always justified; but any vigorous tree will soon outgrow the practical height of electric poles. 3. Let cross arms and insulators be fastened to strong trees, rather than set poles, where the wires can be properly carried. 4. Provide guard strips on the trees and abrasion moulding on the wires wherever there is movement and a chance that the tree and the wire will rub. The removal of small interior branches to make a clear way for a wire is more apt to be a benefit than an injury to a tree. 5. Have all cuts larger than 1 inch diameter made smooth and carefully treated (see p. 14), to prevent the entrance of disease germs. Prohibit absolutely the use of climbing spurs in any tree. Diseases The diseases of trees are chiefly due to abnormal soil or climatic conditions, to injuries, or to parasitic fungi. The latter sometimes are very destructive, as in the case of the chestnut blight; more commonly, as the sycamore anthracnose, they affect the foliage more or less seriously, but do little permanent harm. Fortunately, -- most diseases attack only one tree species, or one genus, a law that makes diagnosis and control less difficult than they would be otherwise. If a tree begins to fail without apparent cause, it should be questioned (1) whether it lacks water; (2) whether it stands in sterile soil and lacks fertilizer. If either deficiency is discovered the remedy is obvious (see p. 13). If it is not, a specialist may be helpful; often he can do nothing. If the fleshy fruiting bodies of a fungus appear, the tree, or its affected member, is seriously diseased, and surgery, or the tree's removal, is indicated. It fre- quently is better to ignore the signs of internal decay than to start a cutting which may have no practical limits. Many trees live for years with their heartwood completely gone. (See Cavities, p. 16). It is important to distinguish the fungus fruits which appear only A on dead wood, from those which are parasitic. special publica- tion, "Common Diseases of Shade Trees," can be obtained upon re- quest of the State Agricultural Experiment Station, New Bruns- wick. ;; DISEASES. 21 Wilting. The leaves of shade trees frequently wilt out of season. Sycamores are apt to lose their first leaves in the spring from a prevalent disease, but soon get a second set and usually suffer lit- tle permanently. No specific treatment is advised. Other species, especially maples, are beset with lice or scale insects which by sucking their juices cause the leaves to die. If the attack is slight let nature take care of it ; if it is serious spray as directed on page 22. But most trouble of this kind is found in Norway and sugar maples the cause is obscure, yet there is reason to believe that too little food, sometimes too little water, is available to nourish the heavy leafage that these trees produce. Feeding and watering (p. 13) will usually prevent this trouble ; if it develops, let the foliage of the affected tree be curtailed by an interior pruning (p. 14), then fertilize. (Figs. 8,9-) Bleeding. This frequently occurs when branches are cut while the sap is moving freely. Under such conditions stop all pruning as loss of sap lowers the vitality of a tree. Another sort of bleeding, sometimes called "slime-flux," and hav- ing an offensive odor, usually begins in a wound, or behind a filling, and is often hard to manage. Like a sore in the flesh the worst possible course is to stop it from the outside ; it must be cleansed, --sterilized and made to heal from the inside. Let all affected tissue bark and wood, be cut out with a sharp chisel, the wound pointed at top and bottom (fig. 10) and all edges left smooth: sterilize the exposed surfaces with weak formalin and cover with tar; never use cement. I'f the trouble is due to a split crotch, clean the crack as well as possible, bolt the parts together, as at D, figure 11, and treat as above. Insects Not all insects are harmful to trees : some, tho harmful, are so controlled by natural enemies that they rarely are found in numbers great enough to do serious damage ; others attack only trees that have been weakened by neglect or injury. As with diseases, harmful insects usually confine their attacks to trees of one species, or one genus. Thus the elm beetle attacks elms only, the hickory borer only hickories. It is entirely safe to say that a few insects of any kind on a vigorous tree will do little harm ; a few insects on a weak tree should be looked after, and many insects on any tree demand prompt attention. But to be always on the safe side every suspected case should be referred to some au- -- thority an entomologist or a forester. Ants are rarely harmful their presence about a tree usually means that honey dew, decayed wood or fungus growths are available for their food. Injurious insects are grouped in three classes: biters, suckers, and borers. 22 SHADE TREE GUIDE. Biters. These commonly attack the foliage and may work as adults (beetles) or as larvae (caterpillars or worms). Control is determined by a knowledge of the life history of each species, but a general remedy is to poison their food. The best means is to spray thoroly with arsenate of lead according to directions given on the commercial packages. Banding a tree trunk with cotton or some sticky stuff is useful only when the insects are crawling up. Bag worms, tent caterpillars, etc., which form conspicuous shelters or colonies in tree crowns, and forms like tussock moths which set egg masses on nearby structures, as well as on the trees, can often be destroyed by hand or by fire even more successfully than by spraying. Suckers. These appear as minute, crawling insects, frequently protected by woolly, waxy or scaly coverings. They locate on the younger branches, or on the leaves, often in enormous numbers, and live by sucking the sap. Some forms can be washed away with a strong jet of water from a hose, but in most severe cases thoro and repeated spraying with a caustic, or with a penetrating oil, is necessary. Fish-oil soap suds is good for the tenderer forms, especially when reinforced with tobacco extract; lime-sulfur or soluble oil is best for those with scaly armor. Borers. Boring insects work, as beetles or worms, in the twigs or buds, in heartwood, or, most frequently, in the cambium layer between sapwood and bark. Their presence is indicated by broken branches and by small holes in the bark beneath which wood dust is often found. In our territory a few species attack healthy trees, but most seek out those whose vitality has been lowered. Control is dif- ficult because the pest is mostly out of sight, and, tho help can some- times be given, it usually is necessary to depend chiefly upon keep- ing the trees in good health. Against the locust borer anything else is useless. Any hickory tree that is seriously infested with the hick- ory borer is doomed and should be cut down and burned without de- lay for the sake of nearby trees, and the latter should be stimulated by feeding to ward off attack. Leopard-moth larva? are especially fond of young, newly-planted street trees which are struggling to A establish themselves. measure of control is possible by cutting out the boring worms, by crushing them with a wire run into the burrows, by injecting carbon bisulfid, and especially by encouraging insect eating birds. More specific advice is given in a publication of the State Agricultural Experiment Station, New Brunswick, "In- sect Enemies of Ornamental Trees and Shrubs," by Harry B. Weiss, which will be sent upon request. fi tin f i& ,F9 n **ess 021 489 460 9 : :::;: Every Community in the State should have, and should support, an energetic 1- ill' SHADE TREE COMMISSION The Law Gives It Broad Powers ::::::: �{'.':''. jflku 1. To care for standing trees. iiiiiil 2. To get more trees planted. i 3. To guard against injury. 4. To combat insects and diseases. 5. To control electric wiring. ASK THE STATE FORESTER FOR ADVICE The following collateral publications will be sent free upon re- quest by the State Agricultural Experiment Station, New Bruns- wick : Circular No. 98'. Common Diseases of Shade Trees, by M. T. Cook, State Plant Pathologist. -- Circular No. . Insect Enemies of Ornamental Trees and Shrubs, by Harrv B. Weiss. raj