On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel hit North Carolina and tracked through central Pennsylvania and into Canada. This “storm of the century” caused extensive tree damage and tree companies worked for over a year to clean up the damage. My father remembers the storm well and tells interesting stories about the challenges he faced. For tree men of his generation, Hazel will always be remembered as the most damaging storm. 

I believe the storm on February 5, 2014, is the storm I will always remember. Almost every client had an issue with their trees, and our response was complicated by downed electric wires and numerous snow storms arriving in rapid succession. In this newsletter, we have written articles about some of the lessons learned regarding pruning, cabling and new tree selection. The biggest take away is that tree maintenance programs work. Maintenance programs require property inspections to identify tree issues and help clients make good decisions about their care. 

Also in this issue we introduce our new website: www.johnbward.com. This was a fun project for us, especially producing the video with family photos and interviews with my Dad and Mom, John and Fran Ward. An important feature of the website is our new Plant Health Care Resource Center. Easily accessed from the home page, the Resource Center offers links to fact sheets about every insect and disease problem we encounter. 

As we near the end of winter, we want to thank you for your continued confidence in our company. We are extremely proud of our staff of Arborists and look forward to seeing you on your properties and caring for your trees.