Red, white, and bur oaks are some of our most-loved trees in Minnesota, and they face a mortal threat: oak wilt. Red oaks form the backbone of the red oak-sugar maple-basswood forests of the west metro. White and red oaks intermix through the Anoka sand plain and the southeast metro. Bur oaks line the uplands along the Mississippi and Minnesota river valleys and ring the Chain of Lakes in Minneapolis. These elder-state trees are often remnants of a time before European settlement and provide critical habitat and food for many critters. Oak wilt is a vascular wilt disease, caused by a fungus. S ..read more

Soil and foliar sampling are great tools for understanding a tree’s health. Soil sampling will determine the nutrient content of the soil. Foliar sampling will show which nutrients the plant absorbs and the quantity. Accurate metrics allow arborists to determine how to address plant deficiencies or health. The Soil Sampling Process Soil sampling can be at a specific location, such as your backyard, or over larger areas, such as crop fields. The size of the plot and the degree of tests will determine the number of samples collected. For most homeowners, 4-7 samples should suffice. The soil is t ..read more

Espen Hansen, Vineland Tree Care For the second year, Vineland participated in Saluting Branches. This marked the 9th year of the event, where 4,000 volunteers worked at 100 veteran properties nationwide. An estimated 4 million dollars of services went to the maintenance of trees in our nation’s cemeteries.   This is an opportunity for arborists to come together and contribute our unique skills. Our Task Vineland sent five volunteers, all veterans, to assist in the event. We started at our shop in the early morning, loading our equipment and discussing our plan for the day. We, of course ..read more

In Minnesota, there are two groups of Quercus, the genus for oak trees: red and white oak.  Red oak trees are identifiable by their pointed lobes. These trees include red oaks and northern pin oaks. The lobes on a red oak go halfway in, whereas pin oak lobes go almost 80% of the way in.  Photos by K. Chayka taken in Ramsey County White oaks, on the other hand, have rounded lobes. These trees include white oak, swamp white oak, and burr oaks.  White Oak Leaf – Photo by Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org The structural differences between red and white oak affect ho ..read more

Oaks are some of our most iconic shade trees, playing a central role in many ecosystems. Soils, drainage, and fire created the red oak-sugar maple-basswood forest around Lake Minnetonka to the bur and pin oak savannas that once flanked the Mississippi. Bur oaks still line the bluffs, preserved in city parks and boulevards. They also shade many older neighborhoods, relics before settlers developed the Twin Cities. Potential Issues All trees face many potential opponents. Diseases, insect attacks, and weather are set upon our native oaks. They are also quite resilient, having evolved many means ..read more

The Japanese Beetle is an invasive pest that feeds on the leaves, flowers, or fruit of more than 300 plants. Hosts include Rosaceae, little-leaf linden, birch, elm, pin oak, grapes, and other vines. They are one of the major pests in the United States, causing monumental crop damage each year. Japanese beetles were first discovered in Minnesota in 1968. Before coming to the United States in 1916, they were only found in Japan, hence the name. It is now found throughout the eastern U.S., except for Florida, and continues to move westward. In Minnesota, infestations happen in the Twin Cities me ..read more

Did you know the arborists you hire to prune your trees like to climb on the weekends, too? On May 19th-21st, a group of Vineland Tree Care’s arborists and tree climbers participated in the 2023 Minnesota Society of Arboriculture’s Tree Climbing Championship. The competition took place this year at Sturges Park in Buffalo, Minnesota. This year, Vineland entered seven climbers in the competition, adding to a historically high participation rate. Sixty-seven climbers entered, making Minnesota’s climbing competition the largest in the country. What is the competition? The tree climbing champions ..read more

Dutch Elm Disease is a fungal infection spread via beetles and roots. The fungus produces pheromones that attract the Elm Bark Beetle. These beetles feed on small twigs and areas where branches meet, called unions. Dutch Elm Disease can kill a tree in three to six weeks. This is why treatment and removal are so important.  Dutch Elm Disease Identification Dutch Elm Disease is visible on the leaves and the bark of elm trees. Leaves may wilt, turn yellow, then brown and shrivel, but stay on the tree. DED symptoms can also be seen under the bark of infected branches. Underneath the bark, the ..read more

Taking care of any plant life in Minnesota is hard. After a long winter, we have a few months of sun before plunging into negative temperatures again. The average summer temperature in Minnesota hovers around 50 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. For the average homeowner, it’s hard to know how and when to water. Not only do you have to consider the climate, the best way to water will depend on the type of tree, its location, and age. For those homeowners that don’t know where to start, here’s our guide to summertime watering your Minnesota trees.  Trees need water! Trees transport most of the wat ..read more

Fire blight (erwinia amylovora) is a destructive plant disease that results in wilting and death of plant parts. Severe fire blight can kill an entire tree. In Minnesota, it’s most commonly found in Crabapple and Apple, Hawthorn, Serviceberry, and Mountain Ash trees.  How does it occur? Bacteria is transmitted by insects and moist air currents to young green tissue, especially after a storm that causes physical damage to shoots. On warm, wet days infected tree parts ooze bacteria-filled honey or cream colored liquid, which is attractive to insects.  If the bacteria advance into woody ..read more