Remember to sweat the small stuff.

Every time we apply a product to solve a plant 'problem' we are changing the environment in some way.  The collateral damage caused by our plant heath care actions can range from minor to catastrophic; for example, the large bee kill in Oregon this past year.  Even soil-applied fertilizers will affect soil chemistry in unintended ways.  High concentrations of some plant essential elements can be antagonistic to other plant essential elements, making them unavailable for uptake.

We have a responsibility to take proper precautions, make accurate diagnoses, and know what and how things we are doing will affect the world around us.  Our management goals should be based around having as little impact as possible, and in the end, introducing as little outside product as possible in to the environment. As arborists we are expected to be stewards of the environment, and this is something we shouldn't take lightly.

Something that seems as unintrusive as applying an adhesive band to the tree can capture a range of off-target insects, reptiles, and mammals.