When trees are downed in Dow Gardens, Brian Siler is there to try to give them a second life.
Siler is an arborist at Dow Gardens and Whiting Forest who works to manage the forest, canopy walk and the trees in them. He also makes tables and crates for use at Dow Gardens from trees felled throughout the campus.
When it comes to taking care of trees, Siler said this involves pruning, insect mediation and root management. If a standing tree fails, he can either leave it standing to let the root system support the local ecosystem, or he can repurpose the wood.
The wood can be used to create mulch for walking trails and flower beds at Dow Gardens, Siler said, along with live bench tables and firewood. Siler has also worked toward removing the Emerald Ash Borer from the Dow Gardens floodplain. It is an invasive species in Michigan that kills trees and spreads through infected wood moving from one place to another.
“We try to promote a good environment, and Dow Gardens stands to share that with people to understand what best management practices are,” Siler said.
The latest project Siler is working on is apple crates made from downed white pine trees. Dow Gardens has an apple orchard with over 100 varieties. When the orchard begins producing fruit in the fall, the crates will contain picked apples once they are ripe.
Once the pines are cut down, the timber is sawed, planed and branded, Siler said. It is then constructed into crates for the orchard.
“We realize that trees have value, whether they are alive or dead,” Siler said. “Not only do they benefit us as humans, but they benefit the earth and (its) conditions.”
CONTINUED READING: Fruit frenzy: Meet the caretaker of the Dow Gardens apple orchard