need to note all possible environmen- tal hazards then make a plan for the field team to avoid them. There are also a few digital tools that can help identify these leafy hazards. Apps like Seek use databases to iden- tify plants in real time, even without an internet connection. That said, mis- takes can happen, especially during dormant months. Ultimately, if an arborist is unsure about a plant species, they should get a second opinion. “If you can’t ID these plants, I would recommend taking a photo and texting it to someone who can,” Watkins said. Recommended attire for working with poisonous plants is similar to standard safety-wear: long sleeves, long pants that cover the ankle, eye and ear pro- tection, and sturdy boots.
Giant hogweed is a large invasive species with sap that can cause severe burns and scarring.
The saying goes “leaves of three, leave them be,” but this hardly covers the nu- ances of all the hazardous plants tree care workers may encounter. Poison sumac has seven to 13 leaflets and grows as a tree. Eastern poison ivy
is usually a hairy vine with three shiny green leaves (red in the fall), where- as Western poison ivy still consists of three leaves as a shrub, not a vine. Watkins advised that when evaluating a site, the sales arborists or team leads
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