Trees are the lungs of the world; literally they are connected with our lungs. Trees are also inter-connected with each other and with the general landscape. The removal of a tree influences the entire canopy – thus changing the balance of your yard.
The right balance in your yard and in your neighborhood is generally a question of maintaining the canopy.
Voluntarily removing a tree to improve the curb appeal, because it’s messy or to install a deck or gazebo, requires the planting of a new one somewhere within the same city or metro area. This is a guideline that isn’t well known and not always followed.
It doesn’t have to be in your yard. There are funds to contribute to that help plant trees somewhere else.
The idea is that there should be a new tree planted within your general area to maintain the overall heating and cooling benefits of the canopy in your area. This one to one ratio has been developed for urban areas to preserve the current canopy. And removing a mature tree such as a majestic maple or oak provides much more ecological benefit than the newly planted tree that replaces it.
But this article is more a call to respect the underlying living-ness of your trees. Let’s remember and respect these are living things we’re dealing with! Believe me in the rush of doing work, we forget this.
As a rule arborists, don’t like removing a tree for reasons other than the tree is dying or in decline. In that case, it’s the right time and will give you a chance to plant a new tree and start the long growth cycle anew. We forget that removing a tree is removing a living thing and that a certain amount of respect should be paid to all living things. After all trees provide a product that is important to the human race, namely oxygen.
A group of arborists were even conjecturing a crypto-currency, like bitcoin, whose value is backed by the value of every living tree on Earth! By the way no one can agree on that number; how many trees there are on earth. But that coin would be backed by the most valuable thing we have….oxygen. Interesting to thing about
Mature trees do far and and away the most work in controlling erosion, filtering watering, taming wind and shading buildings from the hot, summer sun. Here is a chart displaying the itemized benefits of a 30 inch in diameter silver maple.
Source National Tree Benefit Calculator
The largest benefit, (in green) is the increase of property value ($140.43) but the tree also help reduce electricity ($30.78) and air quality ($6.98).
You can try calculating your trees own value here. All you need to know is the diameter which you can guestimate or measure the circumference of the trunk at about your chest and divide it by three.
There is a trend towards more naturalistic design in landscape designs with property managers foregoing symmetrical flower beds and shrub installations for designs which respect the unique contours of the land and provide employees and other users with something more connected to native forests and grasslands.
What’s cool about this trend is I think an underlying respect for the living nature of a landscape and I think bodes well for the ecology. Let’s treat these living things which produce the most valuable product in the world!
