The Importance of Arboriculture

What is Arboriculture?

Arboriculture is a science and the practice of taking care of plants, trees and shrubs – arborists are experts in green space. Arborists are different to forestry contractors because they maintain wooded areas for their aesthetic rather than for the timber or fruit they produce. Arboriculture also involves the management of risk and the study of tree safety.

Arborists are also different to tree surgeons – arborists focus on treating damaged trees, tree inspections and management advice whereas tree surgeons’ focus is on felling, site clearance, emergency tree care and stump grinding.

The Importance of Arboriculture

Arboriculture is important in many different ways:

The Health of Trees

A healthy forest or woodland requires healthy trees. Trees are extremely important for the environment and even for our own health. Trees act as a filter for dust and pollutants and a lot of trees are known for their medicinal and healing properties. One example of this would be an Alder tree – its bark contains salicin which is an anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing compound.

Trees are also great for our mental health – nature has been shown to reduce stress, stabilise blood pressure and treat anxiety.

Trees are great for the environment; they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the air.

Arborists’ main job is making sure trees stay healthy and treating them when they become damaged.

Preserving Habitats

Woodlands are home to a host of wildlife and different species of plants. Trees and plants offer shelter and food to insects, birds, deer and more.

By arborists making sure trees are healthy, they’re also making sure that wildlife habitats are being preserved.

Good for the Economy

Healthy trees are great for the economy, the value of homes near trees is higher than homes that aren’t near trees and companies benefit from workers being happier if they’re closer to parks. It’s also been show that shoppers are more likely to linger and buy more goods if there are shaded areas like trees nearby.

A Proud Community

A beautiful park or woods means a proud community, having a green space near you means you’ve got somewhere to go if you want to relax, read a book, go for a walk and get out of the house. Many people take pride in the place they live and arborists make sure their parks look amazing.

Aesthetic

No one wants to walk through a park or woodland filled with dead trees, shrubs and dying plants. Arborists make sure woods look great so when you go for a walk in your local park or woodland, you’ve got arborists to thank for the picturesque view.

Where Did Arboriculture & Tree Surgery Originate?

The roots of arboriculture start off in the 1800s. The first ever tree surgeon was a man named John Davey, born in Somerset, he developed the science of arboriculture in the late 1800s. He first took an interest in nature & natural resources when he was helping his father who ran a farm where he developed a strong passion and work ethic. Davey moved to Kent, Ohio, in the 1880s and founded the Davey Tree Expert Company where he planted and maintained trees and shrubs for his customers.

Davey actually didn’t learn the alphabet until he was in his 20s, although he is now hailed as the father of the science of tree surgery! His company’s motto was “do it right or don’t do it at all” – Davey thought if you needed surgery, you wouldn’t go to a butcher, exactly the same as if you need your trees maintained, you should go to a tree surgeon – a person needing repairing is similar to a tree needing repairing. This mindset changed tree care forever.

Davey published a book in 1901 named ‘The Tree Doctor’, it cost $1 and included all of his methods on arboriculture and tree care, urging citizens and the government to look after their trees using his proper methods. It also detailed his inventions which he is credited for, they include tree cabling, bracing, cavity filling and pruning.

Contact Glendale for Arboriculture Services

Here at Glendale, we have a team of trained arborists who are experts in green space – we can meet your every requirement. We also act as an arboricultural consultancy, ready to provide you with tree consultancy services to properly manage your green spaces. Contact us today.