Herriman's Expert Arborists

Herriman’s Tree Challenges

New construction lots often plant honeylocust, green ash, and Norway maple straight into Herriman’s alkaline clay, soil that locks up iron and shows it fast: young leaves yellow between green veins within a season or two if the tree was not chosen or amended for the site. Because organic matter is thin here, that chlorosis shows up sooner than in older, more amended soil elsewhere in the valley.

Wind is the other factor new residents underestimate. Herriman sits exposed on the valley’s west side, and downslope canyon winds still reach it, especially where dense conifers were planted in tight rows as an instant privacy screen. Without room to sway and thin canopy structure, those rows are the first thing to come down in a wind event. Heavy wet spring snow and late frosts add further stress to young bark and branch unions that have not yet hardened off. An arborist who knows the difference between a tree that needs thinning now and one that is structurally sound already saves homeowners from both extremes: over pruning a healthy tree, and ignoring a real hazard.