The Re-Tree Richland County workshop was held Saturday, May 16 at the Sidney Country Club with approximately 40 people in attendance. This is the second year the workshop was held under the direction of Stephanie Ridl, City Parks Superintendent, certified arborist, and Richland County Tree Board Secretary along with the Richland County Tree Board. In 2014 the workshop was open to anyone, however only those within city limits were provided with trees to plant; the interest and success of last year’s workshop allowed for trees to be provided county wide in 2015.
Topics covered included proper planting and pruning techniques: planting trees in a space adequate for their mature height and width to prevent topping, the difference between pruning fruit bearing and non-fruit bearing trees, preparing roots prior to planting, and that cuts should be made flush against the tree allowing water to flow over it rather than settle in it, making the tree susceptible to decay and disease.
Tim Fine from the MSU Extension Office and member of the Richland County Tree Board discussed parasites in terms of preparation and prevention. With Dutch Elm Disease having such an impact on the tree population and Emerald Ash Borer moving towards the area, the need to diversify tree species is a specific goal of Ridl’s ultimately having one species of trees make up no more than 10% of the Sidney canopy.
‘It’s not so much a matter of if Emerald Ash Borer will affect the Ash tree population here, but when it will affect the Ash tree population,” Ridl said on Saturday, explaining that unlike Dutch Elm Disease which only infected American Elms, Emerald Ash Borer will infect all species of Ash trees.
Diseases such as black knot and fire blight, which effect fruit bearing trees, were covered in terms of pruning as a means of disease control and how to disinfect pruning tools using Lysol, rubbing alcohol, or a bleach solution.
Those in attendance took a tour of the golf course for some hands-on learning and 28 trees were sent home with residents to be planted in Richland County.
Ridl would like to thank the Richland County Tree Board, the cities of Sidney and Fairview, Charmaine Wehmhoefer from MDU in Bismark, ND, Jason Lamb and the Sidney Country Club staff, and Pepsi and Blue Rock for making the Re-Tree Richland County workshop possible.
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