Tree questions answered by the man who grows them

COPAKE — Tree lovers filled the room on the night of Wednesday, July 26, at the Roeliff Jansen Library to hear Rob Covino, CEO of Hardscrabble Farms of North Salem and its Hillsdale-based Shagbark Farm production nursery, answer their questions about trees.

Hardscrabble is a family-owned business that is one of the largest wholesale suppliers of trees and shrubs in the Northeast. Covino has been growing trees for landscapers for 40 years. The operation has 130 employees and grows trees on over 1,000 acres in the Copake Hillsdale area.

The event was sponsored by the Copake Climate Smart Committee. There was no lecture or presentation, just raised hands and a very interested audience that listened as Covino answered questions.

What is the most popular landscaping tree?

The Green Giant Arborvitae, which is used as a fast-growing screening tree, is Hardscrabble’s most popular tree and accounts for 20% of sales. Several trailer truckloads of trees are sent out to wholesale landscape clients in North Salem every week. This is a Western species which is not appetizing to deer.

What has he noticed about climate change?

Covino said climate change has become really noticeable in the last 10 years. Twenty years ago, he remembers harsher winters with more than eight feet of snow covering his greenhouses, and trimming trees on snowshoes. Only recently has his business been able to grow the Green Giant Arborvitae locally, as the climate has warmed.

What are the best shade trees?

Covino recommended oaks, maples and Littleleaf Lindens for shade trees, although some maples are declining because of drought stress. He recommended Red Sunset maple (Acer rubrum) as a hardy tree for our region.

Common Hackberry is an excellent fast-growing alternative with berries that birds love, but is not very popular with landscapers. Tulip trees thrive in moist soils and are another native alternative that are very long-lived.

Where should you plant fruit trees?

Orchards, Covino said, should be planted on sloped land so the rain runs off. Fruit trees don’t like a lot of water or wet feet. Hillside locations are also less prone to frosts and provide better air circulation.

What type of soil is recommended?

For commercial nurseries, Covino recommended heavier, clay soils, which are rich in nutrients and produce healthy plants. When considering a land purchase, Covino digs big holes to look at the soil structure and layers. Unlike loamy soils, clay-rich soils will hold  nutrients and it’s not necessary to use fertilizer.

What’s a good street tree for a village?

Ginkos are excellent street trees for use in villages, Covino said. The previously popular Bradford pear is a fast-growing, short-lived, weak tree that breaks easily.

What’s with beech trees?

Covino grows 15 types of beech trees but said that the threat of beech leaf disease is affecting their popularity as landscaping trees.

Can new elm trees survive?

The Princeton elm, the first hybrid elm that was resistant to Dutch elm disease, has largely been replaced by Valley Forge, Harmony and Jefferson hybrids, which are more disease-resistant and attractive.

What can you do with a dead ash tree?

Covino explained that by the time you notice the brilliant green emerald ash borers on an ash tree, it’s too late to save it. The good news is that ash wood does not need to be seasoned to make excellent firewood.

What makes a healthy tree die?

Physiological attacks caused by frost and drought are the primary reasons for trees to die, in Covino’s experience.

Should you weed around the base of a tree?

Weeds steal moisture from a tree, so removing them is not a bad idea.

When can you trim lilacs?

Any time of the year.

What about tamarack trees?

The tamarack is another not-very-popular tree in the landscaping trade. It is a unique native pine tree that is deciduous and loses its needles in the winter. It does best in low, wet, marshy land.

Should we remove black locust trees? The branches keep breaking off.

Covino smiled and said that black locusts were his favorite trees. In the spring, he puts the flowering branches in the cab of his truck to enjoy the smell. He raises locusts not to sell but to harvest and use as fence posts.

Unlike treated wood, locust posts can last without rotting in the ground for 100 years. These posts are also popular with organic gardeners who should not use treated lumber. He reminded the audience that farmhouses traditionally planted black locusts nearby to deflect lighting. Black locust is also excellent for firewood because of its oils.

What does Covino recommend for low hedges?

He likes hornbeam, (Carpinus Betulaceae). Privet requires a lot of work.

Throughout his experience-based conversation with the audience, Covino stressed the important of weather, including temperature, wind, rain, snow, and damaging surprise fluctuations like this year’s May frost. Regardless of climate change, the trees that around us offer an immediate benefit to our lives.