I hear whispers of tree-felling once more

[Ruby Rose]

Two of my favourite trees for colour... Flowering Cherry (Pink), and anything in the Red, Japanese, or October Glory Maple family!

I can't help returning to this post of marvelous...marvelous trees...the colours are out of this world!

 

[Phoenix]

To me trees are beings. With the old ones especially I can sense their spirits.

 

[Ruby Rose]

To me trees are beings. With the old ones especially I can sense their spirits.

Trees were there before us. They form families and communities of their own that lend their magic to the humans that come to dwell among them. We can develop in their midst without levelling them all, without reducing the charm of their massive presence into a nothingness of straight lines. The trees in our cities and towns breathe out not just vital oxygen but also part of the spiritual life of our communities. They shade us, they comfort us, they ease eyes weary of unrelenting asphalt and uninspired dwelling-boxes. I sense their spirits as well.

 

[Don M.]

I took a walk through our forest this afternoon, and found 4 good sized dead trees that a recent ice storm, with high winds, had knocked over. We're supposed to have a couple of fairly nice days this week before the next front comes through, so tomorrow I may get the chainsaw out and go to work. If I get all of those cut up I should have enough wood to keep the outdoor furnace fed for the rest of this Winter.

At the rate I'm harvesting these trees, I may have this forest cleared in another 150 years.

 

[jujube]

Not far from my house is Big Tree Park, former home of "The Senator", which was the biggest and oldest bald cypress in the world. It was approximately 3500 years old, which made it the fifth oldest of any trees in the world. At one time, The Senator had been 165 feet tall, but a 1925 hurricane whittled it down to 125 feet. It was a sight to see. A boardwalk led through the swamp to the tree.

Unfortunately, in 2012 a woman in the park after hours lit a fire at the base of the tree to see to prepare her meth and the fire got out of control. The hollow center of The Senator acted as a chimney and the tree went up in fire immediately. There was no saving it.

3500 years of survival and five minutes of drug-fueled idiocy ends it.

 

[Ruby Rose]

I took a walk through our forest this afternoon, and found 4 good sized dead trees that a recent ice storm, with high winds, had knocked over. We're supposed to have a couple of fairly nice days this week before the next front comes through, so tomorrow I may get the chainsaw out and go to work. If I get all of those cut up I should have enough wood to keep the outdoor furnace fed for the rest of this Winter.

At the rate I'm harvesting these trees, I may have this forest cleared in another 150 years.

We are in the midst of a Polar Vortex...cold and lots of wind but the trees are still standing. Woke up to -22 C with wind chill of -34C so a tad chilly our way but out we go with many layers later.

 

[Aunt Marg]

I can't help returning to this post of marvelous...marvelous trees...the colours are out of this world!

I agree, Ruby, they truly are.

I see them as standouts.

 

[fmdog44]

Without trees your dog will pee on your leg so shut up!

 

[Ruth n Jersey]

My dad loved trees. He was a nurseryman his whole life and did a lot of tree work. He would come home and tell us stories about the different types of trees, how they grow and the importance of them. Years later when the hubby and I had our home built which was on farmland with not a tree insight my dad then retired planted all out trees even before the house was complete.
These photos show him planting them in the early 80s with the help of my kids.
I only wish they had been planted a bit further from the house which he suggested but at the time they seemed to me so far away.

 

[Aunt Marg]

My dad loved trees. He was a nurseryman his whole life and did a lot of tree work. He would come home and tell us stories about the different types of trees, how they grow and the importance of them. Years later when the hubby and I had our home built which was on farmland with not a tree insight my dad then retired planted all out trees even before the house was complete.
These photos show him planting them in the early 80s with the help of my kids.
I only wish they had been planted a bit further from the house which he suggested but at the time they seemed to meView attachment 145281View attachment 145282 so far away.

Lovely tidbit of history in those old photos, Ruth.

Yes indeed, all too often I see people planting varieties of trees close to their homes and I think to myself, they haven't taken into consideration how big those trees are going to get.

The tree your children are holding onto (second photo) looks to be of the maple variety?

 

[Ruth n Jersey]

@Aunt Marg, you are right. A Norway maple to be exact. Back then it was considered a perfect tree to plant but over the years people found out they were beautiful to look at but with age became extremely top heavy and dangerous.
My dad warned me about putting them close to the house but I insisted, saying I wanted my home shaded. I wish I had listened to him.
So far they are hanging in there but I get scared when we have a wind storm. My dad is probably looking down saying, "I told you so".

 

[Phoenix]

Trees were there before us. They form families and communities of their own that lend their magic to the humans that come to dwell among them. We can develop in their midst without levelling them all, without reducing the charm of their massive presence into a nothingness of straight lines. The trees in our cities and towns breathe out not just vital oxygen but also part of the spiritual life of our communities. They shade us, they comfort us, they ease eyes weary of unrelenting asphalt and uninspired dwelling-boxes. I sense their spirits as well.

Their interconnectedness is what the movie Avatar was based on. There's actually research that confirms it.

 

[Aunt Marg]

@Aunt Marg, you are right. A Norway maple to be exact. Back then it was considered a perfect tree to plant but over the years people found out they were beautiful to look at but with age became extremely top heavy and dangerous.
My dad warned me about putting them close to the house but I insisted, saying I wanted my home shaded. I wish I had listened to him.
So far they are hanging in there but I get scared when we have a wind storm. My dad is probably looking down saying, "I told you so".

What a beautiful variety, Ruth.

Sigh... I hope it remains healthy and stable for a long time to come, but I do know the uneasy feelings you carry over a strong wind toppling it over onto your house. The last of the questionable large trees close to our house was taken down just prior to winter, and what a relief. I worried about it coming down on our home so often.

As for spacing, it really is so deceiving how tall and wide an average sized tree can get, and then there is varieties that have aggressive root systems that can heave and crack concrete driveways and walkways, and even crack poured concrete basement walls.

One of the key things to know when planting anything, is knowing how the chosen variety matures, and, how it tops-out when fully-grown.

I am so envious of your property, Ruth, as my dream has always been to have several acres and plant a variety of red, yellow, and orange maples... some white and pink flowering cherry trees, and mix in a healthy variety of small to medium height conifers and shrubs.

 

[Ruby Rose]

What a beautiful variety, Ruth.

Sigh... I hope it remains healthy and stable for a long time to come, but I do know the uneasy feelings you carry over a strong wind toppling it over onto your house. The last of the questionable large trees close to our house was taken down just prior to winter, and what a relief. I worried about it coming down on our home so often.

As for spacing, it really is so deceiving how tall and wide an average sized tree can get, and then there is varieties that have aggressive root systems that can heave and crack concrete driveways and walkways, and even crack poured concrete basement walls.

One of the key things to know when planting anything, is knowing how the chosen variety matures, and, how it tops-out when fully-grown.

I am so envious of your property, Ruth, as my dream has always been to have several acres and plant a variety of red, yellow, and orange maples... some white and pink flowering cherry trees, and mix in a healthy variety of small to medium height conifers and shrubs.

I am envious of your knowledge on trees and I am sure, planting in general. I do not have a green thumb and no real obliging ears to help figure it all out. Everyone is seemingly busy with other things. I depend a lot on luck and the good old computer...and of course early on here, good alpaca and sheep poo to go with the bonemeal. I blame this all on simply too many moves, etc. My lowly gardens are nothing to write about but have to always be on the alert on sheep or goats who have sneaked out to check my lowly garden. 'Tis life with many critters but I love it all!

 

[Aunt Marg]

I am envious of your knowledge on trees and I am sure, planting in general. I do not have a green thumb and no real obliging ears to help figure it all out. Everyone is seemingly busy with other things. I depend a lot on luck and the good old computer...and of course early on here, good alpaca and sheep poo to go with the bonemeal. I blame this all on simply too many moves, etc. My lowly gardens are nothing to write about but have to always be on the alert on sheep or goats who have sneaked out to check my lowly garden. 'Tis life with many critters but I love it all!

Oh, Ruby, I've been gardening for years and truly live for it, but with that said, there are many times where someone is looking to identify a species of plant, shrub, or tree, and I still scratch my head as to what it might be.

Gardening today has moved so far beyond that of the past, where a typical flower gardener arranged their soil-beds with well-known and popular varieties of traditional plantings, unlike today where hybrid varieties and other more exotic species can be found more readily.

Like most anything and everything, the more you work with, and are around gardening and plantings, the more you begin to naturally recognize what it is you're looking at. Experience is everything when it comes to gardening, and there's no better teacher than getting ones hands dirty.

 

[Ruby Rose]

Oh, Ruby, I've been gardening for years and truly live for it, but with that said, there are many times where someone is looking to identify a species of plant, shrub, or tree, and I still scratch my head as to what it might be.

Gardening today has moved so far beyond that of the past, where a typical flower gardener arranged their soil-beds with well-known and popular varieties of traditional plantings, unlike today where hybrid varieties and other more exotic species can be found more readily.

Like most anything and everything, the more you work with, and are around gardening and plantings, the more you begin to naturally recognize what it is you're looking at. Experience is everything when it comes to gardening, and there's no better teacher than getting ones hands dirty.

Thank you for your input...and as for dirty hands, my late Mom, etc would be appalled at mine along with my long apparel and boots, etc to better touch, cuddle and feed critters here...as they were city people. One of the sheep two days ago simply chased me to my door as knew I had dried apple bits in my pockets. He's an old dude with only one horn but can still move fast...but I wasn't duly concerned as our Pyrenees-Swiss mountain dog keeps a close watch on me. Lots of fun always!

 

[Aunt Marg]

Thank you for your input...and as for dirty hands, my late Mom, etc would be appalled at mine along with my long apparel and boots, etc to better touch, cuddle and feed critters here...as they were city people. One of the sheep two days ago simply chased me to my door as knew I had dried apple bits in my pockets. He's an old dude with only one horn but can still move fast...but I wasn't duly concerned as our Pyrenees-Swiss mountain dog keeps a close watch on me. Lots of fun always!

LOL! I used to have really long fingernails, so wore protective gloves most of the time when I was working in soil, but with each passing year, I moved to wear less-and-less long fingernails, and while today my nails are still longish, I don't have to fuss nearly as much with cleaning under them after a day of gardening, and I seldom wear gloves anymore.

Pruning, shearing, weeding, I like a good pair of gloves, but otherwise I enjoy the feel of the cool dirt on my hands.

Farm-life has always run deep in my blood. Would have loved nothing more than to have a hobby-farm back in the day when I was younger.

 

[Ruby Rose]

LOL! I used to have really long fingernails, so wore protective gloves most of the time when I was working in soil, but with each passing year, I moved to wear less-and-less long fingernails, and while today my nails are still longish, I don't have to fuss nearly as much with cleaning under them after a day of gardening, and I seldom wear gloves anymore.

Pruning, shearing, weeding, I like a good pair of gloves, but otherwise I enjoy the feel of the cool dirt on my hands.

Farm-life has always run deep in my blood. Would have loved nothing more than to have a hobby-farm back in the day when I was younger.

Thank you for your reply...alas my arthritic hands cannot tolerate regular protective gloves...thus dirty hands...I don a pair of loose work gloves when feeding the horses (the Clydesdale is huge!) treats as always fearful they could take my whole hand. It is cool, though, as they rest their chin on my hand. I use bare hands for the sheep and goats, though. All in all, I do try to grow things...actually, I haven't lost a tree yet so that is something. As for my tomatoes and strawberries, I no sooner admire them and get ready to pick and in spite of blockage for them, they disappear in a blink of an eye. But, come Spring...of course I will try again and possibly elevate them higher and higher...haha. I simply have to...have spent too many years writing and reading and taking care of people. Can I share my present weather with you? At 7 AM this morning it registered -24 plus wind so another rather cold day and actually 'tis time for me to don my multi layers and dash out a spell. Hope you have a good day!

 

[Aunt Marg]

Thank you for your reply...alas my arthritic hands cannot tolerate regular protective gloves...thus dirty hands...I don a pair of loose work gloves when feeding the horses (the Clydesdale is huge!) treats as always fearful they could take my whole hand. It is cool, though, as they rest their chin on my hand. I use bare hands for the sheep and goats, though. All in all, I do try to grow things...actually, I haven't lost a tree yet so that is something. As for my tomatoes and strawberries, I no sooner admire them and get ready to pick and in spite of blockage for them, they disappear in a blink of an eye. But, come Spring...of course I will try again and possibly elevate them higher and higher...haha. I simply have to...have spent too many years writing and reading and taking care of people. Can I share my present weather with you? At 7 AM this morning it registered -24 plus wind so another rather cold day and actually 'tis time for me to don my multi layers and dash out a spell. Hope you have a good day!

I am sorry to hear of your arthritis, Ruby.

How enjoyable is that being able to feed livestock by-hand.

That's a shame about your tomatoes and strawberries. Definitely try to box them in better so as to preserve some of the goodness for yourself.

Your temps this morning are bone-chilling. Chilly here, too, today, hovering around -12°C, which for us is balmy by all accounts, so I'll take it.

Wishing you a lovely day, and as always, so great chatting!