Glossary of Arborist Terms

Learn to speak the insider’s lingo.

• Adelgids
  Or Balsam wooly adelgids: small wingless insects that attack and kill firs.

• Arboriculture
  The selection, planting, care, and removal of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants and the study of how they grow and respond to cultural practices and the environment.

• Blights
  A plant disease symptom in response to an infection.

• Cable Brace

• Cankers
  Dead or diseased area or blister on the bark of a tree.

• Canopy
  The treetop; also call the crown.

• Certified Arborist
  A professional trained in the management and maintenance of trees and other plants. A Certified Arborist is recognized by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA).

• Crown
  The treetop; also called the canopy.

• Damminix tubes
  Damminix is a product used in the control of ticks that spread Lyme disease. It was developed by researchers at Harvard University.

• Deciduous
  Trees or shrubs that lose their leaves annually.

• Hazard prune
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• ISA
  The International Society of Arboriculture is a worldwide professional organization dedicated to the promotion and development of the practice of arboriculture.

• Lion tailing
  Also known as ‘topping’, lion tailing is the improper practice of over-pruning a tree by removing the majority of the tree’s branches.

• Mites
  Very small insects of the group Arachnida which cause disease.

• Mulch, mulching
  A protective covering for soil that includes a wide variety of organic and inorganic materials. Mulching provides benefits such as water retention, weed control, erosion and sediment control.

• Riparian
  Pertaining to the area near a riverbank or other body of water.

• Root ball
  The root system of a tree.

• Stake, Staking
  To set up a support system with stakes.

• Ticks
  Common name of small insects that, like mites, are of the group Arachnida and cause a number of diseases.

• Topped, topping
  Also known as ‘lion tailing’, topping is the improper practice of over-pruning a tree by removing the majority of the tree’s branches.

• Watersprouts

• WCB
  The Worker’s Compensation Board, an organization dedicated to promoting workplace health and safety.