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Re: TH: Advice Please
Post-To: Tree-House@Majordomo.Flora.Com (Community Forestry) ----------
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At 11:18 PM 5/16/97 -0400, you wrote:
> Post-To: Tree-House@Majordomo.Flora.Com (Community Forestry) ----------
> -------
>Thanks to everyone who sent advice on the NTT trees. I love this Tree-House
>group!
>
>
Dear Judy;
Believe me, I'm not info smooth. A lot of this computer stuff goes right
over my head. But I love this group too!
Notice how we're growing? Hope I can keep up with the postings!
Note to anyone interested in use of seedlings as "starting point" trees:
Please consider preserving the local gene pool by using local native trees
as a seed(ling) source. This may not be practical or appropriate in highly
urbanized, high traffic environments which realistically bear little
comparison to native environmental conditions. However, when we are
considering tree planting in parks, residentials yards, buffers and other
more "natural" environs, I think local trees deserve attention as a source
of new generation trees.
We need to remember that trees are quite capable of reproducing themselves
without our planting them, if given a chance. Indeed, removing seedling
trees is a constant task in my urban garden. I am amazed how quickly oaks
and tulip trees reach several feet in height when my weeding falls behind.
As a municipal horticulturist, I get a lot of questions from homeowners
interested in planting trees in their yards. I ask them do they have
seedling coming up in places they would like trees and they say "yes, but
aren't those weed trees?" or "yes, but I want a big tree, a real tree, a
pretty tree, etc." sigh!
Time and time again I have compared self sowed native seedlings growth with
that of same species trees we have planted, say the typical 2-3" caliper
size. The self sowed tree generally passes the planted tree in size by the
fourth to fifth year and then continues to outgrow the still reestablishing
transplant. Certain species, like dogwood and redbud, establish easily and
grow quickly from direct sowed seed, yet pout for years if transplanted at a
larger size.
Our compulsion to plant trees sometimes blinds us to a more general
appeciation of trees and forests. From my experience, an Arbor Day ceremony
HAS to focus on a tree planting before the public will accept that Arbor Day
has been observed. Why can't we have an Arbor Day that focused on tree
pruning or tree identification, etc.? Why can't we celebrate the natural
regeneration of trees as much as we do the planting of them? There is a
social psychology going on here that we need to get a handle on in order to
make progress in urban forest stewardship. (Funny, but this also relates to
the questions being raised by the recent postings on pesticide use, man made
order versus natural.)
Shaub Dunkley
2608 University Dr.
Durham NC 27707
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