FAQs
Q: How to cut down a tree?
And: Get a sharp chainsaw, helmet, chaps, gloves, and boots. Make a 70° notch on the side you want it to fall, then back cut 1–2 inches higher from the opposite side. Leave a hinge.
Q: How to plant a tree?
Ans: Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball and no deeper than it. Rough up the sides. Put the tree in, spread roots, backfill with native soil (no fertilizer in the hole), water slowly and deep, mulch 3 inches, but keep it off the trunk.
Q: How to identify trees?
Ans: Look at leaf shape, edge, arrangement (opposite or alternate), bark texture, and overall shape. Grab the free “What Tree Is That?” booklet or use the PictureThis or iNaturalist app, which works well.
Q: Do trees have genders?
Ans: Most are hermaphrodites (both sexes on one tree). A few, like holly, ginkgo, willow, and poplar, have separate male and female trees. You need both if you want berries or seeds.
Q: Do trees produce oxygen?
Ans: Yes. One mature tree pumps out enough O₂ for 4 people to breathe every day. That’s why rainforests are called the lungs of the planet.
Q: How long do oak trees live?
Ans: English and white oaks regularly live 300–500 years. Some ancient ones in Europe and the US are pushing 800–1,000 years if storms and developers leave them alone.
Q: How much does it cost to trim a tree?
Ans: Small tree under 30ft: $250–$450. Big 60ft+ trees near the house: $800–$2,000. Always get 3 quotes from certified arborists, never the random guy with a ladder on Craigslist.
Q: How to know if a tree is dead?
Ans: Scratch the bark with your thumbnail; if it’s green and moist underneath, still alive. Snap a small twig; if it bends, alive. If it snaps clean and dry, and no leaves in summer, meaning dead as disco.
Q: What lies under the tree?
Ans: Roots, worms, buried dog toys, old beer cans from the 80s, maybe a lost wedding ring, and a ton of fungi doing secret deals with the roots.
Q: Where can I buy trees near me?
Ans: Local independent nursery (best quality), Karsten Nursery, Home Depot/Lowe's garden center (affordable), or online from Arbor Day Foundation or your state forestry department.
Q: What is a tree?
Ans: A woody perennial plant with one main stem (trunk) that keeps growing taller every year, usually over 15ft at maturity. Basically, nature’s skyscraper.
Q: Why are trees important?
Ans: They make oxygen, suck up CO₂, stop erosion, cool the streets, give homes to birds and bugs, make timber, fruit, syrup, and look badass doing it.
Q: Does a tree make a sound when it falls in the forest with nobody around?
Ans: Yes. Sound is just an air vibration. Doesn’t need ears to exist. The real question is whether anyone gives a damn.
Q: How to destroy tree stumps?
Ans: Drill fat holes, fill with stump remover (potassium nitrate), wait 4–6 weeks, then set it on fire or rent a stump grinder and turn it into mulch in 20 minutes.
Q: What should I plant now?
Ans: November 2025? Bare-root season! Apples, pears, oaks, maples, birches, basically anything sold without soil on roots. Affordable and the best time.
Q: Where should I plant a tree?
Ans: At least 15ft from house foundation, 10ft from driveway, 30–50ft from big trees already there. Full sun for most fruit trees, part shade for dogwoods and redbuds.
Q: How often should I water my new tree?
Ans: First two summers: 10–15 gallons once a week if no rain. Slow soak, not a sprinkle. After that, nature usually handles it unless you’re in a desert.
Q: Where do willow trees grow?
Ans: Love wet feet, riverbanks, ponds, swamps. They’ll grow almost anywhere moist but mostly thrive in zones 4–9.
Q: How fast do willow trees grow?
Ans: Crazy fast, 6–10ft per year, easy. A cutting stuck in the ground in spring can be 15ft by fall.
Q: How long do willow trees live?
Ans: Most 40–70 years. Weeping willows often fall apart around 50 because they grow so fast that the wood is weak.
Q: Where to buy willow tree?
Ans: Any local nursery in spring, like Karsten Nursery, and just stick them in wet dirt and watch the damn things root in two weeks.