Arboriculture Glossary of Terms
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- controlled-release fertilizerslow-release or slowly soluble form of fertilizer.
- conventional notch45-degree notch with a horizontal bottom cut. Used in removing trees or branches. Also called common notch (contrast with Humboldt notch and open-face notch).
- coppicingsilvicultural technique in which trees are cut at the ground and allowed to re-sprout from the stumps. Used to produce biomass. fuelwood. or poles of a particular specification. Sometimes described as basal pollarding (contrast with pollarding).
- CoptotermesThe genus Coptotermes (termite) is characterized by the presence of a pear-shaped head, narrow at front with a pointed labrum in the soldier caste (Pearce et al., 1993). Mandibles are slender, sharply pointed and slightly incurved without marginal teeth. Most distinctive in the soldier caste is the large fontanelle (opening) at the front of the head which exudes a white defence secretion when the insect is disturbed. Coptotermes have been shown to possess, as for other members of the(...)
- cordateterm describing a heart-shaped leaf.
- Cordyline fruticosaCordyline fruticosa
- cork cambiumlateral meristem from which the corky. protective outer layer of bark is found. Also known as phellogen.
- cost of curemethod used to appraise the monetary value of tree and landscape losses based on the treatment needed to return the property to a reasonable approximation of its original condition.
- cotyledonone or more seed leaves that form first in J the embryo.
- Council of Tree and Landscape Appraisers (CTLA)group of representatives of several tree care and landscape associations that works to research and author the Guide for Plant Appraisal.
- cow hitchknot commonly used to attach hardware to a tree. Should be backed up or finished with a half hitch.
- CPOcontinuing professional development
- CPRcardiopulmonary resuscitation
- cracksseparation in wood fibers; narrow breaks or fissures in stems or branches. If severe. may result in tree or branch failure.
- Crateva unilocularisSpider Tree
- Cratoxylum cochinchinenseYellow Cow Wood
- crenateterm to describe a leaf margin with rounded teeth.
- critical root zone(CRZ) area of soil around a tree where the majority of the roots are located and that provide stability as well as uptake of water and minerals. CRZ determination is sometimes based on the drip line or a multiple of dbh. but because root growth is often asymmetric due to site conditions. on-site investigation is preferred.
- critical root zone (CRZ)area of soil around a tree where the minimum amount of roots considered critical to the structural stability or health of the tree are located. CRZ determination is sometimes based on the drip line or a multiple of dbh. but because root growth can be asymmetric due to site conditions. on-site investigation may be required.
- crookabrupt bend in a branch or trunk.
- cross sectionsection perpendicular to the axis of longitudinal growth.
- crotch1) n. branch union or fork. 2) v. to place a line through a branch union.
- CROWCountryside Rights of Way Act
- crownupper part of a tree. measured from the lowest branch. including all the branches and foliage (see canopy).
- crown cleaningin pruning. the selective removal of dead. dying. diseased. and broken branches from the tree crown.
- crown hierarchyamount of apical dominance within a tree crown leading to tree crowns of monoconnic (excurrent. one leader) oligocormic (decurrent with a small number of leaders) or polyconnic (decurrent with a larger number of more or less equal leaders) organization.
- crown raisingin pruning. the selective removal of lower branches or limbs from a tree crown to provide clearance (see raising and lifting).
- crown reductionmethod of reducing the height and/ or spread of a tree crown by making selective pruning cuts from the outer branches. Reduction.
- crown restorationmethod of restoring the natural growth habit of a tree that has been topped or damaged in any other way. Restoration pruning.
- crown rotdisease or decay at the base of a tree or root crown (see butt rot).
- crown thinningin pruning. the selective removal of live branches or limbs to reduce crown density.
- CRZcritical root zone
- CSACanadian Standards Association
- CSLACanadian Society of Landscape Architects
- Ctenanthe oppenheimiana Tricolor Ctenanthe oppenheimiana Tricolor
- CTFCanadian Tree Fund
- CTLACouncil of Tree and Landscape Appraisers
- CTSPTCIA Certified Treecare Safety Professional
- cultivarcultivated variety of a plant that cannot be reproduced without human assistance. Usually propagated asexually (cloned) (compare to variety).
- cultural control1) method of controlling plant pests by providing a growing environment favorable to the host plant and/or unfavorable to the pest (see Plant Health Care and Integrated Pest Management). 2) management of vegetation through alternative use of the right-of-way that precludes growth of incompatible vegetation through establishment of crops. pastures. prairies. parks. successful cover-type conversion. or other managed landscape.
- cultural problemstoo little or too much sunlight. water. fertilizer. air. pests. or other factors resulting in poor health or growth.
- Cuphea hyssopifolia Cuphea hyssopifolia
- current (electric)flow of electrons in an electrical conductor. The strength or rate of movement of the electricity is measured in amperes.
- current surgesin an electric utility system. a momentary. excessive increase in the amount of electricity flowing through a wire or other conductor.
- cut-surface applicationmethod of placing herbicide on stumps immediately after cutting so that the herbicide is absorbed and translocated to the roots. Often used in utility arboriculture.
- cuticlewaxy layer outside the epidermis of a leaf that retards water loss and helps protect the leaf from insects and diseases.
- cv.cultivar
- cycle1) see pruning cycle. 2) see cycles to failure.
- cycle bustersin utility and municipal arboriculture. fast-growing trees that need to be pruned more frequently than the set pruning cycle (see pruning cycle).
- cycles to failurenumber of times a rope or other piece of equipment can be used with a given load before mechanical failure.
- cytokininsplant hormones involved in cell division. leaf expansion. and other physiological processes. Compounds with cytokinin-like activity may be synthetically produced.
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- D-ringsD-shaped metal rings on a climber's saddle for attaching ropes and snaps.
- DAFBdiameter above flare or buttress
- dBdecibel
- dbhacronym for tree diameter at breast height. Measured at 1.4 m ( 4.5 feet) above ground in the United States. Australia (arboriculture). New Zealand. and when using the Guide for Plant Appraisal (9th ed.); at 1.3 m ( 4.3 feet) above ground in Australia (forestry). Canada. the European Union. and UK (forestry); and at 1.5 m (5 feet) above ground in UK (arboriculture).
- DdRTacronym for doubled rope technique. Dynamic or static climbing system in which a rope is doubled over a branch and the climber uses both parts of the line (contrast with DRT and SRT).
- dead-end bracea brace formed by threading a lag-threaded screw rod directly into a limb. leader. or trunk but not through the side opposite the installation.
- dead-end gripsa manufactured wire wrap designed to form a termination in the end of a 1 x 7 left-hand lay cable.
- dead-end hardwareanchors or braces that are threaded directly into the tree but not through the side opposite the installation. Dead-end hardware includes but is not limited to lag hooks. lag eyes. and lag-threaded screw rods.
- dead-eye slingrope sling with a single eye spliced in one end. Also called eye sling. fixed-eye sling. or spliced-eye sling.
- deadwoodingremoving dead and dying branches from a tree. Outdated term for crown cleaning. which is more comprehensive.
- deciduoustree or other plant that sheds all of its foliage annually (contrast with evergreen).
- declineI) gradually diminishing health or condition of a tree. 2) a pattern of decline conditions in a particular species not necessarily associated with a single cause. e.g.. ash decline.
- decline spiralinteraction of causal agents that accelerates decline (see mortality spiral).
- decurrentrounded or spreading growth habit of the tree crown (contrast with excurrent).
- DEDDutch elm disease
- deficiencypertaining to plant nutrition. lack or insufficient quantity of a required element.
- defoliationloss of leaves from a tree or other plant by biological. chemical or mechanical means (as opposed to natural shedding).
- degree daya measure of heat accumulation over time that allows comparison of the daily average temperature and a given temperature base. Used to plan. monitor. or schedule plant or pest management. Also growing degree day.
- dehiscentsplitting apart. Describes the release of seed capsules at maturity.
- dehydrationLoss of water from plant tissue
- deicing saltsA combination of salts that are spread to keep areas such sidewalks and roadbeds free of ice
- Delonix regiaFlame Tree - Flame of the Forest -
- denitrificationprocess of reducing nitrates to nitrogen gases.
- dentatehaving serrations (teeth) perpendicular to the leaf margin (compare to serrate).
- desalinated waterseawater that has undergone treatment to remove much of the salts.
- descenderdevice used to control friction when descending a climbing line (contrast with ascender).
- desiccationsevere drying out. Dehydration.
- design criteria1) aspects of the landscape or site and the required functions to be served by the plant that must be considered in plant selection. 2) factors considered in the design of equipment.
- design factorfactor by which the rated or minimum breaking strength of a rope or piece of equipment is divided to determine its working-load limit. For example a rated strength of 10.000 lbs. and a design factor of 2.0 would result in a safe working load of 5.000 lbs. (compare with safety factor).
- determinate growthdevelopment to a point characterized by a fixed number of leaves or other lateral organs (contrast with indeterminate growth).
- diagnosisl) process of identifying a causal agent by analyzing signs. symptoms. site conditions. patterns. climate. cultural history. and other factors. 2) the conclusion from the process.
- Dianella ensifolia Dianella ensifolia
- dibdiameter inside bark
- dicotsee dicotyledon.
- dicotyledonplant with two cotyledons in its embryo. Dicotyledons constitute the larger of the two great divisions of flowering plants. and typically have broad. stalked leaves with netlike veins (contrast with monocotyledon).
- diebackcondition in which the branches in the tree or other plant crown die from the tips toward the main stem.
- dielectricinsulating (nonconducting) material.
- differentiationprocess in the development of cells in which they become specialized for various functions.
- diffuse porouspattern of wood development in which the vessels and vessel sizes are distributed evenly throughout the growth ring (contrast with ring porous).
- Dimocarpus longanLungan - Longan
- DINacronym for Deutsches Institute fiir Normung. a national consensus standards-setting body in Germany.
- DIN 18916in Germany. standard that addresses plants and planting in the landscape industry.
- DIN 18919in Germany. standard that addresses development and maintenance of green areas.
- DIN 18920in Germany. standard that addresses the protection of trees on construction sites.
- dioecioushaving male and female flowers borne on separate individuals of the same species (contrast with monoecious).
- direct cable systemin tree support systems. simple tree cabling system joining two branches or leaders with a single cable (contrast with box cable system and triangular cable system).
- direct contactany part of the body touching an energized conductor.
- directional pruningproviding clearance by pruning branches that could significantly affect the integrity of utility facilities or other structures. and leaving in place branches that could have little or no effect.
- diseasecondition that impairs the performance of one or more vital functions. Usually associated with biotic or parasitic agents (contrast with abiotic disorder).