Even as trees go dormant and the leaves drop in autumn, it’s a prime time to plan trees.
Mineral Area College's Horticulture Program in cooperation with Farmington Tree Council is sponsoring "Trees in the Landscape: What to Plant & How to Manage" on Wednesday, Oct. 23, presented by St. Louis arborist Bill Spradley. A MAC Campus walking tour will be led from 5:30-6:20 p.m., and the program begins at 6:30 p.m. in the MAC Fine Arts Theatre. The event is free and open to the public. Call (573) 518-2323 for more details.
MAC Horticulture Instructor Chad Follis said he and his students were inspired to put on the program in an effort to better educate the community regarding tree selection and management techniques. He said improper care, including tree-topping, are very common, but many improper maintenance decisions start with choosing the proper tree for the planting location. He said Spradley can help attendees figure out the right tree for the right location.
"With all the new construction on campus, many trees had to be cut down," Follis said. "While all of these specimens have been replaced, the focus was on planting new varieties and cultivars that would thrive in the urban, enclosed environment of the MAC quadrangle. Attendees on the walking tour will witness firsthand our new selections and how they integrate into the larger campus planting design and maintenance program."
Spradley is an arborist who owns and operates the aptly-named arboreal service in Kirkwood, Trees, Forest and Landscapes, which he founded in 1990. He's one of a few arborists in Missouri to receive a proclamation from Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon for his work to save the champion McBaine Bur Oak near Columbia, which has survived lightning strikes, floods and tornadoes for 350 years. He's been president of St. Louis Arborists Association and has been on their officer’s board for more than a decade. He is also a past president of the ISA's Midwestern Chapter.
Some of the other organizations Spradley is a part of and supports are the Plants of Merit program, Horticulture Co-op of St. Louis and the campaign to end tree-topping in Missouri.