Did you know that Summer is the growing time for trees and between summer and fall is the worst time to prune trees?
I knew, however the increased demand for tree trimming in these months caused me to like they say "Go with the flow" I honestly believe that most folks would do better if they knew better and then again some of us just don't give a hoot.
So, let me provide you with with the information and you decide. Besides my almost forty years in this field and my own observations I also looked up what the Department of Horticulture at the University of Florida has to say on the matter.
Pruning during the growing season  (Summer) stimulates new growth. Summer heat produces a new flush of growth which greatly stresses the tree.
Pruning during the Fall is even worse the only exception being to remove heavily diseased or damaged wood.
That being said, Winter & Spring are the best months to prune trees as the growing season slows down or halts altogether.
Unfortunately, due to fear most people insist on pruning their trees at the height of hurricane season which brings it's own woes.
Weather patterns world wide are changing and I have noticed over the last number of years that it rains persistently from June to August and often right up to November. Even if the summer months were favorable for tree trimming one cannot work in wet trees  for the obvious reason of safety also wet or damp weather would spread disease much faster. A Double Whammy if you will.

Another point I would like to address is Coconut and other Palm trimming. Trust me this one also took me for a loop.
The only trimming that should be done on a Coconut trees is to remove the Coconut! According to the Horticulture Department at the University of Florida even the brown dying leaves are beneficial to the Coconut Palm. (Mind blown) This information has caused  me to take another look at my beliefs and practices.

Honestly and yes I'm being honest here and looking at a trimmed Coconut tree is not nearly as beautiful as an untrimmed Coconut Palm.
So, my job as "The Tree Lady" is to inform on what the best practices are and let each one decide what is best for them.
We stand by our name "A-1 Tree Services & Landscaping.
"We go out on a limb for you."
​
Source http:/hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/index.htm

October 10 2016 was a day most people will remember for quite some time.

The Bahamas and especially Nassau was hit and hit hard by Hurricane Matthew. The southeastern portion of the Island was hardest hit, my area, my neighborhood.

As I sit here writing this piece, looking out of the windows, where there were once luscious green Mango trees, now in it's place is nothing but a graveyard filled with fallen, chopped up trees.

Before Matthew there was and indescribable splash of GREEN........Everywhere! When Mango season was in, man, one knew mango season was in, MANGOS EVERY WHERE, every neighbor had so many wonderful mango trees, alas this year where shall we turn to for mangos?

We did not only lose our mango trees, but trees of every description....sigh.

It will take some time to rebuild, replant, renew. The time to start if one has not done so already is NOW!

Time to prepare is now. Past years everyone waited for hurricane season, well hurricane season begins June 1 and ends on November 30. However, hurricanes can form at any time during the year.

Anytime..........

But, we must not wait, the time to care for the environment is already here. By no means can we prevent severe damage but the risks can be greatly reduced.

Like the saying goes "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

Waiting for hurricane season to trim trees comes with it's own risks. More often than not Tree Care & Landscaping companies take care of their regular clients first along with their own concerns, that leaves the procrastinator out in the proverbial cold!

Trees that are selectively pruned have a much better chance of braving storms. Selective target pruning reduces wind resistance. When a tree is full or  flush it is a prime target for strong winds, winds which propels the tree downward. Trees are such a great investment, not only in our landscapes but for the entire Nation.

We have lost so many wonderful historical trees due to neglect. Some amongst us hardly give trees a second thought,question, do  we go to the beach and look for the hottest place to park our cars or sit under to have our picnics?? A resounding  NO!!! We look for the trees!

Trees cool our homes.
Trees add value to our landscapes.
Where Trees are people gather.



"In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension."  
Dr.Roger S. Ulrich from Texas A&M University

Francis E. Kuo Director and Founder of the Human-Environment Research Laboratory (H.E.R.L) along with William Sullivan studied the relationship between people and the physical and came up with interesting findings. See link (www.lhhl.illinois.edu)

The list really can go on. Trees sooth, they whisper to us, they are beautiful, what more can I say.

So, it may be awhile before we have mangos again, but if we don't replant, we will never have mangos, our own and God knows there is nothing like your own.

We can do it family, the journey of a thousand miles begin with the first step.

Before I close this piece out I would like to take the time to salute my wonderful neighbor Mrs. Delores Treco Wells who had the absolutely sweetest mangos, her beautiful mangos have left us, and she too has passed. Rest in peace beloved.

We all but have a short time here, let us make the most of it. If not for us then let us leave a legacy for our childrens childrens!

Peace out,

The Tree Lady.

Trees, trees are oh so lovely and they are everywhere but we have to be careful to take care of our friends as so many are being cut down everyday. When a tree is cut down we not only lose a tree but a whole community.  

Trees grow and attract other plants to them and those plants in turn attract different species of insects which believe it or not are good for the environment.

Trees have so much value but sadly too many of us do not understand how important trees are to us. There are actually hundreds of reasons why we need to care for our trees but I will pick out just a few.
The number one reason is that trees help us to breathe clean air, we breathe in what the trees breathe out and the trees breathe in what we breathe out. But that is just the beginning, we love climbing trees , we eat our lunch under trees , we pick fruits from such trees as Mango , Sapodilla , Guinep, Tangerines, Juju, just to name a few . These fruit listed not only taste good but are very good for you.
Let us just take a look at the benefits of Sapodilla, we normally call them Dillies.  Well Dillies are loaded with vitamins and minerals. When you eat a Dilly, you instantly replenish your energy and revitalize your body.

The shade from trees helps keep our homes cooler, thereby using less energy and when we use less energy, we pay less to the electric company.

Unfortunately so many people are afraid of big trees; they fear that the tree will topple onto their roof in a storm or Hurricane; we need not fear tall trees if we properly maintain them by selectively pruning them once per year.

The Bahamas need more young people to educate themselves on the importance of trees, it is important that we pay attention in Biology class because there are so many fun things to learn.  Things such as the leaves are the tree’s food supply and when the leaves fall to the ground they are beneficial to the trees in that they keep the roots cool in summer and warm in the winter.

 The leaves also help the tree retain moisture that is so beneficial to the tree.
The roots of a tree are very important also. The roots filter the ground’s water and they help the soil to stay together.


 One mature tree can collect over 750 gallons of rainwater a year. That’s a lot of water!  Up to 60% of the human body is made up of water so we need water in order to live and trees collect water and also help attract rain.

Unfortunately in Nassau, we have cut down so many of our trees and now we have a water barge that brings our water from Andros.

Laws.

Do we really need more laws? We have a laws for basically everything.

So I ask the question again, do we need more laws?

My answer in a nutshell NO!

Laws should be written upon our hearts and in our minds, self regulation, write all the laws you want but until we have it in our hearts it's wasted energy.

There are laws on our books that are put in place to protect certain species of trees here in the Bahamas but hard to enforce.

I remember once being called out to give an estimate to have a variety of protected trees cut down, I informed the gentleman that he needed a permit to cut down the trees. Oh my and what lovely trees they were.

His response was " I need a permit to cut down my own trees?" He was highly upset. Now these trees was not cut down in order to build, quite the contrary, he had entire property bull dozed down that same week and the property has been empty these three years since.

So the law was not written on his heart and until we get an awareness on the importance and value of trees our words will fall on deaf ears.

Never underestimate the Power Of One! Each one of us can make a difference in this Bahama Land. So the the change we make starts with us, write this beautiful law upon your hearts that trees are valuable and we need them just as much us they need us!

What a lovely video, it speaks volumes to me.

Do we realize the important roles trees play in our lives? Now I'm not talking about the scientific data like how trees help us to breath cleaner, and how trees have a cooling effect, nor how trees increase the value of our properties.

No I want to speak today on how we incorporate trees in not only our daily lives but some of our most important life events.


Example, how often do you see wedding parties taking photos on the Cable Beach Strip, with beautiful trees in the back ground. I have had the good fortune of being present at many a photo shoot there.

What about picnics, every one scrambles to find trees to sit under, also many persons opt to have their lunch out doors and many a car can be seen parked under trees with persons eating their lunch.

So yes trees do touch our lives whether we are conscious of it or not. Trees are rooted and it is up to us to take care of them because they take such wonderful care of us.

Try becoming more aware of how beautiful they are and how if you let them how wonderfully they speak to our hearts.

I know I am a better person since I fell in love with them and trust me that was a radical change, going from a person who chopped them down on a whole sale level to becoming a tree hugger.

I will say it it a thousand times I am a Tree Hugger and proud of it. So while it is not necessary to become a tree hugger one can appreciate them for all their lovely benefits to us.

Until next time,

Joy

O.K Today is the 7 Feb. 2013 and I would like to have a "Happy Blog" I want to look past the hackings and choppings and total destruction of Trees..... oops am I veering off course already?

Seems I am......ok back on track, Trees are very lovely you know, but....and it's a BIG BUT coming up, we are so busy with our lives that we seldom slow down enough to be aware of the beauty all around us, it is there, we are surrounded by beauty and if we but just take a few moments of each and every day and slowly apply the brakes and stop and look and wonder at all that surrounds us we would better be able  to go through the day.

What we focus on will grow, argh.....I am stepping on my own toes, ah so we need balance aye?

I too am learning not to focus on what is wrong and put more attention on what is right, I am trying really I am.

I am of the mind that just like it takes a Village to raise a child, it is going to take that same Village to protect our natural resources.

See it was not that bad aye.......lol, So if you miss the bad there are enough videos to be uploaded, lol. 

Can't change in one day right....but I am trying. 

Peace my peeps until next time.

Trees, trees are oh so lovely and they are everywhere but we have to be careful to take care of our friends as so many are being cut down everyday. When a tree is cut down we not only lose a tree but a whole community.  

Trees grow and attract other plants to them and those plants in turn attract different species of insects which believe it or not are good for the environment.

Trees have so much value but sadly too many of us do not understand how important trees are to us. There are actually hundreds of reasons why we need to care for our trees but I will pick out just a few.

The number one reason is that trees help us to breathe clean air, we breathe in what the trees breathe out and the trees breathe in what we breathe out. But that is just the beginning, we love climbing trees , we eat our lunch under trees , we pick fruits from such trees as Mango , Sapodilla , Guinep, Tangerines, Juju, just to name a few . These fruit listed not only taste good but are very good for you.

Let us just take a look at the benefits of Sapodilla, we normally call them Dillies.  Well Dillies are loaded with vitamins and minerals. When you eat a Dilly, you instantly replenish your energy and revitalize your body.

The shade from trees helps keep our homes cooler, thereby using less energy and when we use less energy, we pay less to the electric company.
Unfortunately so many people are afraid of big trees; they fear that the tree will topple onto their roof in a storm or Hurricane; we need not fear tall trees if we properly maintain them by selectively pruning them once per year.

The Bahamas need more young people to educate themselves on the importance of trees, it is important that we pay attention in Biology class because there are so many fun things to learn.  Things such as the leaves are the tree’s food supply and when the leaves fall to the ground they are beneficial to the trees in that they keep the roots cool in summer and warm in the winter. The leaves also help the tree retain moisture that is so beneficial to the tree.

The roots of a tree are very important also. The roots filter the ground’s water and they help the soil to stay together. One mature tree can collect over 750 gallons of rainwater a year. That’s a lot of water!  Up to 75% of the human body is made up of water so we need water in order to live and trees collect water and also help attract rain.

Unfortunately in Nassau, we have cut down so many of our trees and now we have a water barge that brings our water from Andros.

But even now so many people are cutting down trees through the Bahamas so that they can build homes.  While we may have to cut down a few trees to build, far too many of us use a tractor and bull doze every tree on their lot. It is very sad because we lose all these valuable plants and insects along with soil and the trees.

We need to be friendlier to our environment and selectively take down the trees where our house needs to go. Think how lovely homes look that have large canopy trees near them. It is so much cooler in the shade.
Trees are even good for our overall health; here is what Dr. Roger S. Ulrich from Texas A & M University has to say, “In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension”.

Trees make us happy because they give so much to us without asking anything in return. Birds make their homes in the trees and how beautiful they sing rejoicing everyday for life. 
Can you imagine a world without trees?  What a sad place it would be indeed!

I am known as the Tree Lady in Nassau and some of the Family Islands and I have made a business of taking care of trees, but I want you to know that trees are everybody’s business but we humans have destroyed so many trees. We cannot undo what has been done in the past but we can learn from our mistakes and protect the future. There cannot be a future without trees.  When they go, we go!!

We all have a wonderful partnership with trees and our environment and just one person can make a difference, and how do I do that? . When I was a younger woman I did not understand the importance of trees and I worked very hard cutting them down. Then one day it was like I woke up and realize what I was doing was wrong. Now I protect the trees.

Maybe this is a good day for you to wake up and realize how important trees are for you. Become a friend of trees. 

 Now go hug a Tree today....seriously I wont tell a living soul........

Please go to these websites to learn more.

http://www.gardenguides.com/93978-tree-kids.html
http://www.realtrees4kids.org/

O.K I admit it, I'm a  certified Tree Hugger. There, I am totally out of the closet, um was I ever really in?

I love Trees and there is no question about it. It was not always that way though, I used to chop them down left right and center until I had my "Epiphany"

Until then I never gave them a second thought, just a tree right, right? See I never knew the value of these majestic beings, never knew they were so alive and full of energy, never knew they could speak.

Now before you go and call the paddy wagon, they do speak, they speak to our hearts, but you must listen with your heart.

Trees have more power then we understand,  Dr.Roger S. Ulrich from Texas A&M University has this to say;

"In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees has produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes, as indicated by changes in blood pressure and muscle tension." 

Francis E. Kuo Director and Founder of the Human-Environment Research Laboratory (H.E.R.L) along with William Sullivan studied the relationship between people and the physical and came up with interesting findings. See link (www.lhhl.illinois.edu)

Besides all the data is it not wonderful that trees give us good clean air to breath, perfect marriage I say.

So the next time you look at a tree not only look at it, go hug it, you will be glad you did.