The Saddest Sound...

 

One of the saddest sounds that I know is the sound of a tree service crew taking down a majestic tree specimen, presumably so that the homeowners can have more grass. We seem to have a spate of this happening in my neighborhood lately. The neighborhood is in an age transition, with older couples moving out and younger families moving in. And it seems the first thing they want to do is take down trees. As I walk every day in the neighborhood, I'm pretty sure that very few of these trees were diseased or in danger of falling. Those are two reasons where I believe taking down a tree is reasonable.

From an economic perspective, taking down a large specimen tree does not make sense. These large trees can increase the resale value of the house, as they turn an ugly box house into something far more attractive. Large trees provide shade and can make your house cooler, reducing cooling costs. They can also cool off your yard. Think about it, when you go to a park and want to sit in the grass, where do you sit? In the summer, it's in the shade. (This was recently illustrated to me. I've been weeding and edging native trees we planted in our back yard. These tree were small, 2 year trees when we planted them in 2019, now some are 8-10 feet tall.  As I was weeding, I noticed that I was keeping to the much cooler, if currently limited, shade cast by them). 

But far more important is the ecological value of these trees. Trees are key to mitigating the effects of climate change. Native trees, especially, host hundreds of creatures, and many native creatures depend on them. Here's an example. A native oak tree hosts many different kinds of caterpillars. While that might not sound exciting, caterpillars are the only food that 80 to 85% of native birds can use to feed their young. Birds do not feed their young seeds or other insects, because they are low in fat and protein. If you love native birds, and want to keep seeing them for the years to come, keep and plant native trees.

By the way, you know the phrase "fall is for planting?" That is very true especially in Virginia. Fall is the time to plant trees. So why don't you consider planting one this fall?  The Virginia Native Plant Society has free PDF regional native plant guides, that give ideas about all sorts of native plants including trees!  Go to: https://vnps.org/virginia-native-plant-guides/