Reaching Canopy Goals Require More Than Just “Planting”
Among the common factors affecting the survival of newly planted trees, under-watering and over-watering are the top two. Providing water to newly planted trees for the first 2-5 years is critical for their survival and growth to receive the benefits and return on investment. We all have seen and probably participated in one of the tree planting projects “Million Trees XYZ City” in the spring on exactly one of two days: Earth Day or Arbor Day. It is a great photo opportunity for politicians, but how about following up with watering on the hot summer days and/or during droughts! Trees die. Next spring will bring a new round of tree-planting projects, sometimes at the exact same locations.
One thing that proves this is that you can easily find your local political leaders in news reports for tree-planting events in the spring, but you cannot find a photo of them watering trees in the summer.
Is there anything we can do to give trees a better chance to survive? By examining the situation and looking at the root of the problem, the real limitation is in the Plant Available Water (PAW). No matter how much one irrigates the soil or how much rainwater falls onto it, any water above the Field Capacity (FC) is wasted. We will review some technologies for stabilizing soil moisture, including methods that significantly boost the PAW without drowning the plant roots. We also review methods and technologies that make the best use of natural precipitation (stormwater) and the water that is otherwise wasted. Case studies across North America will be used to illustrate how these methods can significantly increase the survival rate of newly planted and transplanted trees and significantly reduce the cost of watering by 90% or more.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn the benefits and importance of growing trees where people live from social, environmental, economic, and health aspects.
- Recognize common causes of plant death in urban or developed environments, which areknown to be harsh growing conditions.
- Evaluate new technologies that help to solve the watering challenges with natural rainfall and by increasing the available plant water.
1 Approved CEU/PDH for ISA, LACES
March 27, 2026, 12:00-1:15PM (Eastern Daylight Time)
Speakers: Dr. Wei Zhang and Gordon Mann
