ASHLAND – Ashland Arborist Brian Blessing and his team planted two trees for Arbor Day on Thursday in case of rain on Friday, so he had the opportunity to play a different role on Friday: interview subject for Ashland Main Street Director Sandra Tunnell.
Tunnell took the opportunity to quiz Blessing on what he does in his role as an arborist and to get tips on how to take care of trees.
Blessing said he’s glad that people recognize Arbor Day, but for him and his staff, every day is about recognizing the importance of trees to the community.
“We do it every day, so it’s tough. I still love my job. I enjoy it, just like a kid. You trim a tree, you raise it up. I can go anywhere in town and say, ‘We planted this’ or ‘we planted that.’ That’s the joy or the benefit to me,” Blessing said.
Blessing’s mom, Brenda, shared her son’s love for Ashland’s foliage.
“As I was coming from Brookside the other day I looked at all the beautiful trees and I thought, ‘My son had a part of that.’ I’ve been here in Ashland and I’m proud of the fact our trees look so nice,” Brenda Blessing said.
Brian Blessing’s department offers many services, including chipping brush for the public for a fee, delivering mulch, grinding stumps and planting trees.
Blessing shard some tips for caring for trees, including getting advice from and using the services of someone who really knows what they’re doing.
When mulching a tree, Blessing said you should cover the area with about 2 to 3 inches but it’s important keep the mulch away from a trunk.
“Mulch is supposed to hold moisture and keep the weeds down, but when that moisture hits the trunk it causes rot and decay and you get insects,” Blessing said. “Mulching is a good thing, but you can kill them with kindness.”
The two planted trees were Paper Bark Maple trees that will grow to 25-30 feet with a bright red color, Blessing said. There aren’t very many of these trees in Ashland, which will make these two stand out.
Blessing said the availability of trees to purchase is bad this year because of the upturn in the economy.
“Next year is going to be the same. Nurseries are running out of trees. People are buying them up because the economy is looking better,” the arborist said.
Mayor Duane Fishpaw read a proclamation declaring Friday as Arbor Day in Ashland County.
Arbor Day has a long history, with the first celebration in the U.S. taking place on April 10, 1872, in Nebraska City, Nebraska. On that day, an estimated 1 million trees were planted in the state. Ohio first celebrated Arbor Day a decade later.
Ohio leads the nation in the number of certified Tree City USA communities, including Ashland, which has been recognized as a Tree City for the 33rd year by the Arbor Day Foundation.
