Stephanie Juchs, community education coordinator for Casey Trees, on Sept. 14, led an advanced training session of tree identification at the organization’s Washington, D.C. location.
Some interesting take aways offered by participants:
– The Paw Paw Tree (Asimina triloba) produces the largest native fruit in North America.
– For every 1 inch of caliper a tree needs about 1 year to become established: A 6-inch caliper tree, then, needs six years to make itself at home. The implications of this are enormous for the homeowner. Who wants to water a tree week in and week out for six lo-o-o-o-ng years? Plant a whip and it settles in far quicker, freeing up a homeowner to pursue more interesting activities. That’s a big advantage to planting smaller trees — much like the ones the county is offering for the tree giveaway.
What’s a happy medium? A 2-inch caliper tree.