Use of Mulching Attachments: Understanding Tree Health

One of the many uses of mulching attachments is ridding your property of diseased or dying trees. These trees are no longer growing, sometimes they begin to look ugly and warped, and they can be hazardous to all other plant life around them. Spores of tree diseases or fungal growths can be easily transferred from the infected tree to others on your grounds and beyond. Diseases have been known to spread rapidly over many miles of forest, sometimes even resulting in extinction for certain tree species that cannot ward off the attack. Proactively eliminating this threat using mulching attachments is the only way to protect your trees, so it is important to be aware of the signs of infection.

There are countless symptoms displayed by dying or dead trees, but if you know the types of changes to look for, you can discern the problem quickly and use mulching attachments to rid your property of the sickly tree. Ignoring the symptoms can lead to more devastating results. Dead trees can be fragile and are far more likely to topple during storms. They can also take away from the value of the property and if the infection spreads, the property value will tumble further still. If it does spread, mulching attachments will still be able to rid your property of all infected trees, but it will be far more expensive and will result in having to transplant new trees to the property when all the old ones have died.

The first place to look on a potentially sick tree is the limbs. If the limbs are beginning to grey and are no longer producing leaves, or the leaves on the branches are wilting, the limb is either dying or already dead. This is a clear precursor to the whole tree dying. Removing the limbs with mulching attachments may do the trick, but be sure to consult a professional about the health of the remaining tree.

The second place to look is the trunk. Inspect the trunk for any new growths, which could indicate that the tree is not getting enough nourishment from the leaves and is attempting to pull the nutrients from the soil. It could also indicate the death of the trunk inside of the tree. Once the trunk has died, the rest of the tree is sure to follow. Also, look out for any mushrooms on the trunk or near the roots. This is evidence that the tree may be battling a fungal infection that might not spread to other trees but will certainly incapacitate the one it infects. If the infection is not caught in an early enough stage, using mulching attachments may be the only way to rid your property of the contaminated tree.

Last, keep an eye on the leaves. Changes in the color or presentation of leaves (white powder, spots on leaves, shriveling before autumn, etc) are good indicators that something is remiss with this tree. Some diseases begin to manifest in the leaves before showing symptoms on the tree itself. If you see changes, contact a tree specialist for assistance as you may not need to break out the mulching attachments just yet.

To learn more about Torrent Mulchers forestry products, please contact us.