City of Westlake Hills Tree Ordinance Information

westlakehillslogocrop.jpg On February 10, 2010 the City of Westlake Hills adopted a new tree ordinance. You can read the document in its entirety here. But, I’d like to offer you these important items in the ordinance.

  1. You must have a permit for any tree pruning if you hire a service. If you do the pruning yourself, there are some allowance, but you should contact Christy to keep yourself out of trouble.
  2. Trees up to 6″ diameter can be removed without permit.
  3. Trees 6″ and larger can be Continue reading City of Westlake Hills Tree Ordinance Information

Installing Irrigation Systems Around Trees

Installing an irrigation system IS the number one thing you can do to improve the overall health and beauty of your landscape. Just look at Arizona. They took the desert and made some of the most lush golf courses in the country. Irrigation is good for the trees, too, not just the grass. But, be careful, there are some issues.
Continue reading Installing Irrigation Systems Around Trees

Constructing In-Ground Swimming Pools Around Trees

Quite possibly the only thing better than being under a shade tree in the summer is taking a dip in the pool. If you are planning to build an in-gound pool near one of your prized trees be careful. You are going to be digging a big hole in the ground and will likely be taking many tree roots in the process.
Continue reading Constructing In-Ground Swimming Pools Around Trees

Construction Site Tree Protection

There are several facets of construction site tree protection that need to be covered. Most of the basics are pretty straight forward. Since all construction sites are different, the tricky part is understanding the impact to trees on your particular site. Some of the things you can do yourself, and some of the techniques will require you to hire a professional tree guy.
Continue reading Construction Site Tree Protection

Soil Restructuring. An Important Part of Tree Care.

Soil restructuring is one of the most powerful tools we have for tree health management. The idea is to till the soil; improving its structure will allow valuable air and water to more easily penetrate the soil. While fundamental in gardening theory, this task is not easy at the scale of a large tree.
Continue reading Soil Restructuring. An Important Part of Tree Care.

What is a Good Fast Growing Shade Tree for Austin and Central Texas? – Red Oak

What is the best fast growing shade tree to plant in Austin? Here is my answer: red oak. There are several factors that must be considered, and there are special precautions you need to take. No tree is fool proof. Continue reading What is a Good Fast Growing Shade Tree for Austin and Central Texas? – Red Oak

Tree Pruning: volume 4, When to Prune Trees

“When is the best time to prune trees?” This is one of the most common questions I get asked. The truth is there aren’t many timing concerns for tree pruning in the Austin area.
Continue reading Tree Pruning: volume 4, When to Prune Trees