Paul Weaver Arborist Articles and Tips

  As Paul Weaver, ISA Certified Arborist MW-4888-A, with over 35 years of experience providing tree care services in Kansas City, I cannot overstate the importance of planting a tree properly right from the start. Proper planting is the cornerstone upon which a tree’s lifelong health and vitality rest. From the moment a tree is placed into the ground, every action significantly influences its growth, strength, and overall survival. Many long-term tree health issues, from root problems to structural weaknesses, can be traced directly back to improper planting techniques. When selecting a tree, it's essential to ensure that it is appropriate for the planting site—considering factors such as soil type, moisture availability, sun exposure, and available space for mature growth. Choosing the right tree species is foundational, but the true potential of that choice is realized only when the planting itself is done correctly. One of the most critical steps in planting is timing. Idea...

  Ace of hearts Redbud In my view, few concepts have been as transformative—and as debated—in arboriculture as the idea of the cultivar. After 35 years of experience as a tree specialist in Kansas City, I find myself, Paul Weaver Arborist, a veteran Certified Arborist of thirty-five years, reflecting on how this human-made category has shaped tree care Kansas City, guided professional practices in tree spraying Kansas City, and even stirred ethical debates about the role of selection in tree health Kansas City. Why I Value—Yet Question—Cultivar Uniformity I’ve always admired the elegance of clonal propagation. Grafted ‘October Glory’ maples line our streets with predictable form and fiery fall color, cheering the October commute in Kansas City. Yet I can’t help but wonder: at what cost to tree disease Kansas City management? We rely on genetic uniformity for its reliability in spraying schedules and standardized tree fertilization Kansas City protocols. But I’ve witnessed mi...

  tree care Walk with me—not down memory lane, but down a 2040 Kansas City block. This street hums with life. Not from traffic, but from canopy—overhead oaks, native elms, and honey locusts forming living vaults of filtered shade. The air feels cooler. Sidewalks buckle less. Driveways last longer. Basements don’t flood every time it rains. What changed? We got smart. We stopped treating trees like decorations and started designing them into the infrastructure grid—right alongside pipes, pavement, and power. This isn’t wishful thinking. It’s the result of rethinking policy, public investment, and the role of arborists like me. I’ve spent 35 years treating sick trees in Kansas City, watching well-meaning plans go sideways because no one asked the arborist before they poured the concrete. I’ve seen proper planting done once for every ten done wrong. But I’ve also seen the tide turn. Let me show you how we got here, what changed, and what we’re doing right in this future-forwa...

  From my home base in Kansas City, surrounded by stately oaks and maples that have witnessed decades of change, I envision a future where trees are celebrated not just as property or tax deductions, but as living legacies — priceless assets woven into our urban tapestry. As Paul Weaver, Arborist Kansas City and certified tree specialist Kansas City, with decades of experience in tree service near me and tree health assessment Kansas City, I hold fast to a hopeful perspective on the evolving understanding of tree values in the coming decades.   I firmly believe that trees are high‑value assets deserving the same insurance protections as our homes or vehicles. In the same way we insure against fire or flood, we should be able to insure the oak that shades our front porch — and those who damage them should face criminal penalties.   **1. A Shift in Insurance Paradigms**   Imagine a landscape where casualty coverage for a sick tree Kansa...

  Tree Diseases in Kansas City: What I’ve Seen, What Still Works, and What You Need to Know After 35 years in arboriculture, I can tell you: some of the worst damage I’ve seen to Kansas City’s trees hasn’t come from storms, construction, or even age. It’s come from diseases—the kind that get inside a tree and slowly take it apart, limb by limb, from the inside out. Most of the time, homeowners don’t catch it early — and I don’t blame them. These problems usually start with tiny changes: a branch that leafs out late, bark that cracks just slightly, or leaves that drop a few weeks early. These are the things that almost nobody sees… unless they’ve spent decades learning what to look for. That’s why having an ISA Certified Arborist inspect your trees every year isn’t just a good idea — it’s essential. When I’m out walking a property, I’m not just looking at what’s dead. I’m looking at what’s about to be. Because by the time most folks notice a problem, the damage is already deep i...

In the past, experts in the industry rigorously documented the distinctive patterns of salt damage on roadside plants in Ontario, highlighting how aerial salt spray, rather than root uptake alone, was chiefly responsible for winter injury to evergreens and delayed dieback in deciduous species. As Paul Weaver Arborist Kansas City and ISA Certified Arborist with over thirty-five years of hands-on experience in the clay-rich soils of Kansas City, I have observed how this phenomenon has only intensified over the past five decades. Drawing on both the foundational observations of older studies and the most current research and field data, this comprehensive review examines the expanded scope of deicing salt use, its multifaceted impacts on vegetation and infrastructure, underlying mechanisms of injury, and the suite of modern mitigation strategies available to every tree arborist Kansas City, landscape manager, and transportation agency. Historical Context and Evolution of Road Salt Pra...