Fungus on a tree is not a death sentence
Hollow trunks, torn-out limbs and shelf fungi look like the end. Trees can live for decades or centuries in that state, and here is how to tell when it matters.
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The nursery notebook
Field notes on how trees actually work: growth, age, height, damage, recovery and the everyday mistakes that shorten their lives. Written from the ground, not from search results.
How old is that tree, really?
Forest trees live far longer than the lifespans quoted online, and open-grown trees are usually far younger than they look. Both errors come from the same place.
Ten planting mistakes that quietly kill trees
Most trees that die in their first decade were doomed on planting day. Here are the mistakes we see most, and what to do instead.
Why almost every tree height you read is too tall
The common way to measure a tree assumes its top is directly above its trunk. On a broad hardwood it almost never is. Here is the honest method.
Why new leaves come out red
That bronze-red flush on spring oak and maple leaves is sunscreen, not stress. Here is what the pigment is doing and when to actually worry.
Next up
In the works
Five articles in progress, roughly in the order we expect to publish them. Ask for one to move up the list.
- Squirrels, voles, mice, rabbits and deer: how each damages young trees, and the sleeves, cages and pins that stop them
- Leaf and twig mulch beats wood chips: why the litter under a tree is worth more than a bag of chips
- Red oaks versus white oaks: which to plant where
- Transplanting young trees: timing, watering and protection
- Poor trees for urban homes, and the natives to plant instead