"Vox Humana" wrote in message
. ..

"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message
...
The message
from Ann contains these words:

I can cut down any tree I want on my property. As I should be able
to. You go ahead and live in your controlling environment, I promise
I won't move next door to you. And thankfully most of New England
feels as I do.

I suppose that depends whether you view yourself as the sole owner
the land you bought, or just the latest in a long line, the current
custodian who will one day hand it on to another by death or sale or
inheritance.

What if the tree is many hundreds of years old, or a "champion" of its
species, or an extreme rarity, or a special landmark of the
neighbourhood? Does someone who pays a mortgage on the tree's patch of
soil for a few years, acquire an inalienable right to remove something
very rare or special?

Stop it. You're being too logical.



And there ARE weed trees......... 30 or 40 years ago someone planted a
living wind-break // snow fence on the property line between our current
property and our current neighbor. A row of alternating Poplar and White
Pine. The Poplar are now in their senesence and already this year we have
felled 4 ( for stove-wood) and a 5th has fallen on its own. The White Pines
need the space we provide by taking the ailing /dying Poplar.

Our neighbors and I agree that we LIKE the row of White Pines, we are
comfortable with and appreciate the "look" it gives to our contiguous
property. WE ALSO agree that the Poplars need to be felled before they
fall. They fall on OUR side of the line, WE slice and dice and WE keep the
stove wood for our efforts. The neighbors do not use firewood. Works FOR
US BOTH

I think there are 8 more Poplar that will be stove-wood in the next year or
2.

Another of our property lines abuts the Town Maintained Road. On this line
we have 3 massive Sugar Maple, some significant Red Pine, and 5 mature
clumps of White Birch.

Well, those White Birch are darn pretty trunks and folks always tell us
how lovely they are, but looking up into their canopy tells the tale that
those White Birch will be on the ground in a year or 3 also. As they
overhang the Town Road, the Town may decide to take them before they create
a hazard, and we would be out the heating fuel from the stove wood. OF
COURSE we will take them before the town road crew gets them. Town road
crew won't be getting OUR firewood. There is heating fuel in those trees!

The Sugar Maple and the Red Pine are Keepers, their size is testimony to
their age and their age is testimony to both husbandship of this property,
and to the age of our house ( circa 1814).

The blessing in our Small Woodlot Management is that there is replacement
and regeneration, naturally, over time. Already there are more White Birch,
Red Pine, Sugar Maple as well as Oak and White Pine in the understory
needing sun and open space to prosper and reach maturity.

Oaks?? Where did our little OAKs come from??? Oh Years ago, there were
2 HUGE Oak ( I never saw them standing, but can still find the remains of
stumps) and generations of squirrel did their best to help save their food
supply.

We do routinely harvest mature woodcrop here on a tiny 2 acre parcel.
Please note that we are harvesting only WEED TREES with a naturally short
lifespan, and MATURE/DYING/HAZARD trees, while creating space for the
natural renewal of resources.

WE may not see the harvest of the new crop in OUR lifetime, but the next
owners of this property will, by nature and nurture, recieve their benefits
in beauty and bounty.

Trees wear big shoes... They cast shadows to cool, they divert wind to
save your heat bill. They divert water by their roots, and divert snow by
their branches and girth.

Their height and breadth can squash property, but the wood from those
trees harvested at the right time can help heat your house and create
dancing firelight on your hearth.

Sue
Western Maine

Never underestimate a Tree, it has all matter of value as your friend, but
can be your certain enemy in an ill wind. Think of your trees as you think
of your neighbors, both in life and death.