During the month of July, a “De-Mulching” exhibit was on display. With help from a licensed arborist and a few Town employees, excess mulch was removed from one of the large trees in front of Town Hall. In doing so, we succeeded in uncovering and remedying nearly a dozen potential strangling roots of varying sizes before they could become a serious problem for the tree.
The central location and high visibility of the site was perfect and included a pair of trees both in need of the same intervention. By de-mulching only one of the trees our goal was to create a side-by-side comparison, and a lasting visual impression of good mulching practices.
When you look around, can you identify whether a tree has too much mulch? You should be able to see a tree’s roots flare out at the base. A tree whose trunk looks more like a fence post is at risk for future problems, problems that you can help solve.
As Trees for Suffield continues its “Planting for Tomorrow” campaign we recognize that planting new trees is not enough. We will continue to be on the lookout for ways we can spread the word about simple but important steps like “de-mulching” that you can take in your own yard to help existing trees survive and thrive.