Alex Shigo

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Alex Shigo (right) explains an oak stem disc during one of his last symposiums

Alex L. Shigo (born May 8, 1930 in Duquesne , Pennsylvania , † October 6, 2006 in Barrington , New Hampshire ) was an American forest scientist , author, lecturer and a recognized authority in the field of modern tree care.

Life

Before Alex Shigo devoted himself to biology and trees, he was very fond of music. As a gifted clarinetist, he played for four years in the Air Force Band in Washington, DC. During this time, tours to Toronto and Ontario took place. During this time he also met his future wife Marilyn.

In 1951 he married Marilyn, with whom he had two children.

Alex Shigo studied in Pennsylvania at Waynesburg College, where he received his bachelor's degree in biology in 1956. From 1958 to 1959 he earned his master's degree and doctorate in plant pathology from West Virginia University in Morgantown. For the next 26 years he worked on a pioneering project of the " USDA Forest Service ", which he accompanied as chief scientist and project manager. There he investigated the relationship between decay and discoloration on hardwood.

Alex Shigo died on October 6, 2006 after falling down a staircase in his summer home. He left behind his wife, Marilyn.

Act

Shigo became known as "the father of modern tree care".

As part of the US Forest Service projects, he cut over 15,000 trees with a chainsaw and examined trees in many countries. This research resulted in 270 publications and he received numerous honors and awards.

Shigo caused a rethink in tree care in Germany through his lectures at the ISA seminar in Heidelberg in 1984 . On the basis of his knowledge of the wound reactions in trees, a transition was made from pure tree surgery to tree care based on tree biology. Shigo warned of large cuts in trees, as the wound reaction is different from that of humans and animals. According to his investigations, injuries on trees are overgrown by a layer of callus , the tissue behind is encapsulated and finally decomposed in the wood. Wound closure agents, which are applied to the interface like a skin, support the growth of pathogenic germs and inhibit the natural wound closure and the self-healing of the woody plants. The smaller the cut area, the easier it is for the wood to encapsulate it.

There were controversial reactions among critics of the new kind of tree care, because not everyone could immediately take on this new view of trees and the role of tree care for themselves and their work, as they saw their previous knowledge and their work in question.

Fonts

  • together with Klaus Vollbrecht and Niels Hvass: Tree Biology and Tree Care (German biology of trees and tree care. A photo textbook , Ballerup and Mainz 1989, ISBN 87-982477-3-5 )
  • A New Tree Biology (German: The new tree biology , 2 volumes, Braunschweig 1990, ISBN 3-87815-022-9 )
  • Tree pruning (dt. Pruning , Braunschweig, 1991, ISBN 3-87815-033-4 )
  • Modern Arboriculture (German Modern Tree Care. Basics of Tree Biology , Braunschweig 1994, ISBN 3-87815-051-2 )
  • Tree Anatomy (German Tree Anatomy. Micro-Image Atlas , Braunschweig 1995, ISBN 3-87815-075-X )

Honors

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Collection of articles on webresources.com, accessed December 5, 2016.
  2. ↑ Biography on legacy.com, accessed December 5, 2016.
  3. ↑ Shigo ( memento of December 9, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) on ccil.org (accessed on March 2, 2014, link no longer available on December 5, 2016).
  4. ↑ Biography on legacy.com, accessed December 5, 2016.
  5. ↑ List of publications ( memento of March 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) on shigoandtrees.com (accessed on March 2, 2014, link no longer available on December 5, 2016).
  6. ↑ 20 years of new tree care on forstpraxis.de, accessed on December 5, 2016.
  7. ↑ a b Obituary on galk.de, accessed on December 5, 2016.
  8. ↑ Steve Nix via Alex Shigo on forestry.about.com, accessed December 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ Copy and continue to grow - tree biology and tree care. ( Memento of the original from March 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at treeland.de, accessed on December 5, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.treeland.de
  10. ↑ Prize winners ( Memento of the original from March 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on isa-arbor.com, accessed December 5, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.isa-arbor.com
personal data
SURNAME Shigo, Alex
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Shigo, Alex L.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American forest scientist
DATE OF BIRTH May 8, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Dunesque , Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH October 6, 2006
Place of death Barrington , New Hampshire