TREE AMIGOS

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY THE SOMERS RECORD (04-21-22)- Please remember small business in your town during this coronavirus pandemic

 
     It seems easy to take trees for granted. If one falls in the forest and nobody hears it, it either didn't make a sound or fell right on top of the only guy who might have. Either way, you'll just have to take my word for it. Last Saturday we attended an informal chat about trees with Bob MacGregor, Manager of Operations at the Somers Land Trust, a group of members and volunteers dedicated to preserving open space in Somers and the surrounding areas. What's so great about open space, you ask? If Melén loves space so much let him just book a flight with Jeff Bezos and see all the space he wants. Well, for one thing, over-developing to build condos and strip malls will suck the character out of a town in the time it takes to pave it over, and you'll still never find a respectable parking slot. For another thing, I'm definitely going to throw up the minute that damn rocket leaves the ground, and everyone in it is going to be angry at YOU for suggesting the idea.

     I always assumed that trees just go about their daily lives and photosynthesize for a little while, throw shade at people, take a short nap and generally have a nice day. But it's not as simple as that for trees. They can leave but they can't run away. We heard about some of the strife and stress that can cause the phone to light up at the branch office.

     Bob pointed out 25 former seedlings that were planted as part of a Girl Scout project years ago, and with a little care, all of the trees and some of the Girl Scouts have gotten much bigger since then. But trees have more enemies than you might think. A mesh of chicken wire was placed around the lower part of each trunk to protect it from deer, who brush against it with their antlers in order to attract the sort of mate who might find quirky habits attractive.

     Beavers are also a threat with their dam behavior. They can gnaw on three different types of trees, some to build their dams, some to build their lodges and others to store away bark under the lake bed as food during the winter, when beavers can't be choosers. There are other perilous pests like the ash borer, which bores the ash tree to death with pictures of its grandchildren.

     We have a tree with tent caterpillars in it, and I don't know what to do about it, other than let nature take its course. Eventually the tent caterpillars' wives are going to get fed up with the camping experience, just like mine did. Tent caterpillars, if you're out there and you don't have an electric refrigerator, and electric heater, an electric fan, a vacuum cleaner, cable television, wi-fi and a fully equipped kitchen in the tent you'll probably perish, one way or another.

     Invasive earthworms are another problem. They consume the organic matter in the top layers of soil, robbing it of nutrients that support the herbaceous life in the area. I had always been taught that earthworms were our friends, and now I was being told to un-friend them. Somewhat heartbroken, I asked Bob about this, and he said that only indigenous earthworms are good for the soil. Apparently the planet Earth is too broad a definition of indigenous.

     Destructive vines such as bittersweet will grow quickly to the trees canopy and smother it. Cut the vine in two places to prevent it from re-attaching itself to its own growth. And don't hang around for too long afterward, lest one lick its chops looking at YOUR canopy.

     Something as simple as wind can be a problem for trees that grow in shallow soil atop bedrock, as often happens here in the Northeast. With the onset of climate change has come severe storms accompanied by strong winds, sometimes gusting 50 miles-per-hour in a 35 mile-per-hour zone.

     Deciduous, cone-bearing, hardwood, softwood, they all provide erosion protection, carbon dioxide cleansing, shade and shelter. They are home and food to countless members of the animal kingdom. They create a beautiful vista for you to pose in front of for your vacation selfie. Growing up they were my personal jungle-gym. Some people can't see the forest for the trees. If you can't see the forest OR the trees, plant one yourself- Arbor Day is right around the corner. I'm going out right now to plant a beech tree. It'll be a good excuse to plant a beach to go with it.