Doug has always been somewhat horrified at people who had healthy mature trees removed from their yards. Noting that these treeless homeowners were usually elderly, Doug found himself wondering what it was about old people that they didn't like trees. Well, guess what. Today, we had two trees removed from our own yard. I guess we're officially old.
The trees were silver maples. They have a very shallow root system that sends the roots along the surface of the ground, which is hard on lawn mowers. And the little helicopter-like seeds that they produce in the spring are almost worse than the leaves in the fall. Even the gutter guards that we had installed a few years ago are ineffective against those seeds.
So the decision was made to put them out of our misery.
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| Before |
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| Events like this inspire male bonding among the neighbors. |
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| One neighbor wanted the wood and came prepared with the necessary equipment. |
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| After |
The deed is done. It looks pretty bare out there right now, but we do have plans to put something else in that spot to fill the gap. It just won't have helicopter seeds and surface roots.
What a difference! But I can sympathize with you not wanting all the "stuff" they produced. And if their root systems were shallow, didn't that make them a danger if a storm came through that might uproot them and "replant" them on your house?
ReplyDeletebtw, I don't think you guys are old, but then what do I know. :)
Sandra-Yes, the silver maples wouldn't have the fortitude to withstand a serious storm. People plant them because they are fast growers. But fast-growing trees do have some disadvantages.
ReplyDeleteThanks for not thinking that we're old; but, more and more, we find ourselves doing things that we've always associated with old people. :-)
Ouch.. I understand the reason.. but ouch! I had to remove a beautiful plum tree earlier this month. And when I say "I," I really mean my sons did it. It was diseased and apparently contagious, so down in came. It hurt because we planted it when my older son was born - and he was the one who cut it down. Ouch!
ReplyDeleteHilary-We do love trees and all things nature, so it was a tough decision to cut down these two trees. We're thinking about putting a white birch in between where those two trees stood. I can't imagine how difficult it was for your family to lose that special plum tree.
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