Tree Notes: Free Advice about Trees

Sunday, February 18, 2007

Free Advice about Trees

State university extension services are a great resource.

Browsing around for some information about wild plums tonight, I came across a great page of questions and answers about plum trees (both wild and domestic plums). The website is titled "Hortiscope" and it's a ten-year archive of a newspaper column written by Dr. Ron Smith, a horticulturist for the North Dakota State University Extension Service.

All of the information is written with a North Dakota slant, of course, but I found plenty of things in the tree Q&A pages that were relevant to Kentucky. For example, in answer to a question about how to kill stumps, Dr. Smith wrote, "Spray any sprouts that come up with Roundup. Drill holes in the stump and fill them with saltpeter." I am going to try his suggestion about saltpeter on a pesky mimosa stump in our yard that refuses to die.

I don't know where to buy saltpeter, but I do know that if I don't find it at the local farm supplies, I can call my local county extension office and ask!

Try this Google search to find a wealth of extension service and other government publications about trees and forest.

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Enrich your life with the study of trees.

Print references I frequently consult

Benvie, Sam. Encyclopedia of North American Trees. Buffalo, NY: Firefly, 2000.

Brockman, C. Frank. Trees of North America: A Guide to Field Identification. Ed. Herbert S. Zim. New York: Golden, 1986.

Cliburn, Jerry, and Ginny Clomps. A Key to Missouri Trees in Winter: An Identification Guide. Conservation Commission of the State of Missouri, 1980.

Collingwood, G. H., Warren David Brush, and Devereux Butcher. Knowing Your Trees. Washington: American Forestry Association, 1978.

Dirr, Michael. Dirr's Hardy Trees and Shrubs: an Illustrated Encyclopedia. Portland, Or.: Timber, 1997.

Elias, Thomas S. The Complete Trees of North America; Field Guide and Natural History. New York: Book Division, Times Mirror Magazines, 1980.

Grimm, William Carey. The Book of Trees;. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole, 1962.

Hightshoe, Gary L. Native Trees, Shrubs, and Vines for Urban and Rural America: a Planting Design Manual for Environmental Designers. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1988.

Little, Elbert L. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees. New York: Chanticleer, 1996.

Martin, Alexander C., Herbert S. Zim, and Arnold L. Nelson. American Wildlife and Plants. New York: McGraw Hill, 1951.

Mitchell, Alan F., and David More. The Trees of North America. New York, NY: Facts On File Publications, 1987.

Randall, Charles E. Enjoying Our Trees. Washington: American Forestry Association, 1969.

Settergren, Carl D., and R. E. McDermott. Trees of Missouri. Columbia: University Extension, 1995.

Sternberg, Guy, and James W. Wilson. Native Trees for North American Landscapes: from the Atlantic to the Rockies. Portland: Timber, 2004.

Wharton, Mary E., and Roger W. Barbour. Trees and Shrubs of Kentucky. Lexington: University of Kentucky, 1973.

Wyman, Donald. Trees for American Gardens. New York: Macmillan, 1965.

Tree Notes