They cool the house and yard with shade in the summer, soak up noise, reduce erosion and purify the air by absorbing pollutants and releasing oxygen. Joe Roberts, an urban forester for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has tended to the city's trees for 10 years. A dead branch serves no other purpose than to invite rot. It's best not to create a well of mulch around a tree because it will trap and hold rainwater, which might lead to rot at the base of the trunk or drown the root system. Adding a lot of soil to the lateral roots can also lead to suffocation.
People often damage trees with string trimmers and mowers.
An easy way to prevent this is to wrap some plastic tubing around the base of trees to protect them from damage. Another common mistake is planting trees too close together. Be sure to find out the ultimate size of the tree when buying. Some shade trees can grow 40 or 50 feet wide, and they need to have plenty of room. Tulsa Parks 1712 Charles Page Blvd.