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Thanks – I’ll try those! Dirr app would be AWESOME – hopefully someday! Wonder if there are other good tree/plant apps in the interim?

Check this site out:
http://www.ayala-nbs.com
 

I really like your website, but as one of those arborists I would agree that trees and ‘grass’ do not agree.  I have had to remove lots of trees for preventable design/installation/maintenance mistakes.  I also have hundreds of photos to prove it too.
I agree on most of the posted comments on why mulch rings are necessary.
On the matter of the c…[Read more]

The people, and there have been at least three in this thread, who stated what they did that made them fail are almost asserting that they did not follow the directions, but clearly know what they are doing.
 
Perhaps, the failing in the academic area is that students are given too many passes when they make mistakes, re-invent the assignment to…[Read more]

I’m hitting the “Like” button on Tom’s response.
 
While all of the arguements against tree rings are good, there is a time and a place for everything. The article is good because it makes the point of what needs to go into the decision of doing something rather than automatically doing it. But, reprogramming to automatically dismiss an idea…[Read more]

As an partner of a firm in the Pacific Northwest, I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that the firm you are negotiating with will have a number in mind.  Maybe even a pay range for a given entry level position.  As you progress as a professional you can usually expect to progress through that position pay range until you are at the top o…[Read more]

Cheers and well said.  Every time I read these conversations, I wonder if the universities are failing the students and not giving them the tools they need to succeed.  Why and how are they failing? 
Instead of complaining and or defending the LARE we should be asking questions.  Such as, what are the common characteristics of failing app…[Read more]

While the image above creates a compelling case against mulch rings, it could just as easily read “The case against poor design”.
Mulch rings have their place. As pointed out earlier, they protect the tree from mowers/trimmers and help retain moisture. I’ve mowed a lot of lawns with a 48″ Bunton mower and a straight-shaft trimmer. You can be as…[Read more]

Gravel Bog Filtration
 
Here is how we filter water gardens and hobbyist fish ponds.  This PDF will give you some basic knowledge, but the concepts can be applied in a wide range of systems.
 

The more I think about it the more I see well placed and maintained mulch rings as a best management practice. In the early years of a trees life anyway.

what aboot Canadia?

I got the book but not the flash cards. You can make your own flash cards and the book was helpful, but kind of expensive for what you get. I would recommend getting practice tests and researching the answers over buying the pre fab flash cards and book. Just a thought. If you feel like you still want more information after you have the practice…[Read more]

On mature trees, mulch rings are purely maintenance/aesthetic. They absolutely make mowing “safer”. Have you actually seen the way commercial mowers work? I used to be on a mowing crew, and its GET IT DONE and move on. Most mowers employ non-skilled labor who could care less and don’t know a darn thing about trees. “Scar the bark? Who cares?” But…[Read more]

Not an exaggeration. It is a bummer that the people doing the maintenance and installs do not have the basic knowledge to not pile mulch up the stem of the trees as much as a foot. This happened in front of my office last summer.
 
I like the idea of using perennials around the trunks of trees along with mulch and a natural edge so the planting…[Read more]

I agree they can be unsightly and even damaging to the tree, but I was also under the impression that in addition to providing some safety from the trimmers and mowers the rings allowed the tree loose medium around the ‘crown’ area where the trunk meets the root zone to breath as this is where the majority of gas exchange occurs. Also allowing the…[Read more]

Great article–especially the aesthetics of it, which is the LA’s forte.    Getting a better spec at intiial installation will mean less chance of it showing up later.   I take exception with the “not to hard to mow around the tree” comment, because it must be–I have seen a lot of string trimmer damage and bad mower aim, especially on younger…[Read more]

And in the end, they do as much damage to the bark… where the mulch has been piled 3, 4, even 12″ !… as the stringtrimmer would have. (OK, that’s an exaggeration)

I know one person who can sell low buget but not bad quality playground material. His name is Norman Fevralevs he works in the company KSIL Baltic in Latvia. His contacts: phone.  +371 67 54 65 81 mob. +371 28330882 and e-mail normands@ksil.lv/
Denis

I saw the same scene in France in the garden of Mone

So I guess things are pretty good in the DC area?  I’ve noticed a few job postings in the area lately.