C. - GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Air Spade—A pneumatic soil probe that delivers sudden bursts of air to crack, loosen, or expand the soil to improve the root growing environment or for trench excavation to locate and preserve root tissue.

Arboriculture—The art, science, technology, and business of commercial, public, and utility tree care.

Branch—A secondary shoot or stem arising from one of the main axes (i.e., trunk or leader) of a tree or woody plant.

Branch Collar—Trunk tissue that forms around the base of a branch between the main stem and the branch or a branch and a lateral. As a branch decreases in vigor or begins to die, the branch collar becomes more pronounced.

Branch Bark Ridge—The raised area of bark in the branch crotch that marks where the branch wood and trunk wood meet.

Climbing spurs—Sharp, pointed devices affixed to the climber's leg used to assist in climbing trees (also known as gaffs, hooks, spurs, spikes, climbers).

Closure—The process of woundwood covering a cut or other tree injury.

Co-Dominant: Two main branches that originate at the same point on the main trunk. These create a weak union that is more prone to failure than normal branch development.

Crotch—The angle formed at the attachment between a branch and another branch, leader, or trunk of a woody plant.

Crown—The leaves and branches of a tree measured from the lowest branch on the trunk to the top of the tree.

Decay—Degradation of woody tissue caused by biological organisms.

Establishment—The point after planting when a tree's root system has grown sufficiently into the surrounding soil to support shoot growth and anchor the tree.

Girdling roots—Roots located above or below ground whose circular growth around the base of the trunk or over individual roots applies pressure to the bark area, ultimately restricting sap flow and trunk/root growth, frequently resulting in reduced vitality or stability of the tree.

Interfering Branches—Crossing, rubbing, or upright branches that have the potential to damage tree structure and/or health.

Lateral Brach—A branch or twig growing from a parent branch or stem.

Leader—A dominant or co-dominant, upright stem.

Limb—A large, prominent branch.

Lion's Tailing—The removal of an excessive number of inner, lateral branches from parent branches.

Nodes—Point along a branch where leaf or lateral shoot growth originates. Just above a node is also the correct place to make a pruning cut.

Parent branch or stem—The tree trunk; or a large limb from which lateral branches grow.

Pruning—The selective removal of plant parts to meet specific goals and objectives.

Topping—An inappropriate technique to reduce tree size that cuts through a stem at an indiscriminant location.

Tree Crown Cleaning—Selective pruning to remove dead, diseased, and/or broken branches.

Tree Crown Raising—Selective pruning to provide vertical clearance.

Tree Crown Reduction—Selective pruning to decrease height and/or spread.

Tree Crown Restoration—Selective pruning to improve structure, form, and appearance of trees that have been severely damaged.

Tree Crown Thinning—Selective pruning to reduce density of live branches.

Wound—The opening that is created any time the tree's protective bark covering is penetrated, cut, or removed, injuring or destroying living tissue.

(Ord. No. 4492, § 9, 6-21-2016)