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 If you’ve lived in the southeast, you’ve definitely seen a few hickory trees in your time. In Georgia, the most common hickory is the Carya ovata, more commonly known as the shagbark. Other names include shellbark hickory, scalybark hickory, and upland hickory. The word ‘hickory’ comes from an Algonquian language, a shortened version of powcohiccora, which was likely the name of the tree’s nut, or possibly a milky drink made from the nuts. The colloquial “shagbark” part of their name comes from their most striking visual aspect: the loosely-plated bark that peels away in large plates, giving their trunks and branches an overall ‘shaggy’ appearance. Did You Know?President Andrew Jackson was nicknamed “Old Hickory,” because he was ‘tough as a hickory tree!’ The shagbark hickory is a medium-sized deciduous tree, reaching average heights of 70 to 80 feet. Their crowns mature into an oval shape and can spread 40 to 70 feet. Though native and populous throughout eastern North America, they rarely grow in stands, and instead are often found scattered throughout forests surrounded by other species. Visually, their most distinctive feature is of course their ‘shaggy’ bark. Only mature trees exhibit this trait, however; younger shagbarks actually have smooth trunks, making them difficult to identify as shagbarks from a distance. Shagbarks are also striking for their large leaves, which average 12 to 24 inches long. They grow in 5-leaflet clusters and are lightly serrated along the edges, with a vibrant green color in the spring that fades to golden in the fall.  Shagbark hickories are monoecious, with their male and female flowers growing jointly from the tips of old wood or axils of the previous season’s leaves. The female flowers are shiny and muted red in color, and each petal averaging 4 to 6 inches long. The male flowers are small green spikes that appear to grow from the female flower. They bloom in the spring, usually around late-March here in Georgia. The product of successful blooms is a thick-husked drupe with four sections that conceals a hard-shelled nut. Hickory trees are members of the walnut family, and their nuts are largely edible and enjoyable. Shagbark hickories are no exception; their nuts were once a staple in Native American diets, and continue to be appreciated by humans and animals alike. They support a wide range of species, including squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks, mice, bears, foxes, rabbits, and some bird and turkey species. For humans, shagbark nuts are culinarily similar to pecans, and are often used as substitutes for pecans in colder climates. Did You Know?The largest shagbark hickory tree can be found in Savage Gulf, Tennessee, measuring in at over 150 feet tall! These trees are incredibly long-lived, with average lifespans ranging from 200 to 300 years, and they can produce fruit starting at around 40 years, making them a reliable food source. Despite this, they aren’t often used commercially, as the 40-year investment before nut production makes them prohibitive to most agricultural ventures. Their fruit output from year to year is also inconsistent, depending heavily on environmental factors, making them a temperamental crop. In addition to their nuts, shagbarks are also valued for their wood, which is used both for lumbar due to its heavy, hardy nature, and for smoking meat thanks to its light natural sweetness.  Though they’re ecologically important and visually interesting, shagbarks aren’t often used in landscaping, be it personal or commercial. Their slow growth rate is a disadvantage, and the litter associated with their drupes and subsequent nuts can be both an eyesore and a hazard. The amount of wildlife they attract can also cause problems when located near areas with high foot traffic. Though you probably won’t see one bordering a manicured lawn or along the sidewalk in the park, these trees are still widespread in our area, so keep your eyes peeled for peeling bark! 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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 We’ve talked before about how the stately, sprawling Southern Live Oak is Georgia’s state tree. But did you know we also have a national tree? In late 2004, the Arbor Day Foundation held a 4-month-long vote to determine which tree species should be declared the national tree. There were 21 candidates to choose from, though voters were also welcome to write in any tree of choice for consideration. The goal was to select a broad tree category, rather than a specific species. From the very first day of polling, the oak held the lead. By the end of the voting period, the oak was the clear winner with over 101,000 votes. For comparison, the runner-up (the redwood) brought in just under 81,000 votes. With the people’s choice determined, it was presented in a bill to Congress. It passed smoothly and was then sent to the President’s desk. On December 15th, 2004, it was signed into law: America’s national tree is the oak. Why Choose a National Tree?With every state denoting its own state tree, it may seem redundant to have a national tree. The president of the National Arbor Day Foundation as the time, John Rosenow, explained: “We undertook this vote to remind Americans of just how important trees are to us all, and to emphasize the history and grandeur of our trees.” About Oak Trees The oak is America’s most widespread hardwood, with more than 60 species growing native across the country. They’re everywhere you look, from our city streets to our national parks to your own backyard. Oaks are vital to their local ecosystems as sources of food and shelter for a variety of wildlife, supporting more life forms than any other North American tree genus. The genus has been around for thousands, if not millions, of years, and the individual trees themselves are some of the longest-living in the arboreal world. White oaks, for example, easily reach 300 years old, and certain trees have been recorded surpassing 600 years. There’s a southern live oak in Louisiana estimated to be nearly 1,500 years old, and an English oak nearing 2,000 years old in Lithuania. In California, a colony of Palmer’s oak clones, also called the Jurupa Oak, is believed to be more than 13,000 years old. Oaks can be seen throughout human history. Ink has been made from oak galls since the 4th century, and acorns have been an important source of food for a variety of cultures since before written record. Oak leaves have been used as symbols of royalty and military rank throughout the ages. “Old Ironsides” herself, the U. S. S. Constitution, was made from white oak. If you’d like to explore the various oak species native to North America, check out the USDA’s field guide. 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.  Picture this: a beautiful 2-storey craftsman home, surrounded by a lush green lawn. The grass is well-manicured, the flowers in the bed by the front door are blooming, and the tree in the front yard stands tall and strong. But around its base? A bald circle of exposed dirt, not a blade of grass to be found. It’s unsightly and discouraging: why won’t your grass grow there? The answer may seem pretty obvious, but that can also make it easy to miss: it’s the shade. A tree’s branches block sunlight from reaching the base. In our hot Georgia summers, you’ve probably seen areas of your yard scorched by the heat of the blazing sun. And while it’s true that too much exposure can be detrimental, the truth is most common suburban grasses require quite a bit (think 4 to 6 full hours’ worth) of sunlight to thrive. Another problem for your grass growing under a tree could be leaf litter and other tree debris. While fallen twigs and leaves can definitely be a good source of nutrients as they decompose, they can also act as ground cover, blocking sunlight from reaching the grass.  So What Can You Do?Barring actually cutting the whole thing down, it may seem hopeless getting grass to grow under a tree. That’s definitely an option, especially if your yard has a lot of trees. Sacrificing a few for better light exposure to the ground might be worth it. But if you don’t want to cut down your tree, there’s still plenty to try. Keeping the tree pruned is the first step – a Certified Arborist can help you determine how much and which branches to prune to both keep the tree healthy and encourage light to filter through. Second, be sure to rake beneath your tree fairly regularly. Keeping leaf litter and other tree debris off the grass will remove another barrier to sun exposure. If, despite the pruning and raking, the area beneath your tree is still too shaded for your grass to grow, you can also look into planting a more shade-tolerant grass, like fine fescue. These types of grasses might require more watering than the rest of your yard, though, so be sure to learn about their care needs before you invest. What If My Grass Still Won’t Grow? If shade-hardy grasses still won’t grow under your tree, then as much as we hate to say it, it might be time to concede defeat. There are still plenty of options for how to avoid the dreaded bald-patch, though. To make the space under your tree look more appealing without grass, consider laying down a bed of mulch. Organic shapes with clear edges (but not perfect circles) or fun geometric ones around the base of the tree can make the area look polished and thought-out. But beware of mulch volcanoes! If you have a tree in your yard preventing your grass from growing and you’d like to see what you can do, then give Classic City Arborists a call and schedule your free estimate today! 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.  If you’ve ever wandered around Oconee or Athens, you’ve probably seen some of the many trees that are covered in ivy. They can look pretty, with their draping vines and vibrant leaves. But unfortunately, all of these trees have one foot in the grave, and actually pose a risk to the people and structures around them. What is Ivy?Ivy is the common name for a variety of woody vine species in the genus Hedera L. The one you’ve probably seen in our area is most likely Hedera helix, also known as English Ivy or Common Ivy. As the name suggests, the vine is native to much of Europe, but it’s an invasive species in America. It was brought over by colonial settlers in the early 1800s, and has run rampant across the continent in the centuries since, growing across yards in a thick carpet and overtaking trees and buildings alike in a smothering blanket.  Why is Ivy A Problem?Ivy grows quickly – 8 to 9 feet a year! – so it doesn’t take long for it to start covering a tree’s leaves. This blocks the tree’s access to sunlight, which in turn restricts the tree’s ability to photosynthesize. With whole sections of leaves covered in ivy, the tree won’t be able to generate enough nutrients to support itself. The covered portions of the canopy will start to die back, and these dead spots are hotspots for pests and decay, further compromising the tree’s health. Ivy is a preferred hangout for all kinds of insects and pests that will happily feed off the tree and take advantage of rotted sections to burrow in deep. Ivy is also much heavier than it looks. The amount of thick, woody vines it takes to climb up a whole tree, not to mention the mass of leaves, means that the tree is holding up hundreds pounds of extra weight. With the structural integrity of the tree already impacted by lower nutrient intake (and sometimes pest infestation and decay), all that weight becomes that much more dangerous to bear. The final problem ivy presents is disguise. It’s impossible to spot the signs of decay or pest infestation if you can’t see through the ivy to the tree itself. The whole thing might be entirely dead and just waiting for a strong wind to knock it over, and you’d never know, because the ivy growing all over it is green and thriving.  Can’t I Just Leave It?Ivy is incredibly difficult to deal with once it’s overtaken a tree. Removing the tree is often the best course of action to reduce risk, as most trees can’t survive long covered in ivy. But it’s not safe to just cut the tree down, ivy and all – those hidden signs of decay and structural failure mean that it’s impossible to predict how the tree will come down. That means you can’t control the removal, and someone (or something, like your house!) could get hurt. So before an ivy-covered tree can be removed, the ivy has to be dealt with first. The extra time and effort required to do so can increase the cost of removal 1.5 to 2 times, making things much more expensive. Of course, you could just leave the ivy-covered tree to its own devices, but that is never recommended. A covered tree is almost certainly a dead or dying tree, and dead or dying trees almost certainly fail. So What Can I Do?Luckily, taking care of ivy growing on your tree isn’t actually all that difficult. Ivy, like any other plant, has a root system it relies on for a significant portion of its nutrients. If you cut off the choking vines from their root system, they’ll wither and die, and then fall off your tree on their own. Prune the ivy around the base of the tree it’s growing on, cutting away the lower 4 to 5 feet (about chest to shoulder height). Use a hand saw, or pruning shears if the vines aren’t too thick – just don’t use a chopping tool, like an axe or a machete. It’s much too easy to cut through the ivy and into the tree trunk, damaging the tree.  Remove the lower section of the ivy, throw away the cuttings, and that’s it! Anything higher than what you cut will die off. Of course, the root system is still there, and it might try to grow back. But once you’ve cut it back once, it’s much easier to cut it back a second time, especially if you add it as an annual yard maintenance. Have an ivy-covered tree you’re worried about? Not able to prune back the ivy yourself? Give Classic City Arborists a call today for a free quote! 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