“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”

                                                                                                                ~ Unattributed

We’re installing new fences around our back yard. The existing ones, probably put in before the 1940’s, are wire mesh strung on two-inch metal posts set in concrete. They have grown interwoven with lilacs, Chokecherries, Virginia Creepers, Green Ash saplings and other assorted vegetation. The new fences require that the fence line be cleared, at least nominally to ground level, for a foot on either side. There are several places where that won’t be possible – a patio, tree trunks and the garden shed — so we’ll just have to work around them.

Colorado can be dry and barren, but I have endeavored to let plants grow where they want to, and transplant any that have to be moved — like the feral blackberries and some old rose bushes. The two big ash trees along the alley are surrounded by shoots, growing out of the trunk and the adjacent ground to nearly six-feet high. Thus, our yard is a hodge-podge of various vegetation that does well with minimal attention. (I’m sure some of our neighbors shudder at the state of our lawn.)

Our neighborhood is full of trees.

The Arbor Day Foundation’s Dan Lambe notes, “Trees are instrumental to the quality and health of our lives, our homes, and our planet … Globally, trees are the most scalable and cost-effective tool in the fight against climate change. Trees clean the air and vacuum up carbon. They foster biodiversity and support critical habitats … Trees are home to 80% of all animals, plants, and insects that live on land. That includes some butterflies, bats, bears, frogs, birds — not to mention the neighborhood squirrels seeking an escape from your dog in the backyard.”

In addition, “When planted near streams and rivers, they clean and filter the water. When planted in communities of need, they usher in equity. And a bonus for homeowners: trees can even save you money. That’s right, when planted in the right place, a tree can help you bring down energy costs for your home.”

He adds, “Being around trees can also improve a person’s blood pressure, mental health and boost creativity. In fact, doctors in Canada are so convinced of nature’s benefits for the mind and body, they started prescribing patients free passes to national parks (the world’s best medicine if you ask me).”

However, trees and forests are not the only natural habitat that we and the Earth needs. Environmental writer Robert Langellier notes that other environmental habitats are also important, and in fact, may be locally more important than trees. He describes, “For the previous 60 years, the glade had been shaded by opportunistic redcedar trees that moved in after a large wildfire ripped through the area and fire was suppressed after that. Under the trees’ dense canopy, the native grassland species couldn’t thrive.”

Removal of the trees was performed. “But with the tree cover gone and sunlight pouring in, woodland species are now giving way to the grassland species … Cutting down trees to bring back grass may seem puzzling in a time of climate change, as forest conservation and tree-planting have become popular ways to keep carbon out of the atmosphere … The climate and biodiversity crises are twin-barreled problems. We can’t afford to rob biodiversity to pay for the climate.”

“And grasslands are surprisingly good at pulling carbon out of the atmosphere. A single sunflower might not be the carbon hog that an oak tree is, but grass’s deep root systems store the element deep underground, where it can take hundreds or thousands of years to return to the atmosphere.”

“All of these unique grasslands are under threat, but not all by tree invasion … Because grasslands are so easily navigated, settled and plowed, they may be the most threatened ecosystems in the world … Looking to the future, climate models suggest … more extreme droughts. Geologic history tells us this kind of climate is perfect for grasslands. Our conservation efforts should reflect the increasingly favorable conditions for grasslands too.”

Lambe closes, “What we give to nature we will receive in return, tenfold.”

Additional information:

Dan Lambe, What Trees Can Do for You, March 23, 2023, TreeHugger

Robert Langellier, When Chopping Down Trees Can Help the Environment, June 11, 2023, New York Times