Jun 11, 2021
Looking at the proverbial forest, as opposed to just a single tree, is the underlying premise of plant health care (PHC) services. It’s an approach that arborists take that considers the entire small ecosystem that each of your trees is a part of. A healthier, more vibrant landscape setting will result in stronger individual trees.
The key to PHC is ensuring that, during each season of the year, trees and shrubs are looked after and the overall health of their environment is maintained. It’s a way to curtail more severe interventions when something dire happens by preventing them from happening in the first place—especially after-the-fact measures to control disease and insects. Changing the oil in the car every 5,000 miles is preferable to an engine rebuild, right?
Strobert Tree Services is a full-service provider of a wide range of tree services in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland—including certified arborists who understand the kind of sustainability issues that are at the core of PHC approaches to property management. Throughout the region (including Delaware County towns like Newtown Township, Swarthmore, Media, Drexel Hill, Brookhaven/Upland, and Glen Mills), we can bring our knowledge and specialized skills to fully develop the potential of any property.
A PHC approach starts at the beginning and includes choosing the right species for a setting, which will help build the long-term viability of an area. Included in this first phase of PHC landscape management are properly choosing the placement of any new plantings; using the right techniques when planting that encompasses necessary soil improvements, mulching, watering; and any pruning of already established plants in the vicinity.
Taking stock of the biological “facts on the ground” is also a major component of PHC. Understanding what creatures are already sharing the landscape—and what pests might find it attractive in the future—is the basis for devising ways to strengthen or introduce natural predators of pests or weeds in ways that can curtail the use of pesticides and herbicides. A PHC approach heightens the power of biological control mechanisms.
The fact is that in most urban or suburban settings, most trees have been planted without too much consideration of the long-term facts of their landscape. A range of issues flow from this reality. Soils that are overly compacted, have poor drainage, lack a diverse population of microorganisms and other organic matter, and are host to a high level of multispecies competition are not what trees and shrubs evolved to grow in.
Then there are the additional pressures of changing weather patterns, invasive species, and pollution. The end result is an environment that is not optimal for trees and shrubs’ growth and long-term health.
The PHC services that Strobert Tree Services provides will assess an area and seek to remediate as much as possible any weaknesses for existing trees or new ones that will be planted. Our arborists, certified by the International Society of Arboriculture, can create a PHC plan that will set up and monitor an action plan that will give trees and shrubs the best opportunity to thrive throughout their lives and, in so doing, raise the health and value of any woodlot or mixed-use area.
Strobert Tree Services offers a comprehensive services that can take on any tree-related task, whether short-term work or long-term planning.
