Greetings, subscribers. As promised, here’s the second post about Earth Care by my friend, the naturalist and author, Peg Sias Lantz. Let’s learn a little something about trees …
Trees: What do they do?
Most people agree that a tree in your yard can offer many things – beauty, shade, flowers, fruit or nuts, a place to hang a swing or build a tree house. A mature tree of an appropriate Florida species can add many thousands of dollars to the sale value of your house.
But trees are of incredible value to Mother Earth. Besides providing a place for birds to build their nests and provide them with insects for their nestlings, trees absorb carbon dioxide (which is a primary cause of climate change) and give off oxygen (which we absorb with every breath we take).
Trees’ leaves trap polluting particulate matter – ash, pollen, odors. They even break up and deflect traffic sounds. They recycle water, transpiring it through their leaves and creating a humidity-controlled environment beneath – a ten-degree difference from out in the sun. Trees slow the fall of heavy rains, preventing rapid run-off and soil erosion, serving plants and refilling the aquifer instead of sewers.
What about dead trees?
Even dead trees have great value to Mother Earth.
A snag is a standing dead tree, where woodpeckers find beetles and ants under the bark and peck nest cavities. When the woodpeckers have finished raising their young, other creatures use them, including (but not limited to) Screech Owls and flying squirrels, raccoons and opossums, bats and squirrels.
Tall snags provide a lookout for hawks, owls, and ospreys seeking a meal or a place to watch for interlopers or for Mockingbirds and Brown Thrashers to sing. Ospreys use tall snags (and power poles) for nesting sites.
When a dead tree falls, the log provides a whole new habitat for mosses, fungi, worms, and insects. And as the wood decays, it becomes a nursery for seeds to sprout and make a new tree.
Some wildlife observers say over a thousand wildlife species use dead trees.
If you have a dying tree near your house, instead of cutting it down and grinding the stump, cut off the branches and take off the top, leaving a 15-foot snag for wildlife of all kinds. I have a snag on my property that’s providing housing for a nest of pileated woodpeckers.
—END—
In case you missed it
To read the first post about Caring for Mother Nature, click here.
Next time: Peg writes about unique pine trees.
Thanks for reading!
Your writer on the wing,
Charlene
Rob Ruff
Hi Charlene,
I did a story at ABC News years ago about the importance of trees to people. The devastating hurricane that destroyed hundreds of the oldest trees in Charleston in 1989 saddened residents so deeply that many felt that an important piece of their lives had been uprooted. Their sense of place in the world had gone missing.
-Rob
Charlene Edge
Hi Rob,
Thank you for telling us about your story that shows just how vital trees are to our existence. Is the story online anywhere that we can access it?
After Hurricane Charlie came through our town in 2004, many trees were knocked down. After the city “cleared them from roadways” leaving piles of branches and chopped up trunks all over the roadsides, I remember driving home from work and as I passed by the wreckage and lopped off trees that used to shade our town, I broke down in tears. Every day for weeks.
Rob Ruff
That’s a tough one! Before the internet these stories all but disappeared after they aired. I do know that the Vanderbilt University Television Archives claims to have saved all network broadcasts dating back to the 1970s. You might check out their web site. You would enjoy the story. It aired on ABC Evening News Sunday, Oct 29, 1995. Kevin Newman was the reporter. How’s that for memory!
Charlene Edge
I’ve never doubted your memory for a second!
Thnaks, Rob. I’ll check those archives.
Charlene Edge
I did a search at that website, but the story didn’t come up. Oh well …
Peggy+Lantz
Thank you, Charlene.
Charlene Edge
My pleasure, Peg.
Candy Dawson
Oh my goodness. I have just perused Peggy’s website and highly recommend others do the same. What a “jack of all trades” as she describes herself—definitely read the portion About Me. What a tribute to living a life of curiosity and just doing the right things for the right reasons. Thank you Charlene for introducing us!
Charlene Edge
It’s my pleasure to share Peg’s valuable and inspiring knowledge here.
Kathleen Brandt
Thanks for this lovely reminder of the importance of something we see all the time and don’t appreciate enough!
Charlene Edge
Agreed – don’t want to take trees for granted. I might go out back and hug one right now!
Steve Muratore
As a desert dweller, with two huge trees providing shade for my house, I can tell you I love trees. ?❤️?
Charlene
I’ll bet!
Deserts are places I’ve visited, but not lived in. Well, maybe Bakersfield, CA sorta counts. I remember tumble weed rolling past our windows during the Great Bakersfield Dust Storm of 1977. Palm trees were ripped out of the ground as I watched. Poor trees…