More on Trees

• Trees
• CITYGreen
• Choosing a tree
• Planting a tree
• Caring for a tree
• NeighborWoods
• Tree Guardian
• Tree Legacy Program
• Growing Out Station
• Tree ailments
• Tree Plantings
• Tree Glossary
• Treevia game
• Getting Involved
• Material(s) on Trees

Tree Glossary

Branch Bark Ridge

Branch bark ridge is the line of dark, wrinkled bark that runs between the branch you are removing and the one that remains when pruning.

Branch Collar

Branch collar is the swollen ring of tissue around the base of a tree branch.

Braodcast

to scatter over a wide area.

Cabling

the use of flexible cables to secure weak, imbalanced branches and forks to provide tree support.

Canopy

the span of branches and leaves that extend from a trunk.

Crotch

the angle or fork formed from the joining of two branches or a branch and a trunk.

Crown

the highest arc of leaves, twigs, and branches of a tree

Crown radius

the distance from the tree trunk to the farthest edge of a branch's tip.

Deep-root feeding

a fertilization method used by arborists to inject or funnel fertilizer directly to tree roots without fertilizing the surrounding lawn or ground cover.

Dormancy

the period from Autumn, after tree leaf loss, to early Spring before new tree growth.

Drip line

the perimeter of the area under a tree's branches.

Drop-crotching method

a suggested pruning method in which the pruner cuts a central leader branch back to a large lateral branch, to reduce the height of the tree.

Inorganic mulch

mulch that includes stones, crushed rock, pebbles, gravel, lava rock, or brick, which does not better the health of a tree.

Organic mulch

mulch that includes bark, wood chips, compost, leaf mold or partially composted leaves, sawdust, straw, clippings, buckwheat hulls, and pine needles, which improves the conditions of the soil.

Pruning

cutting, pinching, and trimming branches to create a tree's shape and to keep it strong.

Quick-release fertilizer

a fertilizer which gives short-time boosts to a tree during the growing season.

Slow-release fertilizer

a fertilizer that delivers nutrients over several months and is applied annually.

Suckers

sprouts that grow on or at the base of a tree from its roots

Topping

a harmful pruning method in which the pruner chops back all the limbs in a tree's canopy, to reduce its height, or removes parts of limbs.

Water sprouts

soft, flexible shoots that rapidly grow after excessive, improper pruning and can indicate tree weakness.

Woundwood

masses of cell tissue that form around a tree wound to seal a cut well.