Share Your Fruit Tree Harvest to Help Nourish the Community
If you’ve walked around your neighborhood, you’ve probably noticed cherry trees being flocked by birds and buckets of fruit with “Free Organic Apricots” signs. Yes, it’s harvest season in Albuquerque. Have you ever wondered what becomes of all that fruit? Back in…
Why Trees Die
Have you ever heard of forensic arboriculture? Probably not … but it is a thing! Figuring out why trees die can be a challenge as there are often multiple causes, and the clues may be obscured by time or a deep layer of rock mulch. If you look at enough dead and dying…
Tree Pruning: Seven Things to Know Before Making a Cut
There are misconceptions about how to prune a tree. Here are seven things you need to know before you begin. 1. Always have a reason for each cut you make on a tree. A beautiful day and hearing you need to prune now are not the right reasons. The main reasons we trim…
Junipers, why we love to hate them!
Pinyon-juniper woodlands are the largest forest cover type in NM, comprising 14.6 million acres and representing 65% of NM forests (according to USGS Gap Analysis Program–Land Cover Data). In contrast, the next largest forest cover types in NM are ponderosa pine at…
Fruit Trees for the Homeowner
Thinking of putting some trees in your landscape but also concerned about making good use of the water, space and time? Some people like to plant fruit trees around the home landscape. The obvious reason to grow fruit trees is the fruit! Just like there is no tomato…
Plants That Thrive Under Shade Trees
We all love the feeling of cool shade on a hot summer day, whether it comes from a dense tree canopy growing above the yard or from our home as it shades different areas throughout the day. Quite a few plants appreciate that cool space. There are many options for…
How to make a Tree Watering System for your established and mature trees
Albuquerque ranks third, after New Orleans and Houston, among cities with tree loss. Our trees are dying because they aren’t being watered properly or at all. How should we water established and mature trees? To address this problem a landscape architect and a…
The Life and Dry Times of 505 Trees
As I write this, a cold thin snow cover still hides the ground, but it won’t last long. If we’re lucky, the snow will slowly melt and seep into the soil; if we aren’t lucky, it will sublimate right into the atmosphere – straight from solid to gas. Alas, the roots of…
The Albuquerque Urban Forest
In an arid city like Albuquerque, trees and the urban forest are even more important than in places with more moisture. Trees provide shade and habitat, and help cool the urban landscape. To sustain a healthy canopy trees require special care given the arid climate,…
Don’t Jump to Conclusions when Diagnosing Tree Problems
We love our trees. Trees have a cooling effect in our yards by providing shade and they increase property value. When our trees do not “look good,” we try to help them, but when that one “magic” application does not solve the issue, we are often discouraged. A proper…