Taking time for your trees
Perhaps no other form of plant life is as useful to mankind as trees. They're everywhere in our world. We live in homes made from them. We write on, and you are reading, paper made from the remains of what didn't go into our houses. A good chunk of our food, especially this time of year in the Central Valley, comes from them. We even sometimes heat our homes with firewood, from many different types of tree. We sit on furniture made from trees, we make our countertops and floors from them, we rely on them for recreation, for protection from the summer sun, and they even help us clean our air, and recycle our excess CO2 production. It's hard to imagine a life without trees.
Yet too many of us take our trees for granted. Like all other plants, trees can benefit from a little care, and also like all other plants, they can be killed by neglect. A lack of water can kill a tree as surely as it will kill off a cucumber, and too much water can ruin a tree the same way it
would a rose bush. Trees are not a permanent unchanging aspect of our environment, despite the fact that many of the trees we know have been there as long as, or longer, than we have. They are, despite their seeming permanence, as vulnerable to change as any other plant, and thus can use our help to grow, and thrive, and give us the many benefits we have come to expect from them.
If you already have trees, take the time to get to know them, and their specific wants and needs. Blue Oaks differ significantly in their requirements from Sycamores. A Chinese Pistache will die if given the same treatment as a Coast Redwood. Know what your trees need, and when, then take a little time to give it to them. They will amply reward you, whether it's with fruit from your Peaches, Pears, and Apples, or shade from that Scarlet Maple you planted to shield the Living Room Window.
If you haven't planted any trees yet, do a little homework first, it'll pay big dividends down the road. Be aware of the size the tree you want to plant can reach. A Scarlet Oak will most definitely NOT do well next to your house, but an Oklahoma redbud (or even better, a Western redbud), not only makes a good neighbor to your foundation, if planted properly, but rewards you with brilliant spring blooms, and great summer shade on that wall. A Chinese Pistache, planted well away from your foundations, can grow to 60 feet or more, providing copious shade (and subsequent lower AC bills) for decades, but that nice little "fruitless" plum tree will never ever get big enough to provide shade, if planted in the same spot.
Get to know enough before you plant to avoid major blunders, like planting a Silver Maple, instead of a Sugar Maple, or a "Fruitless" Mulberry instead of a White Mulberry. Know the water requirements, and the distance the roots are likely to reach out in search of it. Figure out where limbs and debris are likely to fall in the event of a big storm. Be prepared for fall clean-up, and spring pollen counts. A little preparation before planting helps ensure both a happy owner and a healthy tree.
When in doubt, there are many groups, like the Sacramento Tree Foundation, that can give some great advice, and sometimes even free (and appropriate) trees. Don't ever hesitate to consult them, trees are what they are all about. Now it's summer - get out there and plant yourself some shade!
P. L. Plantingman is a pseudonym for a Plumas Lake resident.
