By Alex Al Kazzaz/reporter
Like humans, trees require oxygen and water to grow and live a healthy life.
Courtney Blevins, a Fort Worth regional forester, gave a presentation on the root system Nov. 3 on SE Campus to show people how to protect trees and how to take care of them.
“It is important to keep the environment a very safe place, and our resources must be safe for the public,” he said.
Blevins said the first thing before planting a tree is to determine if the soil is healthy.
“Make sure the soil isn’t dry,” he said. “If soil is dry, then there’s little oxygen, and it results in the tree roots dying.”
Tree roots are located in the top six to 24 inches of the soil and occupy an area of two to four times the diameter of the tree crown.
Roots obtain water, oxygen and minerals from soil and grow where these are found.
Blevins said in the growth process, roots must avoid compaction, which is when lawn mowers, bulldozers, humans and even rain damage the roots.
“Ninety-nine times out of 100, those will severely damage the tree roots. That will result in the system failing and the tree dying,” he said.
Trees will benefit the most from irrigation if the water is applied evenly around the root system, he said.
Blevins said the way to complete the system is by watering the newly planted trees during the growing season for the first year using a drip-soaker hose, which limits the amount of water used.
“Drip-soaker hoses don’t put any pressure, and they gently pour water on the soil,” he said.
SE student Marc Baldridge said he would worry about overwatering his new tree if he had one.
Blevins said he tried to plant a tree years ago but was not successful.
“I tried growing a tree in my backyard 20 years ago, but I forgot to check whether the soil was dry or not,” he said.
Delaina Milligan, campus services and dual credit administrative assistant, said the campus is “green,” or environmentally friendly. She said campus services hosted the series on trees and plants to educate students, to help the environment and demonstrate how to protect and take care of trees.
“We are taking care of what is given to us,” she said.
