Centennial, Colorado 80121

WHAT IS PHC and IPM ?

It wasn't long ago that the concept of Plant Health Care was simply the attempt to control insects and diseases by the use of broad chemical applications to landscape areas. This concept has changed over the years, and arborists now realize the implications of large broadcast sprays that enter our environment. We now consider the definition of proper plant health care as being a holistic and comprehensive program that manages the health, structure, and appearance of plants in the landscape. The key to having healthy trees, is to keep them stress free.  The treatment of trees in relationship to the ecosystems that they're part of, such as other plants, turf, soil type, weather conditions, insects and diseases, human interaction and other factors are now the consideration of arborists for more structured health programs.

Another aspect of Plant Health Care is Integrated Pest Management. Arborists have implemented the concept of thresholds for treating pest populations. This is determined by doing a cost benefit analysis of pest damage versus treatment expense. Sometimes the threat to tree health is minimal, and intervention is not justified. The pest population is left to be re-evaluated at a later time. Other times, the pests offer a potential for serious damage or death to the tree, and intervention is justified.

When a pest population is considered dangerous to the health of a tree, arborists now must choose the best method of control. These methods include Chemical, Biological, Cultural, and Mechanical options for reducing a threatening pest population to a level that is acceptable to the arborist and customer.

CHEMICAL: The primary pesticides used by arborists are Fungicides and Insecticides. In the last few years, chemical manufactures have made great advancements in developing pesticides that are are more target specific and are less toxic to other species or the environment. When chemical control is opted for, they must be used wisely done according the safety regulations that govern the chemical.

BIOLOGICAL: Most insects live with the threat of natural predators and parasites. The option of introducing a beneficial insect population that is also a natural predator to the undesired insect must be considered. This option is often considered unintrusive and environmentally friendly.

CULTURAL: Planting species that are less susceptible to specific insects and diseases should always be considered for new planting projects. Sometimes the only rational decision is to remove a infected tree and replace with a more resistant species.  

MECHANICAL: On a small scale, mechanical management can sometimes be the most practical alternative for pest control. This could consist of hand picking bagworms of an evergreen shrub, or installing a physical barrier to keep pests away or pruning out infected branches.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN TO YOU?

TREE MEDICINE TREE SERVICE knows that the key to any successful PHC program is monitoring the trees and they're growing conditions. Early detection of tree problems is the best defense to reducing stress and keeping trees pest free. A stress free tree is a healthy,  pest free and disease free tree. When a problem is detected, the appropriate response process must be decided. Aspects such as gathering all information, assessing the severity and implications of the problem, determining client expectations and and determining a course of action are necessary to effective control.

Having an arborist monitor the health of your trees on a regular basis can save long term costs and insure landscape longevity.

WE OFFER MORE THAN TREE CARE, WE OFFER TREE HEALTH