The letter is an antiquated thing. Archaic almost in a world dominated by emails, texts and tweets. Because a letter takes a little more thought, a little more work, a little more time.

I’ll never forget a book of fiction we studied in college by the author John Edgar Wideman entitled Damballah. Wideman writes in the introduction that, “Stories are letters. Letters sent to anybody and everybody. But the best kind are meant to be read by a specific somebody. When you read that kind you know you are eavesdropping. You know a real person somewhere will read the same words you are reading and the story is that person’s business and you are a ghost listening in.”

Letters, in arboriculture, have a variety of different uses. They are, in fact, one of three major ways of presenting a report from a consulting perspective. Letters are legal correspondence, and can exist as communication between arborists, lawyers, tree owners or municipal personal and officials. Letters, although scripted on thin sheets of paper, carry weight.

There is an old artistry in the letter, because you are crafting it with a specific someone in mind. They are personal. They are traditional. Just like arboriculture. Letters preserve the past: small daily details or large, life altering events. Each sentence is like a growth ring. When we send a letter, we send a part of ourself; and when we receive a letter, we can physically hold a story, and the cadence of someone’s voice that we can read and re-read, and fold away for another time. And so in this since letters are more precious.

I think that trees are a lot like letters too. Because no one letter is really the same, neither is one tree the same either. And as arborists, we have this ability to shape and craft trees into personal stories for our clients, and although anyone and everyone can read that work, our work as arborists is meant for a specific someone. Arboriculture is not a template in which we fill in the blanks, it is a small story re-written everyday for someone specific and special. That tree. That client. Everyone else is just a ghost listening in.

As I grow older, I realize how important each individual job is, and how important each of my clients are. I try to become more grateful everyday. Arboriculture is very personal, at least for me anyway. And as arborists we owe so much to those people that own trees, that hire us and trust us to work on their property and on their trees. And so, I have been trying to write letters for my clients after working on their trees. I admit, it is somewhat for personal gain, as I envision having a long collection of wonderful stories about trees and my clients in the form of these letters when I myself am old and retrenching. These stories not only help me grow, but I think they also help my clients see just how important these small stories of arboriculture are for me. Call it marketing, or branding; or better yet, just call it good old fashioned letter writing.

If you’ve ever felt a special connection to a particular job or a particular tree or a particular client, sit down and write them a letter. Tell them about their trees, about their property, and about what those things means for you. It doesn’t have to be long or spectacular, it just has to be honest.

Dear Steve and Kristin,

Thank you for having us care for your trees. It was a pleasure to work in such on nice neighborhood on a wonderful property.

As you will see in the invoice, much of what we focused on in during this maintenance treatment was growth regulation of specific trees (pear, plum and Japanese maple). Although the needs of each specific tree were unique in a sense, our main goal was to establish better space relationship between the tree’s architecture and your home in the case of the pear and the plum. This pruning is where we spent the majority of our visit. The small Japanese maple received rather light growth regulation cuts with a thoughtful consideration of structure. Also, a small steel cable installed in the pear tree will add supplemental support to the narrow branch unions containing included bark, which is a known structural issue particular to this species.

On the invoice I have listed some projected pruning cycles for managing the crowns of the trees into the future. These are just a suggestion, and are totally subject to change based on an ever-changing environment and the budget at hand.

Some things to consider for the future revolves around root zone management, not only on the specimen trees we treated, but also on all of the woody ornamental plants throughout the landscape. I noticed the new stone mulch that was recently installed. Although it is aesthetically beautiful, the stone will not break down quickly like mulch or other fine organic debris to return nutrients to the soil. It is worth having a soil sample taken in order to see if there are any nutrient deficiencies that can be easily mitigated with soil amendments, so as to not compensate the healthy plant assets. The larger specimen trees can receive root crown excavations in order to inspect for girdling roots, and their soil sampled for a better look at the soil characteristics; it’s strengths and weaknesses. Healthy soil is just as critical as healthy pruning cuts.

With proper planning and observation, it is a true joy to manage the relationship between ourselves and our trees. Trees are dynamic organisms critical to a healthy ecosystem. When we take care of our trees, we take care of the world around us. I believe this is where the true and fine art of arboriculture lives. It is very meaningful work. Thank you so much for another opportunity at inspiration.

Sincerely,

T.C. Mazar

ISA Board Certified Master Arborist #PD2019BT