Urban Logging

All around my walk this morning there was the sound of change in the urban landscape of Merced.

The tree companies were out in force. Several homes were going through pine tree eradication. People plant pine trees in this valley. This time of the year they begin to pollenate and drop tons of ginger colored pollen in the air.

I talked to one of the people that were cutting down the pines. He said that people plant a pine and then baby it to death. The pine is used to seeking its own water source, but people keep watering them as part of their lawn landscape and they out grow rather quickly their space.  I was marveling at the rings that the fallen tree had produced from its cross cut logs. They were well spaced out and looked way too healthy. This tree person said that he preferred that people plant redwoods if they needed a big tree. They do not have branch structures that require training as they grow older.

I asked him if he took out palm trees. He immediately gave me the crossed finger sign... denoting stay away from me.  He said the main issue is that people have to climb them to get them cut down. He said that he had done that for 22 years and that he felt that he had put in his time. I told him that I had a 20 foot Mexican fan palm that needed obliteration. He gave me his card and said that he thought that he could do that. He went on to tell me that there are places in the tropics that they are planting these just for the heart of palm vegetable and that if I were around when he took out mine, he would harvest my "heart" of palm for me. 

After I left I pulled up the card and noticed that it was the father of one of my daughters friends in Jr. High, Vanessa.

In other parts of the walk some of the big trees around the apartment complex looked like they were headed for transition.  A big storm is headed our way this afternoon and tonight.  I do not think that the cedars and the redwoods that they were cutting down were going to be a factor in this storm, nonetheless the logging was taking place on trees that have had too much water over the years and were vulnerable. The city arborist was in close consultation with the tree service owner over that project. After all, we are a national tree city.   : ) Pat