[IBC] Offtopic: Killing an Oak Tree (A Gratuitous Death)

[David J. Bockman]

http://www.counterpunch.org/jackson01252003.html

The author articulates perfectly my *own* feelings when seeing the
destruction of the forests around my home to make way for yet another 400+
townhouse gated community, each with its own postage stamp of turf and
sickly malus.

David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
Bunabayashi Bonsai On The World Wide Web: http://www.bunabayashi.com
email:

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[Jim Lewis]

> http://www.counterpunch.org/jackson01252003.html
>
> The author articulates perfectly my *own* feelings when seeing
the
> destruction of the forests around my home to make way for yet
another 400+
> townhouse gated community, each with its own postage stamp of
turf and
> sickly malus.

Yet ANOTHER argument for birth control.

BUT, keep an eye on the building permits list and get there ahead
of the bulldozers.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - "People,
when Columbus discovered this country, it was plum full of nuts
and berries. And I'm right here to tell you the berries are just
about all gone." -- Uncle Dave Macon, old-time musician

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[David J. Bockman]

The most recent clearcutting is a little less than a mile from my home, a
gorgeous tract of rolling wooded hills about 40 acres or so in size. These
were woods I played endlessly in as a child. White and red oak, turkey oak,
chestnut oak, the odd black walnut, native persimmon, and hickory.... beech,
our native hornbeam, native rhodos and hollies were everywhere. Sitting on
this parcel is a magnificent (although now decrepit) mansion built at the
turn of the 20th century. I knew the owners at one point, the mother of one
of my friends worked as an ASPCA investigator breaking up illegal
dogfighting rings with her extremely timid-but-fierce-looking pitbull Sally.
The home has wide, wide yellow pine flooring, gorgeous black walnut trim
throughout.... just a wonderful old home. It's slowly being demolished as
well.

Perhaps most egregious of all, just at the edge of the property line sits
(now sat) a huge old red oak, 300+ years old, approximately 8 feet in
diameter at eye level.... they cut that down a week ago.

It will all be raw, terraformed clay in another week, ready for
construction.

David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
Bunabayashi Bonsai On The World Wide Web: http://www.bunabayashi.com
email:


-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club ]On Behalf
Of Jim Lewis
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 8:22 AM
To:
Subject: Re: [IBC] Offtopic: Killing an Oak Tree (A Gratuitous Death)


> http://www.counterpunch.org/jackson01252003.html
>
> The author articulates perfectly my *own* feelings when seeing
the
> destruction of the forests around my home to make way for yet
another 400+
> townhouse gated community, each with its own postage stamp of
turf and
> sickly malus.

Yet ANOTHER argument for birth control.

BUT, keep an eye on the building permits list and get there ahead
of the bulldozers.

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Jerry Meislik++++
************************************************** ******************************
>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

[Bart Thomas]

Gee! If it falls on his neighbor, during the felling process, maybe the
neighbor will qualify for one of the Darwin Society awards.

Bart

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Lewis" >
To: >
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 8:21 AM
Subject: Re: [IBC] Offtopic: Killing an Oak Tree (A Gratuitous Death)


> > http://www.counterpunch.org/jackson01252003.html
> >
> > The author articulates perfectly my *own* feelings when seeing
> the
> > destruction of the forests around my home to make way for yet
> another 400+
> > townhouse gated community, each with its own postage stamp of
> turf and
> > sickly malus.
>
> Yet ANOTHER argument for birth control.
>
> BUT, keep an eye on the building permits list and get there ahead
> of the bulldozers.
>
> Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - "People,
> when Columbus discovered this country, it was plum full of nuts
> and berries. And I'm right here to tell you the berries are just
> about all gone." -- Uncle Dave Macon, old-time musician
>
>
************************************************** **************************
****
> ++++Sponsored, in part, by Jerry Meislik++++
>
************************************************** **************************
****
> >>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
> +++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Jerry Meislik++++
************************************************** ******************************
>>-->> The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ <<--<<
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

[Craig Cowing]

"David J. Bockman" wrote:

> The most recent clearcutting is a little less than a mile from my home, a
> gorgeous tract of rolling wooded hills about 40 acres or so in size.

<snip>

>
> Perhaps most egregious of all, just at the edge of the property line sits
> (now sat) a huge old red oak, 300+ years old, approximately 8 feet in
> diameter at eye level.... they cut that down a week ago.
>
> It will all be raw, terraformed clay in another week, ready for
> construction.
>
> David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
> Bunabayashi Bonsai On The World Wide Web: http://www.bunabayashi.com
> email:

Same thing going on where I live, David. Orange County is the fastest growing area
in NY State because of the proximity to NYC.

I have an elderly parishoner, a retired farmer, who has given me permission to
collect on his 180-acre farm that has been in his family for 250 years. He has
Parkinson's Disease, and knows he won't live forever. He said I may as well have
some of the trees, since he realizes that after he's gone the whole thing will
undoubtedly be developed. His beautiful farm is surounded by McMansions.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a

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[Jim Lewis]

> "David J. Bockman" wrote:
>
> > The most recent clearcutting is a little less than a mile
from my home, a
> > gorgeous tract of rolling wooded hills about 40 acres or so
in size.
>
> <snip>
>
> >
> > Perhaps most egregious of all, just at the edge of the
property line sits
> > (now sat) a huge old red oak, 300+ years old, approximately 8
feet in
> > diameter at eye level.... they cut that down a week ago.
> >
> > It will all be raw, terraformed clay in another week, ready
for
> > construction.


> Same thing going on where I live, David. Orange County is the
fastest growing area
> in NY State because of the proximity to NYC.
>
> I have an elderly parishoner, a retired farmer, who has given
me permission to
> collect on his 180-acre farm that has been in his family for
250 years. He has
> Parkinson's Disease, and knows he won't live forever. He said
I may as well have
> some of the trees, since he realizes that after he's gone the
whole thing will
> undoubtedly be developed. His beautiful farm is surounded by
McMansions.
>

Well, you guys could all move to Florida. We've never _heard_ of
development down here!

Of course we have NO native forest left that isn't either in the
hands of the state (thankfully) or groups like the Nature
Conservancy (thankfully also, but they then sell it to the state
at exhorbitant prices).

Of course, we do have gazillions of square miles of second-growth
forests that are still healthy (if scrubby) and gazillions
squared square miles of planted pines which are, in effect,
ecological deserts.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - "Pssst!
Wanna buy some swampland? Cheap!"

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[Chris Cochrane]

Please, David, don't equate clear-cutting a forest with downing a single oak
tree as noted in the article you posted:
> http://www.counterpunch.org/jackson01252003.html

The ignorant author apparently isn't aware it is not the unhealthy hollow
oaks that are the greatest threat to falling and causing damage. It is the
top-flush large trees that catch wind and and are literally thrown over
because of their short roots. I had seven dropped by the wind in the back
yard of my home one afternoon-- all huge! My mother lost 2 bedrooms to a
fallen oak in what was called a "shearing wind shift." The incidents were 2
years apart, though those oaks were each over 40 years old.

I call it "chink... chink... chink"... the sound of dollars escaping nearly
as fast as an Enron moment. Unless the tree hits your home, homeowners'
insurance could care less. If it hits your home, you are lucky if not
standing under the piercing limbs.

Trees can be deadly missles, too... :-(. Heavily flush oak tree limbs
should be trimmed in the landscape. I would smile on my neighbors who cut
'em down or substantially trim them.

The lawn tree can be too wild!

Best wishes,
Chris... C. Cochrane, , Richmond VA USA

> The author articulates perfectly my *own* feelings when seeing the
> destruction of the forests around my home to make way for yet another 400+
> townhouse gated community, each with its own postage stamp of turf and
> sickly malus.
>
> David J. Bockman...

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************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

[Jim Lewis]

>
> The ignorant author apparently isn't aware it is not the
unhealthy hollow
> oaks that are the greatest threat to falling and causing
damage. It is the
> top-flush large trees that catch wind and and are literally
thrown over
> because of their short roots.

And the fact that they are top-heavy. These kinds of trees are
common in "wooded" lots around the USA. These lots USED to be
forest, so the trees are tall and slim, with all the foliage at
the top -- where the light USED to be. When the forest is
cleared, leaving one or two "specimen: trees in the lot as
"amenities" you have a few large-boled, heavy-topped, "popsicle"
trees (NOT the shape you'd choose as a bonsai) that whip around
in a stiff wind, eventually loosening the roots (which were
relatively small because of all the competition with other -- now
rotted away -- roots in the former forest.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - "The
corporate state wastes the earth, dislocates minds, (and)
corrupts all areas of science" - Daniel Berrigan, SJ

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