Rio Communities's Expert Arborists

Rio Communities’s Tree Challenges

Newly planted honeylocust and green ash on Rio Communities’ open lots show iron chlorosis quickly since young roots have less capacity to compensate for the soil’s high pH than an established tree does. With fewer windbreaks than older, denser neighborhoods, these young trees also take the full force of downslope canyon winds moving through the valley, sometimes uprooting a tree that hasn’t yet anchored well.

A heavy wet spring snow can do real damage to young, still forming branch structure, and a late frost after early bud break sets a stressed tree even further behind. Mountain pine beetle pressure is lower here than near the foothills, but any conifer planted as a windbreak still needs regular monitoring. An expert arborist can structurally prune young trees early to prevent the weak unions that cause bigger problems years down the road.