Arboriculture Glossary of Terms
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- safe working loadsee working-load limit.
- safetyproactive process of preventing injury. damage. or loss.
- safety climatea snapshot in time of a company's focus on safety. often situational. may be temporary. and oftentimes influenced by management. Generally strong immediately following an incident (contrast with safety culture).
- safety culturea shared group of values or accepted social norms among workers regarding worker safety. often difficult to change (contrast with safety climate).
- safety eyeglassesprotective eyewear that must be worn when conducting tree care operations.
- safety factorstructural capacity of a system beyond the expected normal or actual loads. how much stronger the system is than it usually needs to be for an intended load. For example. a system with safe working load of5.000 lbs. and a safety factor of 2.0 would have a rated load of 10.000 lbs. (compare to design factor).
- safety lanyarda short rope equipped with snaps used for temporarily securing a climber in one place (see lanyard. work-positioning lanyard. flip line. and buckstrap).
- salinewater solution containing dissolved salt.
- saline-sodic soilSoil that contains sufficient sodium to interfere with the growth of most crop and landscape plants
- saline-sodic soilssoils with high concentrations of both soluble salts (saline) and sodium ions (sodic) (see saline soils and sadie soils).
- saline soilssoils with a high concentration of soluble salts. Can cause poor plant growth.
- salinitythe amount or percentage of salt in the soil.
- Salix babylonicaWeeping Willow
- salt indexosmotic potential ratio of a fertilizer compared to sodium nitrate. based on the relative value of 100. The higher the salt index. the more likely plant damage will occur.
- samaradry. winged fruits that remain closed at maturity.
- sandsoil particles with a size between 0.06 mm and 2.0 mm in diameter (contrast with clay and silt).
- sanitationcultural practice of removing dead. infested. or diseased plant parts to reduce the spread of insects or disease.
- sapterm used for plant fluids found in cells or transported through the vascular system.
- sap leakagedripping of sap from a pruning cut. rubbing. or other wound (see bleeding).
- Sapindus saponariaSoap Berry
- Sapium discolorMountain Tallow Tree
- Sapium sebiferumChinese Tallow-tree
- saplinga young tree about 1 to 3 years old. typically larger than a seedling.
- saprophyteorganism that lives on and may act to decay dead organic matter (contrast with epiphyte and parasite).
- sapwoodouter wood (xylem) that contains living cells and is active in longitudinal transport of water and solutes (contrast with heartwood).
- sapwood rotdecay located in the sapwood. Bark and/or cambium may be damaged or dead. Signs of this classification of rot are usually numerous. but small. fruiting bodies along the bark's surface are common.
- SARsodium absorption ratio
- saturated pasteMixture of soil and water commonly used for measurements and for obtaining soil extracts
- saturation pointpoint at which a soil or an aquifer will no longer absorb any amount of water without losing an equal amount (compare to available water. field capacity. gravitational water. and permanent wilting point).
- SBDsoil bulk density. sudden branch drop
- SCASociety of Commercial Arboriculture
- scabbardprotective sheath for a pruning saw or other tool.
- scaffold1) pertaining to tree architecture or form. a strong and properly spaced arrangement. framework. or system of branches throughout the crown. 2) a work platform. which may be stationary or moving. scaffold branches permanent or structural branches that form the scaffold architecture or structure of a tree .
- scaffold branchespermanent or structural branches that form the scaffold architecture or structure of a tree.
- scaffold knotsee double fisherman's bend.
- scaleone of a group of insects that attach themselves to plant parts. Most scale insects are parasites of plants. feeding on sap drawn directly from the plant's vascular system.
- scarf cutwedge-shaped cut forming the front of the hinge used in tree or limb removal (see face notch).
- scheduled tree maintenancemethodical. systematic approach to determining when and how often tree care activities will be performed. Contrast with by-request service.
- Schefflera actinophyllaUmbrella Tree
- Schefflera heptaphyllaIvy Tree
- Schima superbaSchima - Chinese Gugertree - -
- Schwabischtype of friction hitch used in climbing and rigging.
- Scindapsus aureusScindapsus aureus
- scion1) top part of a graft. with leaves and buds. that is grafted to the stock or root stock. 2) woody tissue (that does not require buds) used to complete a bridge graft.
- sclerophyllousHard-leaved; leaves resistant to drought by having a great deal of sclerenchymatous (hardened) tissue and reduced intercellular spaces
- scorchbrowning and shriveling of foliage. especially at the leaf margin.
- screw linkconnecting device with a threaded closure mechanism. Used to secure equipment or tree sections in rigging operations.
- secateurshook and blade or scissors-type hand pruning tool intended for cutting single. small diameter stems. Also called pruning shears. bypass pruners. or hand pruners (contrast with anvil-type pruning tool and hand pruning shears).
- secondary disorderdisorder that develops after a plant is stressed by a primary one.
- secondary growthincrease in root and stem girth or diameter. Occurs at lateral or secondary meristems in some vascular plants such as dicots.
- secondary injuryInjury or problem caused by a primary injury. problem. or infection
- secondary nutrientNutrient required in moderate amounts by plants such as calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg).
- secondary nutrientsmineral elements. such as calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). required in moderate amounts by plants (see also essential elements. macronutrient. micronutrient. and primary; elements).
- secondary pestinsect or other pest problem that develops on a plant stressed and weakened by another factor (see secondary disorder).
- secondary pest outbreakincrease in a secondary pest population following a reduction in the population of natural predators or parasites.
- secondary phloemphloem produced to the exterior of the vascular cambium during secondary growth.
- secondary rootSee lateral root
- secondary (secondary line)in an electric utility system. a lower-voltage (generally 110 to 750 volts) electric supply line that carries electricity from distribution transformers to service lines.
- secondary xylemxylem produced to the interior of the vascular cambium during secondary growth.
- secured footlockmethod of footlocking in which the climber utilizes an additional means of securing against a fall. such as with a Prusik hitch (see footlock and Prusik hitch).
- seedthe fertilized. ripened ovule of a flowering plant found in the embryo. seed leaf
- seedlingsmall plant newly born from a seed.
- selective herbicideHerbicides that are toxic primarily to the target pest (and perhaps a few related species). leaving most other organisms. including natural enemies. unharmed
- selective herbicidesherbicides that are effective only on specific plant types (e.g.. broadleaves. grasses) or species.
- selective managementmethods used to target undesirable vegetation while retaining desirable vegetation.
- semi ring-porouspattern of wood development displaying characteristics of both ring-porous and diffuse-porous woody plants.
- senescenceprocess of aging. Process preceding leaf drop in deciduous plants.
- serpentine soilsoil derived from serpentine parent rock material that has high levels of nickel (Ni). chromium (Cr). and magnesium (Mg) and low levels of calcium (Ca). available magnesium (Mg). and available major plant nutrients.
- serratesaw-tooth margin of a leaf. with the teeth pointed forward (compare to dentate).
- service lines (service drops)in an electric utility system. a lower-voltage (generally 110 to 750 volts) electric supply line that carries electricity from secondary distribution supply lines to end user premises.
- shackleU-shaped fitting with a pin running through it. Clevis.
- shakeseparation of wood at the growth rings or rays. usually along the barrier zone that forms in the compartmentalization process (CODIT). Ring shake(s). Radial shake(s).
- shake(s)separation of wood at the growth rings or rays. usually along the barrier zone that forms in the compartmentalization process (CODIT). Ring shake(s). Radial shake(s).
- shankthe straight rod portion of a climbing spike which straps to the climber's inner leg.
- shavingremoving the entire outside periphery (sometimes including the bottom) of a container root ball.
- shear1) n. in mechanics. the movement or failure of materials. especially laminar material such as wood by sliding side by side. 2) n. a tool used to cut small diameter pJan.t material. including secateurs and snips. as well as long-bladed hand tools and power tools used to cut hedges. 3) v. to cut; often used to describe cutting foliage or stems to a single plane. as in a hedge.
- sheaveinner fitting within a block or pulley over which the rope runs.
- sheepshankknot used to form a loop in the middle of a line or to shorten a line.
- sheet bendknot used to attach two lines. The lines can be of unequal diameter. Not to be used for life support.
- ship augertype of drill bit with an open spiral
- shock-loadingdynamic. sudden force placed on a rope or rigging apparatus when a moving load or piece is stopped.
- shootnew stem or branch growth on a plant.
- shruba woody plant. generally smaller than a tree. typically with multi pi stems branching from or near the ground.
- SIAstatics integrated assessment
- sideflashphenomenon of a lightning strike leaving its current path and jumping" to reach a better-grounded conductor. "
- sieve cellslong. slender phloem cells in gymnosperms.
- sieve tube elementsspecialized phloem cells involved in photosynthate transport. Exist only in angiosperms.
- signphysical evidence of a causal agent (e.g.. insect eggs. borer hole. frass) (contrast with symptom).
- siltsoil particles with a grain size between 0.004 mm and 0.062 mm (coarser than clay particles but finer than sand) (contrast with clay and sand).
- silviculturestudy and practice of the maintenance and growth of forests.
- SIMstatics integrated method
- simple leafsingle-bladed leaf. Not composed of leaflets (contrast with compound leaf).
- single actionpertaining to carabiners and snaps. requiring one motion for the gate to open. A nonlocking carabiner is single action.
- single rope technique (SRT)a climbing system utilizing a rope pulled over a high anchor. with the running end anchored and the climber utilizing the standing part (contrast with DdRT and DRT).
- sinkplant part that uses or stores more energy than it produces (contrast with source).
- sinker rootsdownward-growing roots that provide anchorage and take up water and minerals. Especially useful during periods of drought.
- sinusspace between two Jobes of a leaf (contrast with lobe).
- site analysis1) consideration or evaluation of the conditions. restrictions. and environment of a planting site. 2) consideration or evaluation of a construction or development site requiring a tree conservation or preservation plan. 3) consideration during a tree risk assessment.
- site considerationsfactors that must be taken into account when assessing a site for planting. tree conservation. preservation. or for any operation.
- skeletonizedleaf-feeding damage caused by insects (skeletonizers). characterized by the loss of tissue between the leaf veins.