Trees…the enemy

[iris lilies]

https://www.kmov.com/2023/07/01/woman-crushed-killed-by-falling-tree-while-sitting-parked-car/


yesterday, in St. Louis, a woman was killed in the city when she was innocently sitting in her parked car. A tree limb fell down in the storm, hit her car, and killed her.

this happened in the neighborhood very near to where I lived. This is in the city of St. Louis and no doubt there will be a big legal battle over who owned the tree and were they responsible. Likely the city will be responsible. It’s not the first time a city tree has fallen and killed someone. Many years ago in a park, a tree limb fell and killed a child.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---That is VERY unfortunate, Faux. At least she wasn't attak an robd by thugs. BTW, do you have pictures of the victim you can post? But yeah---maybe you could attend her visitation, and see if they did a good job on her restoration. Sending Prayers.
5575

[littlebittybobby]

Okay----Part B. In Zurra, trees are a BIG prollem. See---what happens is--the tree you WANT to grow, and lovingly care for---die after you've wasted years caring and nurturing them. But then---they have these Zurra treees you DON'T want, that are just giant weeds that grow to 40 feet tall inside of ten years. Yup. Lotta them have thorns on them; ALL of them are prone to just falling right on something valuable during a sudden weather event. See? Typical life cycle is 50 feet high in 15 years and dead, shortly thereafter. But yeah--ya gotta be merciless with Zurra Trees.

[catherine]

Is the Gulf of Mexico the enemy when it floods and kills hundreds of people? Or when lightening strikes and kills people? Maybe trees in the city are not being cared for properly. That's not the tree's fault. Tree-prejudice is like any other kind of bias. You attribute one negative thing, which harms only humans, to an entire race/kingdom. Trees are essential to life on the planet.

People are evil, too. (some)

[iris lilies]

Is the Gulf of Mexico the enemy when it floods and kills hundreds of people? Or when lightening strikes and kills people? Maybe trees in the city are not being cared for properly. That's not the tree's fault. Tree-prejudice is like any other kind of bias. You attribute one negative thing, which harms only humans, to an entire race/kingdom. Trees are essential to life on the planet.

People are evil, too. (some)

why yes, the Gulf of Mexico*IS*the enemy when it is acting up threatening humans.

On another thread we are talking about threats to our houses from mother nature and other occurrences. I would remind everyone to keep in mind trees surrounding your house are a threat. Sometimes they are a benign threat. Often they are not.

[catherine]

Nature is not the enemy. Nature is nature. Life is life and death is death. Trees are only the enemy if you see yourself as apart from nature, or above nature. Maybe civilization is the enemy.

[littlebittybobby]

Okay---I get it. We humans are encroaching on land that was meant for Trees---even Zurra Trees---an so--Yeah--We are the enemy. Yup. Nope. Ha. So, anyway---the solution is obviously human population control, in order to reduce our numbers. Then, trees can live.

[pinkytoe]

Gov Abbott of Texas is paralyzed from a tree falling on him years ago. I love trees but they have been the devil here - the wind has taken down four of ours now. Common sense would say that the high and dry prairie has never been a place of trees but yet we humans keep planting them here. Me included.

[bae]

Where I live, trees crush cars, garages, and houses on a regular basis.

Just a couple years ago I had a pair of huge fir trees come down in a big storm, just barely missing all my cars/trucks, and coming to rest just on the peak of my garage roof, which miraculously was undamaged.

[rosarugosa]

IL: I definitely thought of you when I saw that headline! Too bad Abbott's tree didn't take him out completely.

[happystuff]

Nature is not the enemy. Nature is nature. Life is life and death is death. Trees are only the enemy if you see yourself as apart from nature, or above nature. Maybe civilization is the enemy.

I agree. Humans try to change and manipulate nature/the environment instead of learning to live with and within it. I do believe and take some satisfaction in believing that - some how, some day, some way - nature WILL win out.

[iris lilies]

Yet another death-by-tree in the St. Louis Region.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/07/03/jennings-boy-killed-tree-falling-home-missouri-storms/70379194007/

[catherine]

Yet another death-by-tree in the St. Louis Region.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/07/03/jennings-boy-killed-tree-falling-home-missouri-storms/70379194007/

So I'll bet the poor tree is thinking those severe storms are the enemy. And what is a possible cause of all these severe storms? Climate change. And who is likely to blame for climate change? Human activity. So it all comes around to what I said earlier--people are the enemy. Don't blame the trees.

[iris lilies]

So I'll bet the poor tree is thinking those severe storms are the enemy. And what is a possible cause of all these severe storms? Climate change. And who is likely to blame for climate change? Human activity. So it all comes around to what I said earlier--people are the enemy. Don't blame the trees.

ABSOLUTELY the storm is The Enemy if you are a tree!

[littlebittybobby]

Okay----summa the VERY idealistic Callyfornyans have so much respect for trees and other vegetation, that they clear out a spot just big enough to build their dream home in the country. Then, after a periodic drought, and a lightening strike or an arsonist, all that uncontrolled brush goes up in smoke, taking the nearby residences with it. I can't understand why they don't realize that they have to stay ahead of Mother Nature. See? But yeah---there's no reasoning with ideologues. Hope that helps you some. Thankk Mee.

[Alan]

okay----(see photo) Yup
Just out of curiosity, will any photo do?

Edited to add: Oh, I see you added the photos. Yep, those are enemy trees!

[littlebittybobby]

okay--just ONE of several evil trees that decided the conditions were right to topple over.(see photo). Not shown: several others that still require more chain-sawing. Yup.6332

[littlebittybobby]

okay---hAl, i know you like mostly big-ticket consumer goods, but a small-ticket DIY chainsaw for cutting up fallen trees is the Stihl 291@about $500 m/l. It's a bear to start, but it's highly effective. Yup. Also, an electric to do the limbs. Yup.(photo not available)

[Alan]

okay---hAl, i know you like mostly big-ticket consumer goods, but a small-ticket DIY chainsaw for cutting up fallen trees is the Stihl 291@about $500 m/l. It's a bear to start, but it's highly effective. Yup. Also, an electric to do the limbs. Yup.(photo not available)
My yard is heavily treed. I think my gas powered 17" chainsaw, along with the two smaller electric chainsaws and one 10' electric limb saw are up to the recurring challenges the trees throw at me. Of course, I'm hoping not to use any of them this year. Thanks for the recommendation though.

[pinkytoe]

Our 1/4 acre came with many trees planted in the 1960s. A silver maple whose trunk is so massive that two of us cannot put our arms around it. A few remaining very tall conifers that I think hold each other up. An aspen that refuses to give up. I am putting in small trees away from the house. Having trees blow over in high winds is something you don't forget.

[iris lilies]

Our 1/4 acre came with many trees planted in the 1960s. A silver maple whose trunk is so massive that two of us cannot put our arms around it. A few remaining very tall conifers that I think hold each other up. An aspen that refuses to give up. I am putting in small trees away from the house. Having trees blow over in high winds is something you don't forget.
I wonder if your environment is more friendly to silver maples than ours is. They are borderline weed trees here, they certainly never get as big as what you’re describing, and they are junky because they blow limbs off fairly easily

[pinkytoe]

They aren't recommended here but the thing is so huge I have respect for it even though it sheds seeds and loses limbs in high winds.

[HappyHiker]

Yes, trees can kill/injure people and damage cars/structures...

But...how many trees have humans killed compared to humans killed by trees?? Whenever I see an incident with a natural source--whether plant or animal, I think of the tally on what/who has done the most damage over the years--animal, plant or human?

How many bears/wolves, mountain lions or trees have been killed by homo sapiens versus the opposite? Some species have been slaughtered into extinction (passenger pigeons for example and almost the buffalo) versus how many humans are still around...

[happystuff]

I wonder if your environment is more friendly to silver maples than ours is. They are borderline weed trees here, they certainly never get as big as what you’re describing, and they are junky because they blow limbs off fairly easily

Yes, we had two in front of our property and they both ended up rotting from the inside out. We eventually cut both down.

[rosarugosa]

We have a lot of silver maples in our area. I understand them to be prone to breakage, but they also are native and have high value to wildlife.

[catherine]

My big old maple is still unidentified. Two arborists can't tell me what kind of tree it is, and I've had 4 people tell me 4 different kinds (going by the leaves, it most closely resembles a sugar maple). I love it. I don't think it's super-old, maybe 40 years. The shade it provides us in the summer is invaluable. But interstingly, it is not a showy fall tree--the leaves are yellow/browish. It's a little disappointing in that regard.

ETA, on further internet browsing, it could very well be a Norway maple. Norway maples are not desirable because they're invasive. I do pull up a lot of seedlings in the spring.

[Alan]

I planted 3 red maples in my front lawn nearly 30 years ago, mainly because I liked their fall appearance, but my goodness I'm getting tired of them. In the spring we suffer through a deluge of little helicopters, many of which end up sprouting in our mulch beds and after the leaves fall in autumn, they're just plain ugly.

This pic is from a dozen or so years ago so they're nearly twice as large now.

https://scontent-det1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/464621118_10228490748079844_4516361149389829500_n. jpg?_nc_cat=101&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=5bbf69&_nc_ohc=l45Fea_isB8Q7kNvwFsgxKO&_nc_oc=Adkq4HcPMSHrFtnMt5vnGRtenNP6-aZtS8gMzMJaLU47qYKHW9x5FuFnbA3a9KNBrGU&_nc_zt=23&_nc_ht=scontent-det1-1.xx&_nc_gid=D5Wn2WVoFH847_FBtuRJzw&oh=00_AfLljja8b963Iofdzg_hfYEvcBLQ3YsW5yLptAPLXuzd 5w&oe=6827A9FA

[rosarugosa]

I'm not sure about other maple varieties, but Norway maples are also problematic because little will grow beneath them due to their extensive, greedy, surface roots. They also form a really dense canopy, so while providing good shade, it's another factor preventing anything from growing in their understory. So this becomes a challenge from a gardening point of view, and they will out-compete other more desirable plants from an ecological point of view.

[catherine]

I'm not sure about other maple varieties, but Norway maples are also problematic because little will grow beneath them due to their extensive, greedy, surface roots. They also form a really dense canopy, so while providing good shade, it's another factor preventing anything from growing in their understory. So this becomes a challenge from a gardening point of view, and they will out-compete other more desirable plants from an ecological point of view.

Thanks for that bit of information, rosa. If my tree is a Norway maple I can also say it outcompetes septic lines. But it's still beautiful and useful. I don't want to plant anything under it except me with a nice lounger and a good book.

[rosarugosa]

Thanks for that bit of information, rosa. If my tree is a Norway maple I can also say it outcompetes septic lines. But it's still beautiful and useful. I don't want to plant anything under it except me with a nice lounger and a good book.

That should do fine under a Norway maple! ;)

[littlebittybobby]

okay---here's a random Zurra tree that snapped off the trunk about 20' up. Looks like it was already dead. So yeah--I'll be cutting the rest of it down, later. Yup.6336

[Tybee]

I am actually making new trees as we speak. I am rooting cuttings and have four tulip trees I am trying to get going, along with two hazelnut trees. The hazelnuts are particularly dear to me because I grew the parent from a hazelnut we picked up on vacation at a wonderful inn on the ocean out here in Maine. It's about ten feet fall now.

[catherine]

I am actually making new trees as we speak. I am rooting cuttings and have four tulip trees I am trying to get going, along with two hazelnut trees. The hazelnuts are particularly dear to me because I grew the parent from a hazelnut we picked up on vacation at a wonderful inn on the ocean out here in Maine. It's about ten feet fall now.

That is so cool, Tybee!

[littlebittybobby]

okay----they say poison hemlock is spreading, and it can be deadly. so yeah---it was recommended that you spray fencelines with roundup to eradicate vegetation. That's what I'm gonna do this afternoon. Also, poison ivy needs to be killed. The place across the street from me has lots of it, because the residents don't control the vegetation. But yeah---Zurra is jungle, compared to IWAH. Yup. Hope that helps you some.

[iris lilies]

A tornado hit St. Louis yesterday. 5 deaths counted so far. MUCH damage to buildings by trees falling on them.

[catherine]

A tornado hit St. Louis yesterday. 5 deaths counted so far. MUCH damage to buildings by trees falling on them.

I'm watching CNN right now and they're reporting from St. Louis, IL. I don't know where she is reporting from exactly but I hope your old and new neighborhoods and of course the people in them are safe!! (Oh, she just said Washington Street)

Looks like widespread devastation across the Midwest. :(

[Alan]

The tornadoes also hit my hometown about one hundred miles south of St Louis. Two people killed, one of which was the son of a childhood friend of mine.

[pinkytoe]

My brother lives in Clayton MO so I need to call and see how they fared.

[catherine]

The tornadoes also hit my hometown about one hundred miles south of St Louis. Two people killed, one of which was the son of a childhood friend of mine.

So sorry to hear, Alan! pinkytoe, I hope your brother is OK!

[iris lilies]

My brother lives in Clayton MO so I need to call and see how they fared.

Clayton is pretty close to Central West End, which was hit by the tornado. hope all is OK with him

[iris lilies]

The tornadoes also hit my hometown about one hundred miles south of St Louis. Two people killed, one of which was the son of a childhood friend of mine.
So sorry to hear this.

it’s so strange that we were working outside the entire time to sunny skies. There were ferocious winds that blew out our Wi-Fi for a short time, but nothing that caused us to go in the house.

[rosarugosa]

I'm sorry, Alan. that is so tragic.

[Tradd]

So sorry to hear this.

it’s so strange that we were working outside the entire time to sunny skies. There were ferocious winds that blew out our Wi-Fi for a short time, but nothing that caused us to go in the house.

Alan, I’m sorry to hear about your hometown. Iris, I was wondering if you were affected any.

[happystuff]

So sorry, Alan. And so sorry for all the other people and locations that have been hit. Prayers to all.

[littlebittybobby]

okay---i tell you what----i'd liketa get one o' these puppies, ta aid in vegetation management around here. A Sennebogen 718E Tree Handler. Yup. (see photo)6457

[rosarugosa]

okay---i tell you what----i'd liketa get one o' these puppies, ta aid in vegetation management around here. A Sennebogen 718E Tree Handler. Yup. (see photo)6457

Nice! A good pair of loppers is a lot more affordable though.

[littlebittybobby]

Nice! A good pair of loppers is a lot more affordable though. okay----yup. I was pricing lightly used ones for around $650k. The company which makes them was started in Germany by a young German after WW2. Yah. The crane has the chainsaw built-in, so it grabs 'em, saws em, and stacks 'em. How's that for German Efficiency?