An otherwise healthy tree may have normal growth within the main trunk but have entire limbs or that are dead and indicate a falling hazard. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

MERRIMACK – G. “Hutch” Shaw Jr., a longtime Merrimack arborist, has been performing tree work for 30 years and founded G.H. Shaw Tree Service more than 14 years ago to better help customers with problems related to trees that perhaps are poised for toppling in extreme weather or debilitated from disease or defects.

“People mow their lawns and weed their gardens but they don’t always pay attention to their trees, until the trees start falling down,” said Shaw, a family man well educated in the life cycles of hundreds of varieties of trees.

Autumn begins on Sept. 22. Now is the time to address a wide range of conditions plaguing oaks, maples, hemlocks, pines and other varieties including Blue Spruce, a species that can grow to a height of 70-feet tall or more.

Pruning, trimming or culling may be recommended when a tree is in ill health or in potential danger of falling. A punky or hollow interior indicates disease or insect activity and warrants cutting.

He said he frequently discovers in wood he has cut entire sections riddled with the tunnels of termites, nesting ants or wood-boring beetles. Another scourge is the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that bores holes through tree bark and siphons sap for nourishment.

G. "Hutch" Shaw Jr., a longtime Merrimack resident and an International Society of Arborists Certified Arborist and Certified Arborist Utility Specialist, is a veteran of more than 30 years in the tree service industry and owner of G.H. Shaw Tree Service in Merrimack. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

Shaw offers free estimates on tree services. He admits to an affinity for the natural wonders enjoyed by birds, squirrels, tree bats and other wildlife, in addition to the preservation of their habitat for around 96 million bird watchers, as documented online by U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFWS).

More information is available from G.H. Shaw Tree Service in Merrimack by phone at 603-930-6189. Emails also are welcome at GHShawTree@aol.com.

These dead branches are infested with the hollow tunnels excavated by ants, termites, beetles or other invaders. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON

A timely culling is appropriate for trees that may topple from high winds, snow or ice. Photo by LORETTA JACKSON