Rooted in Care

Wister Dorta: But Mike Tyson says it very well.

Wister Dorta: Everybody has a plan until you get punched in the mouth.

Wister Dorta: And when extreme weather happens, preventative maintenance is a good way to talk to people about what's going on.

Wister Dorta: But I look at it like focusing on the biome that you have and keeping that healthy so that it doesn't feel like preventative maintenance.

Wister Dorta: It actually just feels like some type of health plan.

Wister Dorta: 3, 2, 1.

Chantel Davis: Welcome to Rooted in Care, where we amplify the voices of our clients and dive into how tree care plays an integral role in our everyday lives.

Buddy Marshall: Whether you're familiar with a tree or new to our community, we're here to bring the service industry together to explore the deep rooted connection between people, trees and the environment.

Chantel Davis: I'm Chantel Davis, Chief revenue officer at A Tree.

Buddy Marshall: I'm Buddy Marshall, VP of Commercial sales.

Chantel Davis: We'll dig into what matters most to you.

Chantel Davis: Yes, your input shapes how tree care enhances the beauty of our communities while protecting our natural surroundings.

Buddy Marshall: Let's get to the root of thoughtful tree care for your property, your city, your home.

Chantel Davis: Welcome to Rooted in Care.

Chantel Davis: Today we're tackling one of the biggest summer challenges for trees, and that is drought straight stress.

Chantel Davis: So from visible symptoms to unseen soil issues, we'll cover how to protect your trees through smart watering, root care and policy awareness.

Chantel Davis: Joining us today, we're very excited.

Chantel Davis: We have Wister Dorta.

Chantel Davis: He's the Western Regional Technical Specialist at arborjet.

Chantel Davis: Wister began his career in New York City.

Chantel Davis: He was shaping urban tree protocols and leading tree protection efforts, really before bringing his expertise to Santa Monica to focus on preservation, drought resilience and city forestry, which is pretty cool.

Chantel Davis: With advanced degrees and multiple professional certification, Worcester is leading sustainable urban arboriculture.

Chantel Davis: And today he's actually going to be sharing what every property manager and honestly, tree owner needs to know before the summer heat hits, because we know it gets hot.

Chantel Davis: So together we'll dive into smart irrigation tips, the importance of root and soil health, and what the California Assembly Bill 1572 means for your trees moving forward.

Chantel Davis: So, Wister, thank you so much for joining us.

Chantel Davis: Before we jump in, today's topic, can you just tell our listeners a little bit about your background, who you are and how you got into this work?

Wister Dorta: Really nice to meet you and thank you for having me.

Wister Dorta: I grew up in New York City in Brooklyn, New York, and I kind of came up through some cool gardening and tree programs through like the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and some other things.

Wister Dorta: And I was advised by AP environmental science teacher that if you wanted a guaranteed job, go into the environment.

Wister Dorta: And it kind of stuck with Treece.

Wister Dorta: After I got my degree in environmental and forest biology.

Chantel Davis: I love that.

Chantel Davis: Look at that.

Chantel Davis: It is smart, right?

Chantel Davis: We always got to care about our environment.

Chantel Davis: So your teacher did you right.

Chantel Davis: Look at where you are today.

Chantel Davis: So to kind of get it started, we're going to really just dive in Wister and get to know you and your career based on your history.

Chantel Davis: And you said you grew up in New York.

Chantel Davis: You actually did a full 360, right?

Chantel Davis: You went from coast to coast, New York to Santa Monica, California.

Chantel Davis: You might have kept the accent, but you are living in a very different area.

Chantel Davis: So working in trees in New York City and then now doing drought planning in Santa Monica, did you ever think that this industry would take you to where you are today?

Wister Dorta: It's been a treat to not only go from Brooklyn to Santa Monica, coast to coast, but now I also work in Hawaii.

Wister Dorta: So I'm like coast to coast.

Wister Dorta: And it's been a blessing to be able to navigate and support.

Wister Dorta: I'm really grateful that I grew up in a busy place and from a young age were told you have to work hard to stand out and above.

Wister Dorta: Otherwise you'll just get caught up in the rest of the ocean.

Wister Dorta: So coming to California was a unique challenge.

Wister Dorta: And it really was an opportunity for me to broaden my expertise on different species palettes, weather patterns and microclimates.

Wister Dorta: And it was an opportunity that somebody identified as right up my alley when it came to tree preservation, rock construction, and updating protocols for urban forestry programming.

Wister Dorta: So it was a treat to be able to muster up and take a plane across the country with two duffel bags and land at 4 in the morning and then go right into HR to get, you know, hit the rubber.

Wister Dorta: Meets the road, as they say.

Chantel Davis: So you moved all the way from New York with two duffel bags?

Chantel Davis: I think that's what I got out of it, which is pretty impressive.

Chantel Davis: So I went back home to get.

Wister Dorta: A couple of sneakers and stuff, but.

Chantel Davis: You know, there we go.

Buddy Marshall: Leave home without the Jordans, man.

Buddy Marshall: Come on now.

Buddy Marshall: Did I have those?

Buddy Marshall: So Worcester, I mean, man, coast to coast, travel all over the place.

Buddy Marshall: He's probably dealt with a lot of different situations.

Buddy Marshall: So what's a tree care moment or lesson that's really stayed with you over the years?

Buddy Marshall: And obviously you've.

Buddy Marshall: You've probably come across plenty of situations, but what's one or two things that have kind of stuck out to you.

Wister Dorta: And it's been a blessing to be able to navigate and support landscapes in other places and put in the research to give those patients the help they need for speaking of trees, a tree care moment or lesson that stayed with me over the years is someone once told me, don't hesitate to say yes to a new challenge.

Wister Dorta: It will unfold from there.

Wister Dorta: And it really gave me a little bit of, we all need a little bit of a push forward.

Wister Dorta: That's how I learned how to swim.

Wister Dorta: Just got thrown in the pool.

Wister Dorta: And I think also it's a great opportunity for people to take those words from others and carry that baton and run forward.

Chantel Davis: I love that.

Chantel Davis: That's awesome.

Chantel Davis: And I love that you refer to the trees as your patient.

Chantel Davis: So I've got a sweet spot there because they are right.

Chantel Davis: They're so important and I think sometimes overlooked.

Chantel Davis: And that's really why we're doing what we're doing as we're kind of getting to know you and what you do.

Chantel Davis: Could you help our listeners kind of understand when it comes to watering trees and keeping them hydrated, what is one misconception you often hear that would be important for people to know?

Wister Dorta: I think people sometimes focus on deep watering and I like to use the formal term of field capacity because it's challenging to isolate water just in the drip line of a tree and then the rest of the soil is dry so it can get like absorbed out.

Wister Dorta: But understanding what and how much water the tree really needs, depending the size and species, is what will allow you to talk about hydration versus like deep watering.

Wister Dorta: People just misunderstand it.

Wister Dorta: Like you just got to let a hose run all night.

Wister Dorta: And it's all species dependent and site specific.

Chantel Davis: We like to keep it really simple for our viewers, right.

Chantel Davis: Explaining why it's so important with what you do.

Chantel Davis: And we always tell ourselves we need to drink a certain amount of water, right?

Chantel Davis: We have to make sure we stay hydrated and we should have the same thought process.

Chantel Davis: So as we're going through this with you, Mr.

Chantel Davis: I just want everybody to kind of remember that we need to take care of them just like we take care of ourself and our animals.

Chantel Davis: They are a living species.

Chantel Davis: It's very important.

Chantel Davis: So how have attitudes about tree irrigation and water conservation evolved over the past decade?

Chantel Davis: Because I know that's been an ever changing topic and kind of coming front and center.

Chantel Davis: So how do you think it's evolved in your experience since you've been doing it?

Wister Dorta: We have listeners from all over the US and the world.

Wister Dorta: And they all have different water frequencies when it comes to rain and opportunity for irrigation.

Wister Dorta: And, you know, the image and cost of using water has definitely changed drastically.

Wister Dorta: When I came to California in 2014, having a hose out on your lawn was like a faux pas.

Wister Dorta: And it was all these different, like, parameters that people upheld each other to, which, as you know, it makes sense and it can be interpretive.

Wister Dorta: But for sure, I think what matters is understanding what it is that you have, where is it, and what is the consumption.

Wister Dorta: It's just like anything else.

Wister Dorta: If you have a habit that costs a lot of money, you need to be able to make enough money to supplement that hobby.

Wister Dorta: So understanding your water tables, like the M. Wheelo in California Metropolitan water efficiency ordinance, they have hydro zones and some water.

Wister Dorta: Some sites of the landscape will get more water than others.

Wister Dorta: And that's how you focus your budget.

Wister Dorta: Right?

Wister Dorta: So it's really important to just zoom out and focus on what it is that you're dealing with.

Wister Dorta: Right?

Wister Dorta: Act locally, think globally.

Chantel Davis: You got to make sure that you're investing in the right things and making sure you know what's needed to really be able to take care of your trees.

Chantel Davis: And you said the joke, make sure you have the money to invest in your hobby.

Chantel Davis: And I think most people probably don't do that.

Chantel Davis: But I do say we should use the money, right, to invest in our trees.

Chantel Davis: You live in California, I live in Northern California.

Chantel Davis: So it is getting into the season of fire season, right?

Chantel Davis: We don't love that, but it is happening.

Chantel Davis: It's getting hot, right?

Chantel Davis: We're getting, you know, triple digits.

Chantel Davis: And you don't think about, you know, we have a lot of hardscape in our front yard, but we still have a lot of trees, right?

Chantel Davis: We got to make sure that we're taking care of those trees.

Chantel Davis: So I think that's really good to kind of think about it that way.

Chantel Davis: It should be part of kind of our daily routine.

Buddy Marshall: So, Worcester Chantelle mentioned hardscaping and talked about, you know, more on the residential side.

Buddy Marshall: Give us some examples of what challenges that professionals and property owners are facing right now when it comes to summer tree care, since it is getting warmer out there.

Wister Dorta: I think having the right people giving you the education is important.

Wister Dorta: I mean, everybody's out there trying to sell something, right?

Wister Dorta: They're called sales arborists.

Wister Dorta: Most clients are not in the field of wanting to be sold.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: They're more about being taught and shown results that will support their desire into having a successful landscape with your Help.

Wister Dorta: There are case by case scenarios.

Wister Dorta: I always like to say no two sites are the same.

Wister Dorta: But being able to have people understand what they dealt with in the past and not repeating that will give them the opportunity to a understand how much it will cost, but also what it will reap in benefits in the long term.

Wister Dorta: Because as trees become larger, their environmental benefits do enhance and become greater.

Chantel Davis: We're getting into what I call the meat right.

Chantel Davis: Of the conversation now.

Chantel Davis: Our listeners are going, okay, right?

Chantel Davis: Like what do I do now?

Chantel Davis: Because clearly it's something that you're identifying.

Chantel Davis: So I always like to say, let's get practical here.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: So for our listeners, you know, they want to know how can they identify drought stress early.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: And avoid that long term damage.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: That you're talking about.

Chantel Davis: So for those listening, drought stress isn't just about droopy leaves, right?

Chantel Davis: That's what I think it is.

Chantel Davis: Like, oh, the leaf is droopy or it looks like it's dying, so it must need water.

Chantel Davis: There are some invisible effects, right?

Chantel Davis: I know you'll talk about it.

Chantel Davis: Visible effects that affect drought and property owners just miss it.

Chantel Davis: And so it could be within the soil, it could be in the root system.

Chantel Davis: You probably know this better than me.

Chantel Davis: That's the basis of what I know about it.

Chantel Davis: So what are some early visual symptoms of drought stress that a property owner should watch out for when they're going outside and looking at their property and their trees?

Wister Dorta: I think the cool thing about having properties and overseeing their evolution is the weather is typically semi consistent.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: And understanding weather patterns and when it begins to become hot and when rain becomes less or rain becomes more prevalent.

Wister Dorta: Soil probes are an amazing opportunity for you to poke around your site and see how much moisture is in your soil.

Wister Dorta: And I do believe that most people have a signature plant in their landscape that is kind of like the telltale of watering, right.

Wister Dorta: They have this one pot that has some species of, you know, little bush or plant that starts weeping.

Wister Dorta: And that's kind of what tells them things are it's really hot outside or whatever it is.

Wister Dorta: But if you're paying attention to the weather, it's either on the client end to understand where they live and how it's like, or on the service provider end to be able to kind of forecast and show what are trends that are coming and how it is that you can be supportive.

Wister Dorta: And that turns more into a holistic plan versus feeling like you're being sold something because it's becoming drastic.

Wister Dorta: I did a presentation in Arizona.

Wister Dorta: And I pulled up the top five cities, annual precipitation and like square miles.

Wister Dorta: And I was able to show them that over the last five years, this is how much precipitation on average you received monthly.

Wister Dorta: And it was able to showcase dry times so that clients can be informed statistically versus just, hey, it's hot outside, right?

Chantel Davis: Yeah, that's, I mean that's really interesting.

Chantel Davis: I know we, you know, we have business up in the Pacific Northwest, right.

Chantel Davis: You get a lot of precipitation there.

Chantel Davis: And then in California, Southern, right.

Chantel Davis: You get more just drought.

Chantel Davis: Northern California, we get a mix, right?

Chantel Davis: We're kind of a balance.

Chantel Davis: But being able to have that data and I think to paraphrase it's preventative maintenance, right?

Chantel Davis: Like don't wait till something, you know, drastic is happening.

Chantel Davis: And you're calling a plus tree because your tree fell down right on your house or your car because it was, you know, from the inside out, it was dying.

Chantel Davis: And we get a lot of those calls.

Chantel Davis: Just last week we had a couple calls come in and there was a little bit of wind.

Chantel Davis: But I think these trees just were sick, right?

Chantel Davis: And they weren't taken care of and they weren't doing that preventative maintenance.

Chantel Davis: So that is so important as people think about it, preventative maintenance really prevents an emergency or something drastic from happening that you can't come back from.

Chantel Davis: So that was very helpful.

Wister Dorta: I like to say if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready.

Wister Dorta: And having that plan in place, love it will allow your signature site glow or at least withstand those heat waves.

Wister Dorta: But Mike Tyson says it very well.

Wister Dorta: Everybody has a plan until you get punched in the mouth.

Wister Dorta: And when extreme weather happens and you suffer from summer limb drop or extensive winds or oversaturated soils and you know, tree failures of other like unpredictable or extreme nature.

Wister Dorta: But preventative maintenance is a good way to talk to people about understanding what's going on.

Wister Dorta: But I look at it like focusing on the biome that you have and keeping that healthy so that it doesn't feel like preventative maintenance.

Wister Dorta: It actually just feels like some type of health plan.

Wister Dorta: And that's kind of like the cool part of this industry because we're able to.

Wister Dorta: And it's just like people, there's going to be a tree that never went to the doctor for 50 years, just like grandpa or whatever.

Wister Dorta: And then there's going to be a, a tree that sees the doctor all the time for whatever reason it is, right?

Wister Dorta: Whether they are hyper focused on what's going on in development or there's actually something happening and it's chronic.

Chantel Davis: Yeah, I laughed.

Chantel Davis: I'm like, okay, don't.

Chantel Davis: My family listens to this.

Chantel Davis: And I could just correlate it to one of each of them, like one that goes to the doctor, one that doesn't go to the doctor.

Chantel Davis: But I think it is so important.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: I know you said don't call it preventative maintenance.

Chantel Davis: It's just education is really how I'm looking at education.

Chantel Davis: If you know and understand it from people like yourself, then you're aware of it.

Chantel Davis: So it just, it works out for you.

Chantel Davis: So you know the signs to look for.

Buddy Marshall: So yes, routine.

Buddy Marshall: And those stay.

Buddy Marshall: I love those.

Buddy Marshall: We use those in the Marine Corps a lot.

Buddy Marshall: You don't have to get ready if you stay ready.

Buddy Marshall: Let's go.

Buddy Marshall: So Chantelle mentioned a couple of trees that she's seen.

Buddy Marshall: You know, just a little bit of wind knocking them over.

Buddy Marshall: So maybe tell us why soil health is so important, especially in drier, compacted areas.

Wister Dorta: Well, it's site specific.

Wister Dorta: And you have a different balance of how you label soil in a landscape.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: It's usually influenced by people.

Wister Dorta: It's very rarely natural anymore.

Wister Dorta: When developments occur, the soil that's put back in may be amended for the site.

Wister Dorta: And you have to support and keep that moving forward.

Wister Dorta: Just like we take multivitamins to supplement those nutrients in our bodies due to the diets available to us in site specific to the species.

Wister Dorta: And what I like to talk about soil health is dirt is dead.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: And soil is a biome that varies where you are with basic nuts and bolts structures.

Wister Dorta: Being able to feed mycorrhizae and microbes in the soil and making sure that you have beneficial insects hanging around in your soil and in your canopies will support any type of impacts from outside stressors.

Wister Dorta: You can go to the USGS to learn about soil profiles that are native to the areas you live in.

Wister Dorta: And you can do your own Google searches on what are those parent profiles due to the geology of the way the area was shaped naturally over the millions of years.

Wister Dorta: Then you're able to understand drainage and what's going on with nutrient availability and absorption or traditional types of water drainage or absorption in your soil and understanding the mitigation of that.

Buddy Marshall: I think that's very important that you mentioned, you know, having like we have good bacteria and bad bacteria for our bodies.

Buddy Marshall: So same with the soil.

Buddy Marshall: We need, we need those insects and some of those things that some homeowners consider pests might be Actually helping your soil because they're infiltrating that soil.

Buddy Marshall: So that's good information.

Chantel Davis: This is where I go in a chat, GPT it, right.

Chantel Davis: Because there are so much information there.

Chantel Davis: But it is good, right?

Chantel Davis: It's all about education.

Chantel Davis: Go and look up, you know, the information in your region, right, in your area to really understand it based on the climate that you live in.

Chantel Davis: So that was really helpful.

Wister Dorta: Yeah, I think maintaining moisture with, like, mulch is huge.

Wister Dorta: Compaction comes from different areas, whether it's from foot traffic in New York City.

Wister Dorta: In Manhattan, you have traffic from big trucks on the street and subways beneath.

Wister Dorta: And a tree that's maybe 10 inches in Manhattan could easily be 18 or 20 inches in a residential neighborhood in Queens or Staten Island.

Wister Dorta: So, like, understanding how that compaction impacts your trees and understanding the trees that you have, whether they're considered urban tolerant, heat tolerant, salt tolerant, all those buzzwords.

Wister Dorta: But it really gives you that, that support because there's some trees that will grow out of your ear if you let them.

Wister Dorta: And there's other trees that they really, truly are delicate and they really need that perfect setting to enjoy themselves.

Chantel Davis: Well, let's kind of continue on our education journey that we're on.

Chantel Davis: So what would you say are some of the hidden impacts of drought stress that make trees more vulnerable in your mind if you had to pick a couple?

Wister Dorta: I look at trees like a business.

Wister Dorta: When business is good, you get, you hire more employees and you grow.

Wister Dorta: So, right, you get more leaves and you expand your territory.

Wister Dorta: And when business isn't good, you start losing employees and you start having to get rid of some of those assets.

Wister Dorta: So you then start dying back.

Wister Dorta: And proper drought stress weakens the tree's ability to withstand pest pressure that may already be present.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: When it comes to pines, boring insects are already in the canopy.

Wister Dorta: But if they're not hydrated enough, they're not able to push out enough SAP to expel or push out those challenging insects.

Wister Dorta: Same with us, right?

Wister Dorta: If we're working too hard, we're more susceptible to becoming sick.

Wister Dorta: Or if you get a cut on your arm and you don't wash it, those germs were always there.

Wister Dorta: It was just that you became susceptible to that because of that weakened state and understanding work around trees, any type of impacts from pruning or root, impacts of excavation, drought compaction in water quality, all of those things kind of like layer up to what that is, you.

Chantel Davis: Said in such a simplistic form, but it was so powerful just around just like our lives or work, when something is flourishing, right, you see more leaves, you see it growing, you can visually, right, experience it.

Chantel Davis: But when it has stress on it, and there's an underlining issue, you see that kind of die down.

Chantel Davis: You don't see that healthiness that you typically would want to see when you're looking at it.

Chantel Davis: And I think that's just an important message.

Chantel Davis: You may not realize that just in life, right.

Chantel Davis: There's so much to that, and it's great when we talk about this, that there are so many correlations to our work life, our personal life, and the environment.

Chantel Davis: And it needs to be in a talk track every single day when we're.

Chantel Davis: When we're living our lives.

Chantel Davis: So I want to kind of transition because there's so much we want to talk about.

Chantel Davis: So I want to dive into irrigation.

Chantel Davis: I know you're very excited.

Chantel Davis: So we want to know what smart, efficient watering actually looks like for trees.

Chantel Davis: Which is going to lead me to my first question, which is what is the ideal water frequency and depth for trees in the summer?

Chantel Davis: What I've learned since I've been in the tree care industry for a good nine months is that we've seen recommendations like 5 to 10 gallons of water per inch of truck diameter.

Chantel Davis: And that surprises a lot of people.

Chantel Davis: And I just want to talk about why is that amount necessary and why is that important for people to know?

Wister Dorta: I've seen some drastic charts that implicate too much water because it's kind of like an expel spreadsheet that you just drag across and it tells you if the tree is this big, you need like this many thousands of gallons of water to water it or whatever.

Wister Dorta: Very large trees may require larger amounts of water to recover from drought stress.

Wister Dorta: There are other support systems, like a product that arborjet makes called Hydrotain.

Wister Dorta: Like retaining hydration, it captures atmospheric moisture that you would lose to evaporation, and it turns it back into water droplets.

Wister Dorta: Right?

Wister Dorta: So you're maximizing the applications.

Wister Dorta: We're already under the pressure of using less water.

Wister Dorta: So now being able to take that lower quantity of water and amplifying the dose of the droplets that those roots can uptake will definitely be more advantageous than losing it to evaporation.

Chantel Davis: You talked about so often, whether it's going onto Google or talking to someone, people are looking at a spreadsheet, right?

Chantel Davis: And they're saying, well, the data says this is what we need to do.

Chantel Davis: And data is a great, I think, foundation.

Chantel Davis: But it's the elements that data and spreadsheets don't show.

Chantel Davis: And that's what you talked about, which is the evaporation piece.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: You've got a product because if you do that watering and that evaporates at a faster rate than what you anticipated, it does make a difference.

Chantel Davis: So I wanted to make sure we just kind of stuck on that because that was really powerful with what you said.

Chantel Davis: And then we can kind of dive into the irrigation piece because a lot of people think, well, I saw it, I did exactly what I was told to do, why are we still getting these effects?

Chantel Davis: And so that's something we just want to double down on.

Wister Dorta: I, I saw a professional, I don't remember if he was a PhD or not, but he had these really cool charts that typically come from turf management on those like formulas that will allow you to understand what is the hydration for that site.

Wister Dorta: And I had a presentation where I just pulled up a few different images from Google and he took my image and put it through his spreadsheet and was showing me that some of those charts could have inaccuracies.

Wister Dorta: And I thought it was really fascinating because it was from just a quick Google search, but understanding some math or relying on the professionals that are regular with those tidbits of information, it was really what makes your money worth your while.

Wister Dorta: I did a young tree mortality study before I left my old job in Santa Monica and I was able to showcase more trees dying in green turf than and with no turf.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: Because you're dealing with the right tree for the right place.

Wister Dorta: And drought tolerant trees or climate adapted trees that are trending for certain sites and then they're installed in a nice green lawn setting will actually potentially succumb to root rot or other water prone influences because they're not designed for that in nature.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: That's the crazy part about what we're dealing with is we're dealing with landscapes where trees and plants are from all over the world due to certain traits that we enjoy and prefer and then having to make them coexist, whether they're in the same ph zones or the same watering frequencies, or the same light requirements or soil conditions.

Wister Dorta: So sometimes we overdo it as people and we kind of over care.

Wister Dorta: I think when it comes to all of that, it's making sure you understand what plant you have, making sure you understand that your irrigation is dialed into that site, whether it's a flooding system or the right amount of drip emitters or nothing.

Buddy Marshall: I've got another soil question for you.

Buddy Marshall: So I've heard you say the Trees don't just need water, they need a healthy environment to absorb it.

Buddy Marshall: So what kinds of soil treatments or amendments can help make that happen?

Wister Dorta: A long time ago when I transitioned into arborjet, I had one sheet like spec sheet from a product we used to carry called Arborchar.

Wister Dorta: And at the time it was a little ahead of what people were being used to using in their landscapes.

Wister Dorta: And A plus is now creating their own biochar which is, it has its support.

Wister Dorta: And I do think that amendments a understanding your soil with a soil test so that you can understand the balance that you need for what it is you're trying to grow happily be having plants that are adapted to that site so they can thrive and you don't have to do too much work to make it, you know, welcoming.

Wister Dorta: You have humic acid and fulvic acids, right?

Wister Dorta: You have food for your microbes.

Wister Dorta: You have really cool kelps that are labeled as nutrient supplements or bio stimulants and then supports.

Wister Dorta: I really think that Hydrotain is an amazing product.

Wister Dorta: It's kept my plants alive while I'm on the road.

Wister Dorta: It lives for labeled 12 weeks in the soil.

Wister Dorta: But if it's really hot, I like to tell people every two months just reapply it.

Wister Dorta: And it gives you that.

Wister Dorta: I think it gives you that window to take advantage of growth versus worrying about heat and drought, stress.

Wister Dorta: But really, you know, understanding the role of nitrogen.

Wister Dorta: There are charts that talk about how too much nitrogen can implicate challenges in absorption of other nutrients, micro and macro, in your soils.

Wister Dorta: And also, you know, there's a lot of talks about the biome of the soil and inoculating with certain beneficials.

Wister Dorta: But I really think that if you're feeding and supporting the soil, the existing biome will kind of replicate and become more healthy without having to inoculate.

Wister Dorta: But if you are having to inoculate because it was a really bad setup, then understanding how to keep that soil alive.

Wister Dorta: Because just like us, you take one vitamin today that's not doing anything, but you for sure are doing it over the course of X time and you'll see different results in your body.

Chantel Davis: Just like exercise, you've got some good reminders not only about trees, but life.

Chantel Davis: You know, buddy was talking a lot about soil, but I want to dive into what's the biggest mistake that people are making with irrigation habits, like the changing of irrigation habits.

Chantel Davis: Because I know for many viewers they're asking are the built in irrigation systems that they have enough or should we actually encourage our viewers to supplement it.

Wister Dorta: With water audits are great.

Wister Dorta: I think it's an excellent opportunity for an existing or new service provider on a property to be able to review what's functional, what's broken, what needs adjustment.

Wister Dorta: And I do believe that more people over water because they think it'll be helpful versus reviewing and planning out what's going on there and updating as needed.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: If you, if you begin to feel thirsty, you're over.

Wister Dorta: That's already a sign of dehydration in your body.

Wister Dorta: I believe that fertigation systems are super helpful if you're able to install one on your property so that you don't have to spread granular and water it in and look like you're the criminal with a hose out when it's hot, or be able to just pump right in the liquid support right into your plant root zones.

Wister Dorta: It provided they're installed appropriately, you know, making sure that your overhead sprayers aren't hitting the trunks of trees to implicate decay on those trunks over time.

Wister Dorta: And kind of like, think about it like, what do you have, what do you want and what do you need for that site?

Wister Dorta: So an audit is always important, right.

Wister Dorta: If you don't do it for your budget or you don't do it for your caloric intake or whatever it is, you're not realizing what it is that's going out.

Wister Dorta: You may be able to save water or actually, you know, refine areas that maybe are receiving water and they don't need to be there.

Chantel Davis: That's so important.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: I always say utilize and reach out to people like yourself and tree companies that can give you more information because it's more than just, oh, the tree needs some watering, or oh, the plant needs some watering.

Chantel Davis: So I think there's a lot there.

Chantel Davis: Well, I want to kind of dive in because this is something that's kind of a hot topic, especially in California.

Chantel Davis: And I'd like to say that, you know, California, when it comes to environmental initiatives, kind of like leads a charge for the West Coast.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: And then the other states follow.

Chantel Davis: So there is, for everybody listening, there's a major change coming with a policy we have in California.

Chantel Davis: It's called the California Assembly Bill 1572, which I know you can talk about here in a minute.

Chantel Davis: But I want to break down what it means and how it can actually affect trees.

Chantel Davis: I think that's really important.

Chantel Davis: So, you know, for our listeners, you might not be familiar with AB 1572, because I wasn't.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: I don't know all the bills that are going to be out there.

Chantel Davis: But this one actually prohibits drinkable water use for irrigating non functional turf on commercial, municipal, industrial, institutional and multifamily properties starting in 2027.

Chantel Davis: So it's not today, but it's in the future.

Chantel Davis: And although trees are, we call, technically excluded from this restriction, their health can still be compromised because what's going to happen is, you know, irrigation zones are going to be reduced or removed because of the policy.

Chantel Davis: And so even though AB 1572 excludes trees from your perspective, because I'm sure this is something that, you know, why should we be concerned about its impact on the health of our trees?

Chantel Davis: Because I know that's not what the intention of the bill is, but we do foresee some kind of impact to our trees.

Wister Dorta: We talked a little bit about this earlier, was like, you know, recalibrating your irrigation or, you know, non functional turf can be subjective to some people, but when I used to work around parks, if you have somebody on a hillside with a hand mower kind of like pushing up and down and it's all this work to maintain it, I would consider that more non functional turf than a sports field or a passive area for people to be able to just take some sun in.

Wister Dorta: And you know, as an arborist, turf versus trees is always a very challenging topic and I always encouraged removing turf.

Wister Dorta: But when I came onto arborjet, a college yellow, I learned a lot more about being able to have healthy turf without overconsumption of water.

Wister Dorta: And I do believe that, you know, potable water is important.

Wister Dorta: And being able to have water to drink and shower and do other necessities are very a part of our everyday life.

Wister Dorta: Now when it comes to limiting or rewiring people's thoughts on what non functional turf is, I do believe those are opportunities for homeowners that are diyers and landscape contractors or service providers to re enhance properties with other plant materials that are adapted to those sites.

Wister Dorta: But also being able to use water more wisely is something we've already been doing in California and in other states that are dealing with issues like in Utah or maybe New Mexico or Arizona.

Wister Dorta: Arizona had like a large amount of water brought in for irrigation versus traditional use.

Wister Dorta: I learned that many years ago in undergrad.

Wister Dorta: So like were talking earlier about updating irrigation, tearing out turf around trees can be a bit sensitive.

Wister Dorta: I saw a lot of retrofits occurring when I came to California in 2014, and in 2015 and 2016, I would see die back in trees because the drought setup and the irrigation for turf will promote more roots in the top x inches of soil.

Wister Dorta: And when people are tearing out 6 inches of turf plus another 2 inches for base to install decomposed granite or to install artificial turf around trees, it can become a little bit debatable.

Wister Dorta: But it will for sure rip out fibrous roots around the drip line of the tree.

Wister Dorta: And I think that's what's important for people to understand is what are they tearing out and how is it that they're doing those processes.

Wister Dorta: You can use pneumatic air excavation in some instances where you'll move soil, but not really tear up roots.

Wister Dorta: You'll just have to rehydrate them because you're using air.

Wister Dorta: And also understanding where you need to take that turf out or where you need to do that work around trees and how will it implicate in the long term, Especially for big developments, Plant growth regulators are really helpful.

Wister Dorta: We make short stop 2sc is very helpful during construction and it's very helpful for trees in drought and other stress.

Buddy Marshall: So in your opinion, what happens to trees when irrigation systems are shut off and there's no alternative watering plan?

Wister Dorta: I saw that a lot when I first came town and it was a blessing to be able to be a fresh set of eyes coming to California in 2014 versus the day in and day out of what people were already used to.

Wister Dorta: And I did see sites that were fully shut off.

Wister Dorta: And you did see the trees impacted over the sometimes even months, depending on when it is that it occurred.

Wister Dorta: But think about like your caloric intake.

Wister Dorta: If you're eating X amount of calories and you're doing X amount of exercise, then you have that budget.

Wister Dorta: And if you just stop eating anything, you stop eating sugar or you stop taking caffeine, your body goes through this type of shock and stress.

Wister Dorta: And trees go through that same stress, especially when they're used to receiving maybe some people would say plentiful or adequate amounts of water.

Wister Dorta: Some trees might even say thank goodness that I'm not getting over watered.

Wister Dorta: It's always going back to situational awareness and what it is that is happening on site specific to those species and that soil blend.

Buddy Marshall: It sounds more like it's a like a climate question.

Buddy Marshall: What part of the country are you in?

Buddy Marshall: Kind of the way you spoke of earlier.

Wister Dorta: Don't just hard shut it off, just dial it down over time.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: I wanna, I never drank coffee when I was younger and I used to love really sweet coffee.

Wister Dorta: And I went from Four sugars to three sugars to two sugars to one sugar to half sugar to no sugar.

Wister Dorta: And now I drink straight black espresso.

Wister Dorta: Right.

Wister Dorta: So I think it's the same for your watering impacts and I think it also will benefit your watering bill when you understand that fine balance of.

Wister Dorta: Or a sweet spot per se, of like, what's keeping your plants happy and what's keeping your bill happy as well.

Chantel Davis: Yeah, that's a big one, right?

Chantel Davis: I think.

Chantel Davis: I think everybody perked up when you said that.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: Managing your bill because it is so expensive for water here and you never know when to water.

Chantel Davis: But then when you see everything dying, you're over watering.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Chantel Davis: Because they're like, no, I don't want everything to die.

Chantel Davis: So it's such a balance.

Chantel Davis: Right.

Wister Dorta: We did a cool project at a cemetery with Hydrochane and ensured that they saved tens of thousands of gallons of water, if not hundreds.

Wister Dorta: They also saved like 60 grand in their watering bill.

Buddy Marshall: So, wow.

Wister Dorta: You're using money to supplement what you would pay for in the bills, but you're also actually preserving a resource that you're actively using daily in your soil for your plant health, which is super cool.

Wister Dorta: And those are the things that really intrigue people is when they see results and they see the data that supports versus just being said, hey, trust me, or, you know, I've had some and it was great.

Buddy Marshall: So kind of staying on the same track, but a little bit different.

Buddy Marshall: How can switching to recycled water or gray water or removing the lawns without a plan hurt tree root zones?

Wister Dorta: Purple pipe is something popular in California.

Wister Dorta: I'm not sure if it's called the same in other states, but reclaimed water typically comes from captured water from streets and buildings that goes through some type of processing and is comes out on the other end as usable water for landscapes in a different setting of pipes.

Wister Dorta: And the cool thing about it is when it does rain, water is being funneled into specific tanks and sites and process to be used.

Wister Dorta: The challenging part about it is one site that I worked around was if it's not raining, they're running clean water through the site to then be treated again to keep the system in motion.

Wister Dorta: And you can actually be dealing with overly processed water to boil that down in an easier way is reclaimed water systems have reports that go out and talks about what's going on in the water.

Wister Dorta: And your local reclaimed water facility should be able to provide you, as a homeowner or as a landscape professional or tree professional to understand how that will impact the existing Soil that you're dealing with and the long term effects of how that can impact certain trees that may be sensitive to bicarbonates or salts or other ingredients in reclaimed water because you are dealing with stuff that's being washed away from buildings and streets and being caught and processed for that system.

Chantel Davis: So if someone's then trying to reduce turf or kind of reworking their irrigation, what would be one thing they must do to protect their trees?

Wister Dorta: With all that being said, understand their root zone.

Wister Dorta: Some trees can.

Wister Dorta: So like the drip line is like the easiest way to look at a root zone, right?

Wister Dorta: That's where the tree is naturally extending its arms to capture water when it rains.

Wister Dorta: And that's where many of its roots will be.

Wister Dorta: And it can extend maybe another 1.5 times that, provided that's it's soil and not concrete or a building or a curb or something.

Wister Dorta: And understanding that some trees are more tolerant of that impact than others.

Wister Dorta: And also how can you supplement the regeneration of those roots or the impacts from that procedure?

Wister Dorta: We have a product called Nutra Root that's really awesome.

Wister Dorta: It has a little bit of hydrotain in it has some humic and some humates in it with a little bit of kelp and it gives support.

Wister Dorta: It's a low MPK 2 to 3.

Wister Dorta: So it's not anything to really, you know, blast a tree with macronutrients.

Wister Dorta: But you know, applied monthly or quarterly could really give that tree what it needs to kind of deal with the stress that it will endure from those retrofits.

Chantel Davis: Yeah, that's helpful, right?

Chantel Davis: We want to avoid the stress, right?

Chantel Davis: That's a, that's a great way to think about it.

Chantel Davis: So as we kind of wrap up, I always like to leave our viewers with what I call it like a hot topic question.

Chantel Davis: It's the question that they all have, especially in this type of conversation.

Chantel Davis: And if you could leave them with one thing, what is the most important action tree owners can take before this heat really sets in?

Chantel Davis: Because it is right around the corner.

Wister Dorta: I think that's a great question.

Wister Dorta: Respective to tree owners and dealing with drought, giving those roots an optimized opportunity for hydration.

Wister Dorta: Being that whatever water you do put down, less of it will be lost to evaporation.

Buddy Marshall: So Worcester, where can people learn more or get help with soil and drought specific care?

Wister Dorta: Arborjet.com is a great start.

Wister Dorta: Our Arbor RX program is huge and really gives some high end, non over fertilized like support for what it is that you're dealing with.

Wister Dorta: In your home front, I don't really like to call it fertilization.

Wister Dorta: I prefer to call it soil health solutions.

Chantel Davis: Yeah, that's awesome.

Wister Dorta: Virtual.

Chantel Davis: No, that.

Chantel Davis: That's fantastic.

Chantel Davis: Well, you know, Lister, thank you so much for digging into all things drought roots, water wise wisdom.

Chantel Davis: You know, to your teacher who told you to do this, she definitely brought you down the right path.

Chantel Davis: I think there's so much that you're bringing in education to people every single day.

Chantel Davis: And for me, right, I always kind of take notes as you're talking.

Chantel Davis: If there's really one takeaway is your trees don't just need water, right?

Chantel Davis: They need care.

Chantel Davis: I think that's what your.

Chantel Davis: Your theme was.

Chantel Davis: Trees don't need water, they need care.

Chantel Davis: I think these small adjustments can really make a difference, especially when the summer heat.

Chantel Davis: Right, starts to kick in.

Chantel Davis: So what I would tell our viewers is just make sure you check your irrigation systems, right?

Chantel Davis: Give your root zone some love.

Chantel Davis: And if you're not sure what your trees need, you call the pros, right?

Chantel Davis: So A plus and arborjet have your back because I think there's so much education and knowledge that you can hear on this call from what we can bring to the table.

Chantel Davis: So with that, I just want to thank you personally for joining us on Rooted in Care.

Chantel Davis: Until next time, keep cool, stay rooted, and water wisely.

Chantel Davis: So really appreciate it, Worcester.

Chantel Davis: Thank you so much.

Chantel Davis: It was, it was fantastic learning everything about not only what you do, but how much you care about the environment and our trees.

Chantel Davis: And that resonated through this whole process.

Wister Dorta: Thank you.

Buddy Marshall: Thank you.

Wister Dorta: I appreciate it.

Wister Dorta: Thank you, Chantel.

Wister Dorta: Thank you, buddy.

Wister Dorta: And I think the most important thing that we're learning is having trusted professionals that are informed to help you make the moves that you need for your landscapes.

Wister Dorta: That way you can take a little bit of more time to enjoy yourself and let the people that you trust with your landscapes, you know, flourish in the things that they focus their time and energy on.

Chantel Davis: Thank you for listening to this episode of Rooted in Care.

Buddy Marshall: We have a fresh lineup of new episodes ready to drop, so tune in each week to hear people just like you share their experience and insights on how tree care impacts our daily lives.

Buddy Marshall: Subscribe to Rooted in Care.

Buddy Marshall: We're on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Chantel Davis: Tell us what you thought of this episode by leaving a review, commenting, or look us up on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.

Buddy Marshall: This podcast is a plussed up production created in collaboration with Chorus Studios.

Buddy Marshall: Stay rooted out there.