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How to Avoid Dangerous Situations with Proper Tree Care

March 7, 2024January 20, 2016 by The Parke Company

Tree fallen on a fence in Nashville If you have watched the news in the last several weeks and you live in the Nashville area, you’ve probably heard about the tree falling on Vanderbilt’s campus. The tree fell unexpectedly on a group of prospective students and their families. Fortunately, all ten people injured will be okay, but the fallen tree should be a lesson to all of us. Tree care is important not just for the sake of the tree but for the people who enjoy them.

Sources stated the large hackberry tree on Vanderbilt’s campus was water-soaked, which caused the fall. Heavy waterfall, snow and ice are major weather concerns during this time of the year. If you haven’t already this season, be sure to contact the Parke Company to come check out the well-being of your trees.

Here are some services to consider before the harsh winter season gets the best of your yard:

Tree Landscaping Services

Crown thinning

This type of tree service is great for a variety of reasons. Not only does crown thinning involve removing limbs to reduce weight in highly stressed areas, but it also improves air and sunlight throughout the tree. Removing heavy limbs or branches in stressed areas of the tree is a great way to avoid falling limbs during storms or other natural disasters. In addition, it keeps the trees healthy and strong for many years to come.

Weight reduction

Weight reduction services involve the removal of large limbs on lower areas of the tree to reduce overall weight. This is done to avoid limbs (or the whole tree) from falling during strong winds, ice, or for no reason at all.

Deadwood

This tree care service is commonly completed to remove dead, dying and diseased branches or limbs from a tree. Although this is mainly done for the health of the tree (so disease or other factors won’t spread to other areas), and it’s also done to improve the aesthetic of the tree. Similar to the other tree services listed above, if these dying or diseased branches do not get removed in a timely matter, they can fall causing damage to property, people or the tree itself.

Taking care of your trees on your property is vital in preventing damage to other areas of your home or business and the people who live or visit there. In addition, maintaining proper tree care enhances the lifespan of the tree. It’s important to contact the Parke Company to assess your trees and its branches or limbs. Tree services can help you avoid any possible disasters from occurring.

Obviously, some accidents (like the tree on Vanderbilt’s campus) just happen without any warning. If you find yourself in need of emergency tree care services, contact Parke today. Tree care experts will assist in a variety of emergency tree situations both efficiently and safely. For more information about routine tree care or emergency tree services, contact the Parke Company today!

Have You Ordered Your Live Christmas Tree Yet? Contact Parke!

March 7, 2024November 12, 2015 by The Parke Company

Parke-Company-tree-service-of-nashville-Have-You-Ordered-Your-Live-Christmas-Tree-Yet-Contact-Parke-ornament-red-trail Whoever said you had to stick to the rule of waiting to decorate for the holidays until after Thanksgiving? Why not get started on the decorations now? After all, you don’t just have to limit yourself to Christmas decorations. Why not put up decorations for Thanksgiving? Autumn decorations pair beautifully with Nashville trees and landscape during this beautiful season. Decorations are a great way to get your family in the holiday spirit, and that even applies to decorations outside your home or business.

The Parke Company doesn’t just provide comprehensive tree care; our team can help you put together beautiful and festive decorations over the next couple of months in a variety of ways:

A live Christmas tree is one Parke’s most exciting services. Though it’s always fun to visit Green Hills Mall or Warner Park’s Red Trail to see living Christmas trees, it’s never too early to call the Parke Company to discuss your own living Douglas fir or Norway Spruce tree! Call the Parke Company and they’ll set up your live tree at your house, either inside or outside, to enjoy during the Christmas season. Once the holidays are over, Parke can come back out and plant the living tree in your lawn that will permanently become part of your landscape.

While your tree grows in your landscape for decades to come, it will provide much more than a Christmas memory for you and your family. Though it takes a bit of planning, it’s a great way for your family, especially children, to learn the importance of nature. Don’t need a tree but want to give one as a gift? The Parke Company can do that too! Just call them for more information.

There are other great ways to decorate your landscape with leaves and other holiday decor: your flowerbeds and mailboxes. Your mailbox is an ideal way to show some festive cheer before guests even enter the driveway. Whether you envision autumn leaves or Christmas holly, the Parke Company can make it happen with an array of artistic displays.

Want to add something more to your landscape aside from your mailbox? The Parke Company will work with you to create the perfect display for your porch. Your display can be simple or elaborate. Get in the holiday spirit both inside and outside of your home. They will even take care of any special planting needs for the holidays so your flower bed and landscape.

The team at Parke understands that you have a busy schedule, but don’t forget to call and discuss living Christmas trees and holiday decorating before it’s too late! And while you’re at it, you can talk about plans for your landscape, flower bed and tree care, too. Feel free to call them today for a free consultation or decoration ideas for the upcoming season.

Fall’s Changing Colors and Cleaning the Gutters

March 7, 2024October 23, 2015 by The Parke Company

Tree with fall leaves Leaves changing color is easily one of the most beautiful aspects of fall. It’s a natural decor change in your backyard. How neat is that? But how exactly do the leaves change their colors and how does it affect your to-list in the fall? If you’re spending any time outside in Nashville right now, you’ve noticed the change has already happened. With cooler nights and shorter daylight hours, the foliage on branches is slowly starting to turn orange, red and even purple.

The keyword for the change in color is chlorophyll. If you remember back in your 7th grade science class, chlorophyll is powered by sunlight and gives leaves that beautiful green color during the summertime. When fall arrives, the chlorophyll slowly starts to disappear from the leaves. The weather cools down and the days become shorter, which in turn prevents adequate access to sun and food. Because there are not enough resources for photosynthesis, the chlorophyll slowly disappears from the leaves leaving the yellow and orange color.

Do you see trees with branches full of color? It’s because glucose levels are trapped in leaves after the photosynthesis stops. The glucose itself is what turns the leaves bright red or orange, and it’s mostly seen in maple trees. If you check out areas around Nashville such as Cheekwood, Centennial Park and Belle Meade Plantation, you will be able to spot some of these beautiful bright leaves in all shades of this color pallette. It’s a beautiful reminder of why fall brings such joy to Nashvillians and people all over Middle Tennessee.

But don’t forget that the beautiful foliage will eventually fall from the trees, and one of the most popular landing zones? Your gutters. Your landscape and trees will come across a lot of fallen leaves so don’t forget to check the gutters, flower beds and other hidden crevices areas in your landscape. Though cleaning gutters isn’t a service offered by the Parke Company, cleaning out those gutters is a task that cannot be forgotten.

If you need other services such as tree care, compost, fall decorations or other tree and landscape services, contact the Parke Company today. (For a full list, click here.) Enjoy the fall weather since it’s only here for a short time longer, but be sure to remember your gutters!

Trees and Hackberry Wooly Aphids: 101

March 7, 2024October 9, 2015 by The Parke Company

parke-company-tree-site-trees-hackleberry-aphids-101-nashville Just because fall is here doesn’t mean it’s the end of bug season. Just like with other plants, trees are highly susceptible to invasive species. All kinds of pests can harm the trees and the things beneath them, not to mention annoy you, even in the fall. One of the more common pests in Nashville is the Hackberry wooly aphid: a small and furry bug that is about 1/10 inch long. Not only can these insects cause a lot of problems for trees but they also can cause issues with the people by creating falling hazards and damage to property. Here are just a few things to know about wooly aphids and how you can spot them if your trees and branches are infested.

These bugs infest Chinese Hackberry trees and can be found all over the U.S. and most of Asia. Blue or gray-toned, the bug also has black wings and secretes a wax or honeydew on the plants and other objects beneath them. The problem isn’t the bug itself, but the amount of honeydew it releases. You might walk outside and notice your car looks a little more “waxy.” Well, that’s not necessarily sap from a tree, but from the substance the bugs release. From cars to decks, the honeydew can create a big slippery mess, resulting in hazardous conditions. In addition, the dew can form into black mold that is hard to clean and damage patios, decks and other outdoor property.

If your tree is infested, you will notice the furry aphids on the branches and leaves of your trees, or you will see waxy film or mold underneath, which can be hard to clean up or get rid of. Because of this, it’s best to call in a tree care professional. The Parke Company is familiar with the woolly aphids and their arborists can recommend the best way to remove the insects from your trees.

Hackberry woolly aphids can be a serious problem if they’re not addressed. Plus, the moldy film the bugs secrete is an eye sore! The Parke Company arborists will recommend tree care to avoid future problems down the road. Whether you want to address fall/slip prevention or you want to avoid ugly mold on your property, inspect your Hackberry trees and their branches for any signs of these pesky bugs. If you do notice an infestation, call the Parke Company’s arborists team to discuss the next steps in removal. For more information about tree care and services within the Middle Tennessee area, call them today!

It’s Finally Fall! Why Leaves Change Their Colors

December 20, 2025September 18, 2015 by The Parke Company

Fall leaves in a mountain landscape Football season is in full force here in Middle Tennessee. Tennessee Titans, Vanderbilt and MTSU are all ready to play ball. And with the hysteria comes cooler nights and shorter days. That’s right folks, fall is settling in, which means Mother Nature’s tree decor is slowly changing colors. The changing colors of the trees is a beautiful backdrop to all of autumn’s activities. But exactly how do they change color and why do they eventually fall from their limbs? The answer is in the chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll is what gives leaves that rich green color during the summertime. When fall arrives, the weather cools down and the days become shorter, giving the leaves less access to sun and food. Because there are not enough resources for photosynthesis, the chlorophyll slowly disappears from the leaves, turning the leaves yellow and orange, then finally brown. Sometimes, the leaves of trees turn bright red or purple. This is due to trapped glucose levels and is mostly found in maple trees.

But as you know, the leaves eventually fall from their limbs leaving a mess all around your landscape. Though it can be fun for your family to play in, it eventually needs to be cleaned up. But why worry about cleanup it if you don’t have to? The Parke Company’s landscape team can assist you in leaf cleanup to protect your landscape from damage. In addition, the fallen leaves can become ideal composting material for your future landscape projects.

In addition to leaf clean-up, take care of other tree and lawn care tasks in one swoop this season. Other arborist or landscape services to be thinking about include:

Dead limb or tree removal — get rid of unwanted or dangerous branches and dead trees for a safe winter.
Leaf blowing or mulching for additional leaf pick up and tree chipper services — a much-needed service for landscapes with a lot of trees. After the clean-up is done, recycle the trash and use it for your future mulching needs.
Expert transplant services — this is the perfect time of year to begin scheduling transplant services for your trees. Give the Parke Company a call before it’s too late.

Autumn is a great season for the changing leaves here in Middle Tennessee. Enjoy the beauty, but don’t get bogged down in all the yard work. For more information about the Parke Company and their services, call an arborist today at (615) 405-6548.