WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE FOREST?
Some strong winds hit central Ulster County over the weekend and sought out those “weak unions” resulting in torn branches and stem-failures. One tree in particular seems to always have problems–‘Bradford’ pear. Bradford pear was planted abundantly as an ornamental street tree in urban/suburban areas. However, in the absence of pruning it produces an abundance of co-dominant stems or leaders which eventually crack over in high winds. I hear that the ‘Aristocrat’ pear is now planted instead, in order to remedy this situation.
May the forest be with you,
Ryan Trapani
Director of Forest Services
Catskill Forest Association