Dear Mr. Carlson....You're quite famous (infamous) in Seattle for bringing your own leafy hors d'oeuvres to our better restaurants, so I was pleased to see your web site with a Q & A section.

My brother & sister-in-law are building on a fabulous lot and need tree recommendations. Can you jump-start me? (And how the he# are you, my deer...?) :>

Here are my sister-in-law's questions:

Background: you may know our sob story.....We have 1 mature tree on the lot - a Mountain Ash. In July, a ditch-digging sub-contractor that came onto our lot without a contract, dug his ditch right through the middle of our tree! Huge roots were uprooted (and small ones too), and the trunk was split about 5 feet up. We just had a certified Arborist look at it
(Arborscan Tree Conservation Co. in Auburn), and they declare it a 100% casualty, and gave it a $1900 value. We have not paid the sub-contractor yet (a $4700 bill), and are thinking of reducing what we pay him by about $2000 +. Hopefully he'll call it good - if we take
him to court, we could get 3 times that much, but we just don't want the hassle.

1. have you worked with the "Big Trees" company? they are in Snohomish. How is their reputation? Do they have any competitors in the Tacoma area?

2. If we could get a larger one, would a "silk tree" be fine for that area. I've seen one, and like it a lot. The gardening books say they
can be trained to umbrella (we don't want a tree to block our view),and it looks pretty from above.

3. What other types of trees etc. would be good and pretty to groom to umbrella? They could be 2 stories (20 feet) high. we want to screen
the houses across the street as much as possible. I'm open to all kinds of suggestions.

4. I also need some columnar type of trees for in between our house and our neighbors. We each need privacy, but it's a narrow area. Is a
'thuja' okay? 'Big Trees' has 14 footers for $350. Any other - better ideas?

++++++++++++++++++

I'll give her this URL and will welcome anyone else's opinions, too. They're in Zone 8a, Tacoma (near Seattle) area.

Russ -- I miss your input; can you stop by the Florida Forum? Email me if you've dropped the CompuServe email and we can "join you" via the Internet with your new email address.

Best,

D.

Reply to post by Diane Laird, on October 16, 2000 at 20:21:10:

I can't help much here, simce I am not all that familiar with the species that do well in Seattle.

On the value of the damaged tree- don't count too much on getting 3x the values. That usually applies to tresspass cases (check with a lawyer on state law), and that would mean they did not have permission to be on the property. Also, be prepared to negotiate. Know the price of planting a tree of nearly the same size. It will probably be a lot more than $2K, so you can "look good" by saying you'll settle for that amount.

On the *Thuja (American arborvitae), they are a common hedge tree. Is $350 the cost installed, or just for the plant? What else is included? (staking, mulching, etc) They make instant hedge, especially at 14', and stay rather narrow. Also can be pruned or sheared if necessary to contain them.

Sassafras makes a flavorful tree for the garden, too.

I've been well, but busy this year, and haven't been over to the Secret Garden much (twice?). Maybe I'll stop by soon in my new jammies.

Reply to post by Diane Laird, on October 16, 2000 at 20:21:10:

Hi Diane,
If you have already been working with Bryce at Arborscan, I would suggest you continue to use his services. He is local, he knows what he is doing and he has his finger on the local pulse. Big Trees, out of Snohomish, have a pretty good reputation as well as a good supply of trees and might be a good bet to go with. The only other person who might know of another supplier of big trees in the area would be Kathy VanPelt, arborist for the City of Tacoma,
Hope it helps, James

Reply to post by James Causton, on October 16, 2000 at 20:21:10:

James! How wonderful to hear from you. We found your name in the phone book at the last family dinner but I'm not sure what happened between that and their calling someone. Glad to get your recommendations.

What do you think about their tree selections or do you have any suggestions?

And how are you -- staying busy? I love hearing from you again!

Best regards,

Diane

Reply to post by Russ Carlson, on October 16, 2000 at 20:21:10:

Russ, I wasn't sure if you wore jammies on this board or not. :>

Thanks for the info on the damaged tree; that should be of help to them.

Is a silk tree a Mimosa/ Albizia julibrissin? I know of one in Kirkland that's about 30 feet tall -- how long do they take to get to that height? Or should I be asking James?

Bob Riffle moved to Fort Pierce FL -- much closer to you than Houston. Do you ever get to FL?

D.

Reply to post by Russ Carlson, on October 16, 2000 at 20:21:10:

Russ, in your "jammies" .....is there something that I do'nt know about you?????
Trust you are well and look forward to seeing you before too long. Colin

Reply to post by Diane Laird, on October 17, 2000 at 20:56:13:

Mimosa will take a long time to reach 30 feet- maybe 20-30 years? Depends on soil, moisture, etc.

Glad that Riffle is doing well. I haven't been to florida since 1957 [g]. seems I get out your way more often.

jammies? Sure. The advantage of working from home.

Reply to post by Colin Bashford, on October 17, 2000 at 20:56:13:

A little inside humor, Colin. From my days on the Gardening Forum on Compuserve. [g]

Reply to post by Diane Laird, on October 16, 2000 at 20:21:10:

I am grateful for your responses - very kind of you all! Being a first-time dirt (raw land) owner, this website is a gold mine! Thanks Diane, sister-in-law, for hooking me up with all this wealth of arboriculture wiz kids all in one place.

Yes, we are working with Bryce of Arborscan. It is going well. He just completed appraisal, using the "trunk formula". I do have a call into him though, to discuss his choice for the "location" figure. Maybe because I am the owner, and close to the matter, but that tree was a GREAT contribution to our view lot. It blocked about 90% of the "junk", so it was easier for the eye to see the beauty. I believe it made our real estate more valuable. Should I even question his judgement??? He's so knowledgable, and I'm just plain close to the matter.

As far as replacements; was it Russ Carlson that recommended a Sassafras tree? Thank you. I appologize for my lack of knowledge of terms, but can that tree be shaped to "umbrella"? Why do you recommend it?

We'd like several of these types of trees - that can grow OUT, and not UP to high (that would block our view) - maybe 15 to 20 feet max, but wide. That's what our Mountain Ash (that we lost) did. The Big Tree company that's been mentioned in this posting, has some smaller Silk trees; 12' with a 8" trunk, but they also recommended several varieties of Maple which are available a bit larger. Any comments?

We ALSO need columnar types - tall and narrow, for between our home and the neighbors. Any suggestions? Thuja/American Arborvitae is one we've been toying with.

Common varieties are not a necessity to us. They have to live in the great NorthWest though! We do like color and fragrance and ease of maintenance.......

ANY advise on the many topics of this posting would be GREATLY appreciated!

Reply to post by Carol Teyler Laird, on October 16, 2000 at 20:21:10:

Carol wrote: "As far as replacements; was it Russ Carlson that recommended a Sassafras tree? Thank you. I appologize for my lack of knowledge of terms, but can that tree be shaped to "umbrella"? Why do you recommend it?"

That was intended as much as a joke- ask Diane

The sassafras is a favorite of mine. It is usually a small tree, less than 30 feet, but can grow larger given time and room. It has a nice red fall color around here, and is relatively pest free. And the leaves and twigs are fragrant and flavorful (in small does, though).

I also like sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum). Another small tree, not too fast growing, pretty and colorful.

For tall trees as a screen, consider leyland cypress. They do spread a bit more than arborvitae, so they need room. 5 in my yard added 4 to 5 feet in height this year- nearly 35 feet in 6 years.

With all of these, check with Bryce or other local arborists, for suitability. I'm not familiar with all the pests and problems that may occur in the PNW (although my dad was originally from Tacoma, I don't get out there often enough)

RE: location factores- go ahead and ask Bryce for his comments. It's always fair to discuss them. Don't expect him to change them, though. He may have considered things you overlooked, or vice versa. Some issues that a property owner might think important don't always carry much weight in the appraisal context.