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(609) 883-2900 
2 Jake Garzio Drive
Ewing, NJ 08628

Caring for your Trees

Trees are a long-term investment with life spans, depending upon species and conditions, ranging from several decades to as much as a hundred years.  Some can even live a few thousand years.  So, it behooves us to take care of our tree canopy. 

The following resources about various tree issues will help you give your trees the care they need.

  • Tree Care and Maintenance
    A comprehensive overview of tree care tips to guide you through the process of selecting, planting, and caring for the right tree for your space by the Arbor Day Foundation. See https://www.arborday.org/tree-care-maintenance
  • Pruning
    Using proper pruning techniques is essential for maintaining a healthy tree. See Prune Your Trees from Backyard Woods and Pruning – Not a Mysterious Art, by Bruce Crawford from Rutgers University for authoritative information.
  • Topping
    What is topping? Topping is a practice used to reduce the size of a tree where tree branches and foliage are indiscriminately cut back to stubs that are not large enough to assume the terminal role. It brutalizes the form resulting in unsightly trees with thin, upright small branches at the top like water sprouts.  So, we ask you please, don’t top your trees.  The tree will NEVER regain its natural form, and the practice also stresses the tree and weakens it.  For a fuller explanation see treesaregood.org/Portals/0/TreesAreGood_Why%20Topping%20Hurts_0321.pdf.  or Don't Top Trees!, a Tree City USA Bulletin. 
  • Mulch volcanoes
    Another detrimental practice in tree care is the application of organic mulch in a heaping mound around the base of the tree which looks like a small volcano. Mulch does provide numerous benefits such as helping to moderate soil temperature, keeping weeds down, adding organic matter to the soil as it breaks down, improving soil structure, porosity, and nutrient-holding capacity. It also protects trunks from weed whacker and mower damage.  However, homeowners and landscapers have followed the philosophy of if a small amount of mulch is good, lots of mulch must be even better.  NOT SO!  Consequently, we have seen an epidemic of mulch volcanoes throughout the landscape.  See the following for additional details:

Finally, we offer an additional thought about the value of mulching.  While mulch (properly applied) offers the benefits noted above, far better is the practice of surrounding your trees with living plants (not lawn), a diverse native planting, a living landscape where plants grow together in communities.  Coined “soft landings,” it is a strategy that mimics the way plants exist in nature.  Soft landings allow a place for leaves to collect in autumn and for the small critters that make the world run to complete their life cycles in the leaf litter.  Learn more at:  izelplants.com/blog/soft-landings/

  • Leave the Leaves
    “Leave the Leaves” is a growing environmental movement that provides the best and simplest solution to managing your autumn leaf drop - keeping your leaves on site and mulching with them.  As much as possible, leave them to decompose where they fall in your garden beds.  Settle the leaves under the branches of your trees and shrubs. Give it a year or so and your leaf litter will have mostly broken down while providing mulch, improving your soil, and increasing its water retention abilities. This bestows a host of additional ecological benefits including providing an insulating winter cover in the garden for plants and the tiny creatures that sustain life in the garden and help to conserve soil moisture.  Learn more at https://ewingnj.org/mulch-in-place.
  • Avoid damage to your trees during construction
    Many activities on or near trees can kill or damage them irreparably, including damage to the root system by machinery, storage of materials, soil compaction, change of natural grade above or below the root system or around the trunk, or paving over the root system with impervious materials. See Arbor Day Foundation – How to Save Trees During Construction | Arbor Day Foundation
  • Tree planting tips
    “Arbor Day Celebration 2024 – It’s All About Trees” by the Ewing Green Team
  • Right Tree / Right Place
    The Nature Conservancy explains how taking good care of your trees begins with proper tree selection in the first place.
  • What are the best trees to plant under utility wires?

Tips for planting from PG&E (Bay area and inland) .  Avoid:

  • Blocking vision at street corners. Plant at least 10 feet from the curb at corners.
  • Planting too close to sidewalks, streets or driveways.
  • Planting closer than 8 feet from the front and 2 feet from the back and sides of pad-mounted transformers.
  • Planting within 10 feet of the base of utility poles and allowing vegetation that can grow more than 8 ft above the ground.

View Princeton’s list which presents kinds of trees that are suitable for planting under utility wires in PDF format.

NJ Tree Foundation’s Utility Friendly Trees  This is a short list of trees for planting under utility wires, though not necessarily native to New Jersey.  However, the natives are marked in the “Additional Info” column.  njtrees.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Utility-Friendly-Trees-1.pdf

  • Trees rated by deer resistance
    This page from Rutgers provides a listing of landscape plants from annuals to trees, with a rating of their attractiveness to deer. While no plant is totally deer proof, plants in the Rarely Damaged, and Seldom Severely Damagedcategories would be best for landscapes prone to deer damage. See Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance (Rutgers NJAES)
  • Invasive Species List
    The Invasive Species Do Not Plant List is compiled and maintained by the Friends of Hopewell Valley Open Space Strike Team and organized by type (trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants). This list is sorted by scientific name, but also contains the common name, invasive status, plant type, and whether it is available commercially. Their Info Center has excellent resources!
  • Invasive Pests

The NJ DEP maintains an Invasive Animals and Pest webpage containing some common and prevalent invasive animals and pests.  Two that have been of particular note in our area in recent years for which we maintain independent webpages include:
Spotted lanternfly  / Emerald Ash Borer

All businesses that provide tree care services are required to be registered with the NJ Board of Tree Experts and have, in its employ, at least one full time Licensed Tree Expert or Licensed Tree Care Operator.  Incorrect tree work can predispose trees to future problems, including tree failure. Consumers should call (732) 534-0982 or email njtreeexperts@gmail.com to verify that a business is licensed and registered under the law.