ITCC 2010, Chicago, IL

Just got back from the International Tree Climbing Competition and ISA Conference in Chicago. The ITCC was at the Morton Arboretum (http://www.mortonarb.org/), a 1700 acre property with woodlands, trails, managed areas, education centers, library, etc... The comp was really amazing, and I had lots of time to tour the grounds as well. Since we (the New England Chapter ISA) hosted ITCC last year at Roger Williams Park in Providence, I felt obliged to attend this year's events. Although I had a great time prepping for the event and working on the trees for Providence last year, It was alot nicer (and easier) just being a spectator! Here is a link to some pictures of the ITCC as well as the flooding that pushed the comp back a day:

http://picasaweb.google.com/tomthetreeman/2010ITCC#

Myself and other NE Chapter members were there to cheer on our local NE Champs, Marcy Gladdys and Moris Duarte. Mark Chisolm (NJ Chapter) was the men's winner, and Josephine Hedger (UK/Ireland) won the women's comp. What a blast!!!

Heat wave over for now...

Well, it looks like we're getting some relief finally, and we got a little rain there at the end. Here in the Providence area, though, the quick downpour was not enough to percolate down into the soil. Soooo..... If you've got newly planted trees (1-3 years), or stressed trees and shrubs, keep watering! A hose set on a slow to medium drip for 30-60 minutes is enough for small trees, but larger trees need more volume. Approximately 10 gallons per inch of trunk caliper twice a week is best during the hot Summer months. A two inch caliper tree should get 20 gallons, a 10 inch tree 100, etc. It sounds like alot, but your trees are worth it! Consider rain barrels and other ways of redirecting or capturing passive water to reuse, especially if you have alot of trees to water!

Hi Everyone!

Hello Tree People!!! Welcome to my blog! The idea of my Tom's Tree Care Blog will be to keep folks up on what's going on locally with trees in the Providence area, what we're up to, and seasonal or otherwise important info on trees, pests, tips & tricks, etc. Thanks for stopping in, and please check back for frequent updates!

-Tom