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News and Blog Articles
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 It’s finally Fall! As you wander through the festivals and enjoy the cooler weather, you may notice an abundance of acorns on the ground this year in addition to crispy leaves. While acorns are a common autumn occurrence, you aren’t imagining things: there’s definitely a lot more of them than usual! That’s because in Georgia this year, white oaks are masting. It’s a mast year! What is Masting?Masting is a coordinated event where all the trees of a given species in the same area will produce an unusually large bounty of their nuts, seeds, or fruit. This abundant crop is called a ‘bumper crop’ and is synchronized locally every 2 to 5 years, depending on the species. A mast year is just a year in which a certain species goes through masting. Why Do Trees Mast?Growing fruiting bodies that can reproduce is a heavily taxing process for any plant species. There’s only so much energy to go around, and a lot of that has to be spent on keeping the tree alive. That means that most trees only produce enough fruiting bodies in any given year to satisfy the local wildlife population that eats their crop. Only a small percentage is left over a given the chance to actually grow into new plants. While this is functional enough for any species to continue, the goal is not just to survive, but to multiply. And so, some species developed masting as a clever way to help along the reproduction side of things without overextending themselves into extinction.  Every few years, these species produce their bumper crop of fruiting bodies, an amount much higher than the local wildlife population could hope to get through. This guarantees a larger percentage of seeds or nuts that get the chance to grow into new plants, helping boost the species’ population. Of course, the amount of energy required to do this is exponential, which is why they don’t go around masting every single year. Instead, they save up their stores for a few years and use it all up at once in a mast year. How Do Trees Mast?The process of growing extra fruiting bodies is fairly straightforward, and even the cyclical nature of doing so every few years is a pretty common phenomenon in nature. But the part of masting that still leaves us stumped today is the synchronized bit. If all trees of the same species, regardless of location, were on roughly the same masting schedule, then we would know that the event is dictated by, essentially, a biological clock. The time between mast years would be dictated by evolutionary pressures in the species’ past. But mast year schedules of any given tree species vary from location to location. That means that all the trees of a particular species in one area are, somehow, communicating with each other. There’s plenty of theories out there about how they do this (things like electrical signals sent through underground fungal networks, for example), but as of now, we have no definitive understanding of this process. Which just means we still have so much to learn! What Are the Effects of Masting?One of the main effects of masting is, of course, an increase in population for the species that masts. In the years following the bumper crop, a much larger number of that species will take root and grow.  Another effect of masting, however, is the benefit to wildlife. In a normal year in prime conditions, the ecosystem supports the local wildlife’s population. But conditions are not always prime, and sometimes unexpected circumstances can impact a species’ population. For example, a severe storm might wash away some food supply, and flood nests or burrows, hurting the population. Masting of course helps boost the tree species’ population, but also provides an abundance of food that can help boost listing wildlife populations, keeping the entire ecosystem in balance. AuthorEmily Casuccio is sister and sister-in-law to Rebekah and Scott Rushing, and has worked with Classic City Arborists for the last 5 years. In addition to handling administrative tasks and customer communication (she’s the voice you’ll hear on the phone!), Emily is an experienced copywriter, editor, and storyboard consultant. To learn more about her, read samples of her work, or contact her, visit her online portfolio.
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 Leyland Cypresses are a beautiful evergreen tree, used widely both by professionals and homeowners to decorate landscapes and offer privacy. You’ve probably seen them in rows as a privacy fence in your neighborhood, or even at your local Christmas tree farm! What Is a Leyland Cypress?The Leyland Cypress (X Cupressocyparis leylandii) is a hybrid coniferous evergreen tree. A hybrid is a cross between two other species: in this case, the Nootka false cypress (Chamaecyparis nootkantensis) and the Monterey cypress (Cupressocyparis macrocarpa). As a hybrid, most Leyland Cypresses are sterile, which means they don’t produce seeds that can then grow into other trees. To propagate them, nurseries and other sellers and farmers must use cuttings. Leylands grow in a pyramid- or cone-like shape, and can reach heights of 60 to 70 feet, with spreads between 15 to 25 feet. They’re fast growers, too, and on average, will add about 4 feet to their height and 2 to 3 feet to their width every year until they reach that full size. They usually live 15 to 20 years before naturally dying out. The leaves of the Leyland Cypress are more similar to needles than leaves, and grow in thin, short layers resembling scales. They range from a rich green to a darker blue-green depending on the cultivar. Their sterile seeds are found in small cones about 2 cm in length. These cones begin green, fade to brown with maturity, and eventually dry out, turning gray before they fall.  Leyland Cypress trees like full sun to thrive, which means they need 6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day. This makes them good candidates for creating borders where you otherwise have little to no trees, as they won’t have to worry about shade taking away from their sunlight hours. What Makes Leyland Cypresses Popular?Leyland Cypresses are a popular landscape choice largely due to their quick growth. These trees are relatively hardy, and require little up-front maintenance. You can plant a row of them and within a couple years have a fully-functional privacy fence or border. Their classic pyramid shape and rich green needles make them visually appealing and easy to incorporate into any landscape. The classic shape and quick growth make them a popular choice of Christmas tree, especially for “choose and cut” farms that plant rows of trees and allow customers to come cut down their own. Most people want a tree that’s 5 to 8 feet tall, which means farmers only need a year or two of growth from a Leyland Cypress to have a sellable product. Planting Considerations for Leyland CypressesWhen planting a Leyland Cypress (or a privacy fence of Leyland Cypresses), there are a few important things to keep in mind if you want a happy, healthy tree. 1. Growth Rate This might seem obvious, considering their quick growth rate is a major factor in why homeowners and landscapers choose to plant Leyland Cypresses in the first place. But it’s all-too-easy to underestimate just how much space a fully-grown Leyland will take up, which means it’s all-too-easy to plant it too close to something, whether that’s another Leyland in a row designed as a privacy fence, or your house or driveway. A Leyland too close to other trees will start competing for space, and the losers will suffer and may even die. A Leyland too close to structures might start growing branches over your roof, or digging roots into your foundation.  2. Depth One of the most common mistakes we see with Leyland Cypresses is trees that were planted either too deep in the ground, or not deep enough. If the root collar is buried, the tree can suffocate. But if the root ball is too shallow, the tree won’t establish well, and might get blown over in a summer storm. The best practice is to dig out a hole that is 3 to 4 times larger than the diameter of the root ball, and only as deep as the root ball is tall. When covering the root ball, make sure the root collar is exposed. 3. Soil Drainage Leyland Cypresses are fairly hardy, but require well-drained soil to thrive. They don’t like wet feet! The easiest way to encourage drainage is to use some kind of ground cover, like mulch, to help control moisture levels. AuthorEmily Casuccio is sister and sister-in-law to Rebekah and Scott Rushing, and has worked with Classic City Arborists for the last 5 years. In addition to handling administrative tasks and customer communication (she’s the voice you’ll hear on the phone!), Emily is an experienced copywriter, editor, and storyboard consultant. To learn more about her, read samples of her work, or contact her, visit her online portfolio. |
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23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,
24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24
24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Colossians 3:23-24