Roger: 0:02

Talking Trees with Lily and Jad. Welcome to this week's recap episode of Talking Trees. Today we'll explore a range of topics about trees and their management. In this episode, we'll briefly revisit our daily discussions, which are available in full at heroheroco slash talkingtrees. We truly appreciate your support for our work. It means the world to us. Let's get started.

Jad: 0:32

Welcome back everyone to the Deep Dive. We've got a really interesting set of Talking Trees episodes to go through from last week.

Lilly: 0:38

Lots to unpack.

Jad: 0:40

Lots to unpack exactly, so we're going to be talking about everything from phytohormones and safety gear all the way to, you know, some stuff from Poland, so kind of a world tour this week.

Lilly: 0:51

A little bit of a grab bag.

Jad: 0:53

Yeah, let's jump right into it. I guess Monday's episode was phytohormones. Back to basics. You know, we, as arborists, we talk about hormones all the time.

Lilly: 1:04

Yeah, that's one of those things that's sort of easy to oversimplify.

Jad: 1:07

Right, and this one, they really, they dug into it.

Lilly: 1:09

Yeah, I think what I appreciate about this episode is they had two different sources. One was more of a textbook overview of the different types of phytohormones and really kind of their function at a biochemical level.

Jad: 1:21

Yeah.

Lilly: 1:21

And then the other source really zeroed in on auxin and cytokinin.

Jad: 1:25

And those are the big ones for us, right.

Lilly: 1:27

Especially when we're thinking about pruning yeah exactly. Because the interplay between those two hormones really dictates so much of what happens after you make a cut.

Jad: 1:35

So like when you see that flush of epicormic growth below a pruning cut.

Lilly: 1:41

Yeah, that's all driven by auxin and cytokine.

Jad: 1:44

That's so cool and like. So how can we like, as arborists, can we use this information? Like, can we actually manipulate those hormones?

Lilly: 1:55

So I think that's one of the things that the episode was getting at was sort of, you know, moving beyond just sort of this basic understanding of like oh yeah, auxin suppresses lateral growth and cytokinin promotes it to like OK, how can we actually use that to get the results we want?

Jad: 2:07

Right, Because sometimes we want epicormic growth right.

Lilly: 2:10

Right, like if you're trying to, you know, regenerate a canopy or you're.

Jad: 2:14

Rejuvenate.

Lilly: 2:15

Rejuvenate a tree, or you're doing restoration, pruning or something like that.

Jad: 2:18

So it's like understanding how to like, how to make those cuts in a way that promotes the growth that you want.

Lilly: 2:23

Yeah, instead of just sort of like hacking away at it and hoping for the best.

Jad: 2:26

Right, oh man, that's great.

Lilly: 2:27

Yeah.

Jad: 2:28

Okay, tuesday's episode was much more practical. It was called Gearing Up for Safety.

Lilly: 2:31

The good reminder. I feel like we need to hear that message every so often.

Jad: 2:35

Yeah, Especially, you know, for someone like me. I've been doing this for a while and it's easy to kind of get complacent.

Lilly: 2:40

You get into a routine you think, oh yeah, I've got this. Yeah, that's when mistakes happen Right.

Jad: 2:44

So they covered everything from like anchor points to carabiners, to you know different types of ropes.

Lilly: 2:50

No, it's everything.

Jad: 2:51

Everything. It was like a full.

Lilly: 2:52

Harness fitting.

Jad: 2:53

Gear check.

Lilly: 2:53

Yeah, all of it.

Jad: 2:56

Did they talk about any like new technologies or anything like that?

Lilly: 2:59

They did mention some Mention some of the latest recommendations from manufacturers.

Jad: 3:04

Oh, okay.

Lilly: 3:04

Like in terms of you know how to properly configure your equipment and things like that. So that was interesting just to see, like, how things are evolving.

Jad: 3:12

Yeah, because I feel like the gear is always changing.

Lilly: 3:14

Always changing.

Jad: 3:15

There's always new stuff coming out.

Lilly: 3:16

New and improved supposedly Right.

Jad: 3:19

Wednesday's episode was a little more niche. I would say it was called A Blast from the Past, managing Coppiced and Pollarded Trees.

Lilly: 3:28

Now that's something you don't hear about every day. It's kind of like a window into the history of arboriculture. You know these techniques have been around for centuries.

Jad: 3:38

Yeah, and they're still relevant today.

Lilly: 3:40

Especially when you're dealing with older trees that have been managed that way in the past.

Jad: 3:43

Right, or if you're trying to create a certain aesthetic.

Lilly: 3:46

Yeah, that pollinated look is very distinctive.

Jad: 3:49

Yeah, so do they talk about like specific techniques or like?

Lilly: 3:53

Yeah, they went into quite a bit of detail about how to properly coppice and pollard different species of trees and they also talked about the impact on tree growth and biodiversity.

Jad: 4:05

Oh, interesting. So like does it actually benefit the trees to be managed that way?

Lilly: 4:09

Well, in some cases yes, I mean it can actually extend the lifespan of a tree, because you're constantly stimulating new growth.

Jad: 4:15

Wow, so you're like kind of resetting the clock.

Lilly: 4:17

Exactly, and it also creates habitat for all sorts of wildlife.

Jad: 4:21

Oh, that's great, so it's like a win-win yeah.

Lilly: 4:23

It's a very holistic approach to tree management.

Jad: 4:26

Okay, I'm definitely gonna have to check out that episode. I'm intrigued. Thursday's episode was one that I think a lot of arborists will be interested in. It was called Delving Deeper with Penetrography.

Lilly: 4:36

Oh yeah, this is a hot topic. Well, it's basically a way to measure the density of wood inside a tree. So you use this special drill bit that measures the resistance as it goes in.

Jad: 4:47

So can you like actually see like cavities or decay?

Lilly: 4:50

Exactly. You can see where the wood is softer or harder and that can give you a really good indication of the internal structure of the tree.

Jad: 4:59

That's incredible. So it's like having x-ray vision for trees.

Lilly: 5:01

Pretty much. Yeah, they had two studies in this episode that I thought were really interesting. One was looking at how penetrography readings correlate with the actual wood anatomy.

Jad: 5:11

Okay, so like you could see how, like the grain structure or like.

Lilly: 5:14

Yeah, like how the density of the wood changes based on the species or the age of the tree, or even the location within the tree.

Jad: 5:20

That's so cool.

Lilly: 5:27

And the other study was looking at the impact of drilling on fungal spread. Oh, wow, yeah, because obviously anytime you're putting a hole in a tree, you're creating a wound, right. So they were looking at how different types of drill bits can influence the spread of certain fungi.

Jad: 5:36

Like inonotus hispidus.

Lilly: 5:37

Yeah, that was one they mentioned, I think.

Jad: 5:39

Yeah, that makes sense. So it sounds like penetrography is like a really valuable tool for us as arborists.

Lilly: 5:45

Oh, absolutely. I mean it can help you make much more informed decisions about whether a tree needs to be removed or pruned, or it's like you can see beyond just the visual inspection. Yeah, it's like getting a glimpse inside the tree.

Jad: 5:56

I love that. Okay, so we've got phytohormones, safety gear, coppicing and pollarding and penetrography all really relevant topics for arborists. Now let's shift gears a little bit. Friday's episode took us across the border. It was called Across the Border News from the Tree Institute in Poland.

Lilly: 6:15

Yeah, this one was fascinating. It kind of broadened our perspective a bit.

Jad: 6:19

Yeah, it definitely did so. For those who don't know what is the Tree Institute yeah, it definitely did so. For those who don't know what is the Tree Institute.

Lilly: 6:23

Well, it's this organization in Poland that's doing some amazing work in terms of education and research and consultation. They offer training programs for arborists. They're involved in international projects. They're really trying to raise the bar for arboriculture in Europe.

Jad: 6:41

Oh, wow.

Lilly: 6:41

That's awesome. So are they like setting standards or like, yeah, they're working on standardizing practices and qualifications and things like that?

Jad: 6:46

That's so cool. I mean, I feel like that's something that's really needed in our industry.

Lilly: 6:49

It is. It's kind of like a Wild West out there. Sometimes you know everyone's doing their own thing.

Jad: 6:54

Yeah, and there's so much variation in like the quality of work.

Lilly: 6:58

Right, so having some kind of standardization would be really beneficial.

Jad: 7:02

Yeah, and it could also help with like professional recognition.

Lilly: 7:04

You know, exactly Like having a certification that's recognized internationally.

Jad: 7:08

Right, ok, so I'm going to have to look into this tree institute. I'm really curious to learn more about what they're doing. Saturday's episode brought us back down to earth, literally.

Lilly: 7:21

It was called the carbon footprint of urban trees Always a relevant topic.

Jad: 7:23

Yeah, especially these days. So what did they talk about?

Lilly: 7:26

Well, they focused on a study that looked at the carbon footprint of urban maple trees throughout their entire life cycle.

Jad: 7:33

Oh, wow, so like from planting to disposal.

Lilly: 7:36

Yeah, they took everything into account the energy used to grow the trees, the transportation, the pruning, the eventual removal and disposal.

Jad: 7:43

That's really comprehensive. So what were the main takeaways?

Lilly: 7:51

Well, the most interesting finding, I thought, was that the way we care for trees can actually have a significant impact on their carbon footprint, like specifically, what kind of care? Well, pruning was a big one. They found that by optimizing pruning techniques you can actually reduce the time it takes for a tree to become carbon neutral techniques, you can actually reduce the time it takes for a tree to become carbon neutral.

Jad: 8:06

Oh wow, so like if you're doing proper pruning, you're actually helping the tree sequester carbon faster.

Lilly: 8:09

Exactly You're maximizing its carbon storage potential.

Jad: 8:13

That's so cool. It's like we're not just pruning trees, we're actually fighting climate change.

Lilly: 8:17

Yeah, it's all connected.

Jad: 8:19

That's an awesome takeaway. Okay, so we've covered a lot of ground this week.

Lilly: 8:24

Yeah, from the microscopic to the macroscopic.

Jad: 8:26

From pulling to pruning.

Lilly: 8:27

It's all part of the wonderful world of trees.

Jad: 8:30

It is and it's all relevant to us as arborists.

Lilly: 8:33

Absolutely. We need to stay informed about all of this stuff.

Jad: 8:36

So to all our listeners out there, I hope you found this deep dive helpful.

Lilly: 8:40

And we encourage you to check out the full episodes of Talking Trees, if you know. It's funny listening to all this stuff. It reminds me of you know, sometimes you get out in the field and you come across a situation and you're just like man, I mean just a massive oak, but there were some, you know, some pretty obvious signs of decay on the outside, you know, like some cavities and some fungal fruiting bodies. Yeah. So you're already thinking, hmm, this could be trouble.

Jad: 9:23

Yeah, and the homeowner they were. You know they were really attached to this tree, they really didn't want to take it down Of course. So I was, you know, I was doing my best to kind of assess the situation. You know I was tapping on the trunk, I was looking for any, you know, any soft spots and signs of weakness, right, but it was tough, you know, like I just couldn't get a clear picture of how extensive the decay was on the inside, right, you can only see so much from the outside, exactly.

Jad: 9:48

Yeah, and I didn't have any fancy tools or anything at the time.

Lilly: 9:51

No penetrometer.

Jad: 9:52

No.

Lilly: 9:53

Well, now you know about penetrography. Yeah.

Jad: 9:56

Man. We've covered some serious ground today, From tiny little hormones to like the whole planet.

Lilly: 10:03

I know right, it's all connected, though that's what's so amazing about trees.

Jad: 10:07

Yeah, there are these huge, complex organisms that play this massive role in the ecosystem and we, as arborists, we get to be a part of that.

Lilly: 10:15

It's pretty awesome when you think about it.

Jad: 10:17

So, like, out of all the stuff we talked about today, what really stuck with you?

Lilly: 10:22

Honestly, I think it's the carbon footprint stuff, like the idea that we can actually make a difference in the fight against climate change just by doing our jobs right.

Jad: 10:30

Yeah, that's pretty powerful. It's like we're not just pruning trees, we're helping to save the planet.

Lilly: 10:36

Exactly.

Jad: 10:37

And you know what else I thought was really cool that tree institute in Poland. Like they're really pushing the envelope in terms of like professionalism and standards in arboriculture.

Lilly: 10:46

Yeah, it'd be great to see something like that here, you know, some kind of like national organization that's really setting the bar high.

Jad: 10:53

Right, like raising the level of education and training for arborists across the board.

Lilly: 10:58

It would make a huge difference in the quality of tree care out there.

Jad: 11:02

For sure, and it would like give arborists more credibility, you know.

Lilly: 11:06

Absolutely.

Jad: 11:07

And I don't know about you, but I find that pretty exciting.

Lilly: 11:10

Me too. It's what keeps me coming back for more, you know.

Jad: 11:13

So to all you arborists out there, keep climbing, keep learning, keep caring for those amazing trees.

Lilly: 11:19

And remember we're all in this together.

Jad: 11:22

That's it for this week's deep dive into talking trees. Until next time, happy tree climbing everybody.

Roger: 11:31

Thank you for joining us on this week's journey through the world of trees and their management. If you enjoyed these topics, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes. Your support helps us keep this content coming. Consider supporting us on heroheroco slash talkingtrees. Thanks for being a part of our community and we'll see you next time. Keep growing your knowledge and passion for trees.