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We work with trees to ensure the safety and beauty of landscapes, improve property, and promote the well-being of the environment. Our practice is governed by principles of safety and integrity. We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusiveness and respect within our crew as well as in the community.

What a busy season it has been! We at New Leaf continue to be humbled by the call for our services and thrilled that we are able to engage with so many of you in the care of your trees and properties. 
And we continue to value the talent and work ethic that our wonderful crews bring to the job every day.

With fall now here, I want to offer an update on the state of our business, and plans for the coming seasons.

The increasing demand this summer has continued to extend wait times. At the moment, we are currently booking 4 to 5 months out after a proposal is accepted. As many of you have mentioned, being busy is a good problem to have. The increased demand does, however, put a lot of strain on our system in terms of responding to seasonally dependent work, as well as storm damage and other emergency situations. Please be assured that when emergency situations arise, we remain committed to expeditiously servicing the needs of our current clients. We would respectfully ask that we all be understanding of schedule shake-ups in these situations.

Previously, as you may have noticed, we added an exciting feature to our website: a link to a special page for online scheduling of in-person consultations. We offer one-on-one arborist consultations to discuss and evaluate your trees, answer any questions or concerns, then formulate action plans. Short in-person meetings intended to price out individual tree removals or pruning work are also available. On the linked website page, you can input your information and select a preferred date and time slot for your specific area. We can then email back and forth to confirm and elicit any further details.  

This feature has been so well received and utilized that our availability for such meetings is already mostly booked through the end of this year (!). However, we will certainly make additional time available for current clients regarding work that is seasonally dependent, such as ornamental and fruit tree pruning, oak pruning, and winter property work. Please reach out to us via email if there is work you would like to discuss, and provide as much information as you can, including pictures. In some instances we may be able to forego a consultation meeting in order to speed up the process. 

As a further feature of our service for anyone interested, we will compile a list of yearly reoccurring maintenance needs. Again, if you are interested please email us!

In the aftermath of the wet summer, we have received inquires from homeowners regarding wilted, browning, and early-dropping maple leaves. Two common fungal issues that are the primary causes for this situation are tar spot and anthracnose.

  • Tar spot appears as small, raised black spots scattered across the surface of the leaf. Tar spot does not usually have an adverse effect on the long-term health of trees. 
  • Anthracnose is a fungus that tends to attack plants in the spring when the weather is cool and wet, primarily on leaves and twigs. Cool, rainy weather creates perfect conditions for the spores to spread. While stem infections by anthracnose fungi are common, maple anthracnose almost always affects only the foliage. In general, anthracnose fungi does not present a major threat to established, healthy trees. Proper pruning techniques to allow for more air and light movement can lessen chances of fungal outbreaks going forward, as well as properly disposing of diseased plant material.  

We would like to thank all of you for your continued support. We appreciate the feedback we have been getting. We look forward to a strong finish to the year.

Stay safe!

Sincerely,


Caleb White 
New Leaf Tree Services Inc  & New Leaf Ecological Landscapes LLC
518-526-6675
NewLeafTreeServicesInc@gmail.com
NewLeafTreeServices.com


Think globally, act locally.

We are excited to announce a new endeavor:

New Leaf Ecological Landscapes LLC!

Inspired by our research about soil health, carbon sequestration, and other climate-change related concerns, we view the work of the new enterprise as vital to restoring and maintaining the well-being of our lands.

Our focus will initially be on converting lawns and otherwise barren spaces into meadows and wooded areas utilizing native plants. While we still have work to do in ironing out what our process will be, we are encouraged by the positive feedback we have received thus far.

We look forward to sharing more in the coming months about how this process will take shape. Stay tuned!

Recommended reading

Worried about the planet? Change starts in your backyard.
In Nature’s Best Hope, Douglas W. Tallamy urges homeowners to take environmental action into their own hands, one yard at a time. This homegrown approach sidesteps any shortsightedness of governmental policy and the physical limitations of our isolated national parks, empowering us all to make our planet a better place. The approach he encourages is practical, effective, and easy.

Whether we like nature or not, none of us will be able to live long without it.

Other books by Douglas Tallamy are Bringing Nature Home and The Nature of Oaks. The books can be purchased on bookshop.org.

 

Welcome Sara to New Leaf!
Please welcome Sara Savoia to our team as an assistant arborist! Sara obtained her Bachelor of Science in Ecological Restoration from Paul Smith's College in the Adirondacks. Sara assists with the research of insects and diseases of trees, responding to emails, writing proposals, and supporting our crew in the field. She is also involved with research and development of our ecological landscape program.
Invasive species updates

GYPSY MOTHS

If you live in the Austerlitz / Canaan area, you most likely experienced the gypsy moth outbreak this year. Gypsy moths, also known as Lymantria dispar dispar, are non-native invasive insects with larvae that feed voraciously on the foliage of many North American plants. Populations of these caterpillars remain high for 2 to 3 years, then collapse and return to low levels for 10 to 15 years or longer. Provided defoliation stays under 50% in deciduous trees, they should be fine in the coming years. Evergreens that become defoliated are not likely to fare well going forward. 

Does leaf damage affect fall colors?

Some wonder if the damage done this year by the gypsy moth outbreak will affect fall colors. Fall colors are determined by environmental conditions rather than the condition of the leaves. Weaker fall colors are caused by lots of rain and early frost. This summer's excessive rain may have an overall dampening effect on the vibrancy of fall colors.

What should I do if I have them on my property?

There are many factors that control gypsy moth populations naturally and in general keep them under control. Placing sticky bug barrier bands on tree trunks can prevent caterpillars from crawling up to the canopies where they feed on foliage. In early June when caterpillars are larger, these bands can be replaced with burlap and any caterpillars that are found can be manually removed from trees. 

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SPOTTED LANTERNFLY

The spotted lanternfly, also known as Chinese blistering cicada, is a non-native invasive pest from Asia that is a threat to woody and non-woody material. These pests feed on the sap of more than 70 plant species, making trees vulnerable to disease and attacks from other insects. At this time, it is particularly valuable to learn how to identify spotted lanternfly adults and egg masses. You can visit the New York State Department of Conservation notice about spotted lanternfly here to learn more.

If you live in New York and think you have found Spotted Lanternfly, report your concern to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, using the Spotted Lanternfly Public Report.

Final call for fall tree planting
 
We still have a small quantity of trees left in our nursery that are available for planting before the winter.   
  • Norway spruce, 6/7 feet (2 currently available)
  • Eastern redbud, 2 inch caliper (2 currently available)
  • Red maple, 3.5 inch caliper (1 currently available)
  • Red oak, 2 inch caliper (4 currently available)
  • White oak, 2 inch caliper (2 currently available)
  • Multi-stem serviceberry, 5 feet (1 currently available)
  • Multi-stem river birch, 14 feet (1 currently available)
Please email us for more information. 
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