What’s New – Fall 2022

Fall Needle Shedding on Conifers

Every fall, Earth-Wise receives phone calls from customers concerned about the browning needles on their pine, spruce and fir trees. Not to worry, this is a normal process. Depending on species, location and overall health of the tree, conifers typically hold on to needles for 3 – 7 years. Older needles become less efficient at photosynthesis due to shading from new growth and excess wax build-up; as they are no longer productive for the tree, they are shed.

Reaching New Heights

Congratulations to our own Luke Sappington, who passed his International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist exam earlier in June. This certification requires three years of industry experience and demonstrating proficiency in a range of topics from plant physiology to soil science and tree climbing knots.

Luke capped off the month of June with his first go at an ISA climbing competition. He finished in 9th place (out of 70 competitors) at the Rocky Mountain Chapter Tree Climbing Championship held in Denver. These competitions test an arborist’s abilities in tree climbing speed/skills, aerial rescue and other essential skills.

Nice job Luke!