Arboriculture & Tree Care Flashcards

When is the best time to prune most flowering trees that bloom in spring?

Answer: Immediately after flowering in spring

Spring-blooming trees set their flower buds the previous season; pruning immediately after bloom preserves the current flowers and allows new bud development for next year.

Which condition describes a tree that has died while still standing upright?

Answer: Snag

A snag is a standing dead tree; in arboriculture and urban forestry, snags pose hazard management concerns and are assessed for removal or retention.

The ISA (International Society of Arboriculture) recommends against 'lion's tailing' because it:

Answer: Strips interior branches, creating end-heavy, wind-sail branches prone to failure

Lion's tailing removes interior and lower branches, concentrating foliage at branch ends, which weakens structure and increases branch failure risk in wind.

Tree wound dressings (pruning paint) are now generally NOT recommended by arborists because research shows they:

Answer: Do not prevent decay and may interfere with the tree's natural compartmentalization

Studies show wound dressings do not prevent decay or infection and can seal in moisture and pathogens, impairing the tree's natural CODIT response.

Which measurement is used to express tree trunk size for transplanting specifications in the US?

Answer: Caliper (trunk diameter in inches, measured 6 inches above grade)

The American Standard for Nursery Stock specifies trunk caliper (diameter) measured at 6 inches above grade for trees up to 4-inch caliper as the sizing standard.

Dutch elm disease is caused by which pathogen, spread primarily by which vector?

Answer: Fungus (Ophiostoma novo-ulmi), spread by elm bark beetles

Dutch elm disease is caused by the fungus Ophiostoma novo-ulmi, introduced to new trees primarily by native and European elm bark beetles as they feed.