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Health & Fitness

Sandy And The Native Garden

We were extrememly fortunate to not sustain any major damage to our home during Superstorm Sandy.  Mostly it was fence damage and a downed limb here or there.  One favored evergreen, our Arborvitaes or as I called it "Tree of Life" did begin it's decline during the storm. And it ultimately was felled after that blizzard. 

We are trying to see if it's substantially smaller remains (the tree was as tall as our house) will recover.  Arborvitaes are such a boon to wildlife, providing food and shelter.   You can find out a little more about them here: http://www.aboutarborvitae.com/  I hope ours recovers.  We have not yet replaced it, though it is on the list.  When we do, we will get another American species. 

Many of the trees that came down, according to my husband, who documented them post-Sandy, had been struggling to live with abbreviated roots and compromised land.   Sidewalks cut into root systems, as do driveways and other construction projects.   The amount of developed land versus the amount of land a healthy tree needs to thrive are not really compatible.   When large trees are lost, populations of birds and small mammals are dislocated.   

With Sandy, environmentalists worried that knee-jerk tree replacements would favor not native species.  Not Natives such as the Norwegian and Japanese Maples do not offer much in the way of nutrition to wildlife and are thugs that 
overwhelm our native flora.

Invasive bushes that form what conservationists call Understory, (they thrive underneath our taller trees), are especially troubling. Honeysuckles, wisterias and bittersweet vines choke out trees and take over; our natives cannot compete.   The whole issue of Invasive plants will be tackled in much more depth this Winter.  I just really, really hope that folks did not rush out and replace what was lost with plants not suitable for our wildlife.  

If you are worried about the health of a tree on your property, you might want to get it evaluated.  A resistograph is an accurate measurement tool that can identify if a tree is a hazard.  It takes a bored reading of decayed wood and prints it out.  If you are thinking of having your trees assessed, look for someone who can provide this service. 

For those who are interested, here is a Primer of Invasive Species: 
http://ccesuffolk.org/assets/galleries/Agriculture/Commercial-Nursery-and-Landscape-Management/Presentation-Handouts/Website-FAQ-on-Invasives-Brochure-10-09.pdf

As always, I would love to hear how Sandy impacted your yard, and what trees and plants you might have had to replace. 
My biggest problem was ultimately dismantling and disposing of the Arborvitae  in the Spring. That upset my schedule and whilst remediating,  my nemesis overran the yard ! More on that soon. 

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