OUT ON A LIMB BLOG:
OUT ON A LIMB
‘I wish I could see, a billboard lovely as a tree’
By: Roger Davis, Landscape Architect
Davis Design Group, Augusta, Georgia
Ogden Nash, the American poet wrote: ‘I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I shall never see a tree at all.’ This article is not about the devaluation of billboards, but rather about the value of trees and their intentional disappearance.
The billboard lobby saw it differently: The Georgia Department of Transportation approved the following:
‘After July 1, 2011, however no beautification project in this state shall include the planting of trees in the right of way within 500 feet of an outdoor advertising sign such that the visibility of a permitted outdoor advertising sign is obscured or could later be obscured by the growth of such vegetation.
When I was about eight years old, I brought Loblolly Pine seedlings home from school which were given out by the U. S. Forest Service. My Dad and I planted them and at the time I thought that was a lot of work. It was something we did together like playing catch in the back yard. That was sixty years ago, my Dad is gone now but the trees are still there. Every time I go back to my old home place I see those trees and remember fondly that time and what we did together.
You can cut down in a few minutes what it took decades to grow and then plant grass in a day. I see many new subdivisions where the first thing they do is to remove all of the trees without trying to save even one. They say it’s cheaper to plant new trees than to work around a saved tree. Research has shown that “mature trees in the front yard add up to 5 percent to what buyers are willing to pay for a home. Good tree cover in the neighborhood added 6 to 9 percent. On a $300,000 house, that’s $18,000 to $21,000.” Other research shows “that when business districts are lined with trees, consumers give them amenity and comfort ratings 80 percent higher. Why? “Trees are an indication of caring.”
Carefully placed trees can save up to 25% of a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling. That could be between $100 and $250 a year. Trees can reduce the surrounding air temperature as much as 9 degrees. Air temperature directly under trees can be as much as 25 degrees cooler than air temperatures above nearby asphalt. Plant deciduous trees, which will shed their leaves during the winter, that will provide shade and block the heat during hotter months. By dropping their leaves in the fall they admit sunlight in the colder months providing warmth. Plant shade trees on the south and west sides of buildings. Shade all hard surface areas such as driveways, patios and walks to minimize the heat islands.
Windbreaks achieved by the planting of evergreens, full to the ground, on the north and west sides of houses cut fuel consumption by an average of 40%.
Plant the right tree in the right location. Bradford pears have been way over planted and in 20-25 years we are finding that they are splitting and falling over. That’s a 20 year investment down the drain. For us, the life span of cherries and Crabapples is about 12 to 15 years before they start to decline and die. If that doesn’t bother you, go ahead and plant, as they will offer a decade or so of enjoyment before you will have to replace them. In our area, many of the red maple cultivars, over time have started to fall apart. I suppose it’s because of our heat and not a long enough cold season. The Zelkovas that have been planted in parking lots and along our streets, maybe for the same reason, are beginning to decline and die and it’s taken us about 20 years to see this happen. Plant cultivars of Ginkgos to be sure you are only planting males. The fruit from a female Ginkgo smells so bad you wonder what you stepped in. It may take 20 years or more for the tree to fruit and for you to find you make an odoriferous mistake. Plant trees that are going to hold up over time. I’ve learned if you don’t see a mature plant in our area, chances are there’s a reason. Maybe it’s that it just doesn’t grow well here.
Do you want to leave behind a legacy after you are gone? Plant trees! It is truly most gratifying to see a mature tree that you planted many years before. You will be making an investment that will stand long after you have departed. You may not live to see it mature but someone else will. It may be your son or daughter.
‘I wish I could see, a billboard lovely as a tree’
By: Roger Davis, Landscape Architect
Davis Design Group, Augusta, Georgia
Ogden Nash, the American poet wrote: ‘I think that I shall never see a billboard lovely as a tree. Perhaps, unless the billboards fall, I shall never see a tree at all.’ This article is not about the devaluation of billboards, but rather about the value of trees and their intentional disappearance.
The billboard lobby saw it differently: The Georgia Department of Transportation approved the following:
‘After July 1, 2011, however no beautification project in this state shall include the planting of trees in the right of way within 500 feet of an outdoor advertising sign such that the visibility of a permitted outdoor advertising sign is obscured or could later be obscured by the growth of such vegetation.
When I was about eight years old, I brought Loblolly Pine seedlings home from school which were given out by the U. S. Forest Service. My Dad and I planted them and at the time I thought that was a lot of work. It was something we did together like playing catch in the back yard. That was sixty years ago, my Dad is gone now but the trees are still there. Every time I go back to my old home place I see those trees and remember fondly that time and what we did together.
You can cut down in a few minutes what it took decades to grow and then plant grass in a day. I see many new subdivisions where the first thing they do is to remove all of the trees without trying to save even one. They say it’s cheaper to plant new trees than to work around a saved tree. Research has shown that “mature trees in the front yard add up to 5 percent to what buyers are willing to pay for a home. Good tree cover in the neighborhood added 6 to 9 percent. On a $300,000 house, that’s $18,000 to $21,000.” Other research shows “that when business districts are lined with trees, consumers give them amenity and comfort ratings 80 percent higher. Why? “Trees are an indication of caring.”
Carefully placed trees can save up to 25% of a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling. That could be between $100 and $250 a year. Trees can reduce the surrounding air temperature as much as 9 degrees. Air temperature directly under trees can be as much as 25 degrees cooler than air temperatures above nearby asphalt. Plant deciduous trees, which will shed their leaves during the winter, that will provide shade and block the heat during hotter months. By dropping their leaves in the fall they admit sunlight in the colder months providing warmth. Plant shade trees on the south and west sides of buildings. Shade all hard surface areas such as driveways, patios and walks to minimize the heat islands.
Windbreaks achieved by the planting of evergreens, full to the ground, on the north and west sides of houses cut fuel consumption by an average of 40%.
Plant the right tree in the right location. Bradford pears have been way over planted and in 20-25 years we are finding that they are splitting and falling over. That’s a 20 year investment down the drain. For us, the life span of cherries and Crabapples is about 12 to 15 years before they start to decline and die. If that doesn’t bother you, go ahead and plant, as they will offer a decade or so of enjoyment before you will have to replace them. In our area, many of the red maple cultivars, over time have started to fall apart. I suppose it’s because of our heat and not a long enough cold season. The Zelkovas that have been planted in parking lots and along our streets, maybe for the same reason, are beginning to decline and die and it’s taken us about 20 years to see this happen. Plant cultivars of Ginkgos to be sure you are only planting males. The fruit from a female Ginkgo smells so bad you wonder what you stepped in. It may take 20 years or more for the tree to fruit and for you to find you make an odoriferous mistake. Plant trees that are going to hold up over time. I’ve learned if you don’t see a mature plant in our area, chances are there’s a reason. Maybe it’s that it just doesn’t grow well here.
Do you want to leave behind a legacy after you are gone? Plant trees! It is truly most gratifying to see a mature tree that you planted many years before. You will be making an investment that will stand long after you have departed. You may not live to see it mature but someone else will. It may be your son or daughter.
