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A windy day began our instruction in how to live with big trees. We lost several large branches from our oldest Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata). They fell on our parking strip, just missing the power lines! The big bang that rang out as they came down, signaled need for a long overdue indoctrination on the care and preservation of big trees.
For many weeks after the Inaugural Day storm of 1993, the discordant din of chain saws cried out in communities around Puget Sound. Because they are old, diseased or weak, some great trees do fall. Though trees fall infrequently, they can cause costly, even tragic results. Much of the hasty slaughter comes from fear and ignorance expressed by property owners and neighbors. "Next time we get a big blow that tree could fall!"
Tree services sent workers walking our neighborhoods after the initial cleanup of that big storm was over. "Better let us take that tree down. It could fall on the house next door." We resisted. We love the venerable old cedars on our small, suburban lot. They're our view; they make our property special. We decided to consult an arborist instead and to start learning about hazardous trees.
Are they healthy? Our expert began his checkup to answer this fundamental question. Carefully taken bore samples from the huge trunks of several of our trees confirmed that only the cedar whose branches were lost showed signs of decay. Our arborist conceded that the one with decay would have to come down. "Those trees should never have been topped. We don't do that anymore," commented our arborist, sadly. Some thirty or more years ago our cedars had been topped.
Topping often causes a bunch of branches to grow straight up from the cut, trying to reestablish a top on the tree. These are more weakly attached than normal branches and more likely to fall. Sometimes excessive growth can cause the tree to split. Also the topping cut wound is usually too large for the tree to successfully wall off and many times rot is able to travel down an otherwise healthy trunk.
We learned that large trees with heavy foliage can be thinned, so the wind can blow through them. Winds encounter much resistance from a thickly foliaged tree. Proper pruning reduces the chance that a tree will come down. The arborist added that they could run cables, if needed, for added safety.
Our trees were then professionally pruned. This is decidedly not a do-it-yourself operation. It is dangerous work requiring trained arborists using specialized equipment to scale and thin a tree that may rise over 60 feet from the ground. Only one of our trees required securing with cables.
From the late, great cedar, we gained many cubic yards of mulch and large, attractive "stepping stones" sliced from its massive trunk. We stopped counting the rings at one hundred.
"Big trees make too much shade. You can't grow anything else!" is a common complaint. We have learned to plant shade-loving shrubs and flowers, many of which are native to the Northwest. They live companionably with these relics of the forest. Thinning the branches let the sunshine through and our lawn took heart and prospered. Our yard has become a beauty and a joy.
We continue to have an arborist come on occasion to help prune and care for our trees. Four great red cedars remain and thrive. They work for us, cleaning the air, blessing us with their dappled shade, and providing shelter for birds and woodland animals. These survivors of our aged forests have lived through the trauma of unintentional damage caused by construction as well as years of our negligent custody. They have adapted and remain to soothe our souls and inspire our spirits.
We suffer when we hear again the jarring sound of chain saws. Did those trees really need to be taken down, we wonder? The death dealers of big trees are active after a windstorm or after one of our heavy wet snows. Entrepreneurial tree harvesters practice "suburban forestry". Lumber trucks are quite common sights in the suburbs and rural areas of the Northwest. In a very short time, ancient forest monarchs are hauled away, leaving someone a few dollars richer and the rest of us poorer.
Living with big trees takes a little understanding, respect and husbandry. Let them stand, care for them, and reap the rewards of their magnificence.
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