Tall trees, climate change, and neighborhood desirability

[Anonymous]

Should be, we are planting trees that will be larger when they mature...

Trees don't live forever people.

[Anonymous]

I haven't noticed storms getting worse in the mid Atlantic. If anything they've gotten less worse because winters are milder.

Trees fall down because they get old and heavy. Trees are always falling down due to age. Mature areas have older trees. Naturally, they are going to start experiencing trees falling and needing to take down trees and extensive pruning. People living in a neighborhood for 50 years and suddenly wondering why trees need to come down have me cracking with laughter.

As it is, it was a factor in buying our house. We live in a lovely 1920s neighborhood but cleverly bought a house that had no large trees on the lot. We get the benefits of our neighborhood trees without the hassles.

[Anonymous]

One thing that contributes to big trees falling completely - root ball pulled up - is that we plant trees singly as specimens. They aren’t supposed to grow that way. They are supposed to grow in groups, in forests, and their roots entangle and form a dense mat of roots that can’t be disentangled, and it locks the tree in. The crown can still be broken off, the tree will of course still die, limbs can come down, but the whole thing is less likely to come crashing down.

You can recreate this and lessen the risk of trees falling by planting trees in trios 5-10 feet from each other - much closer than they’ll tell you at the plant center. They’ll grow together into a little grove. Don’t have to be the same species. They won’t be shaped like the perfect specimen tree we envision, but most trees in the forest don’t look like that, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When we bought our house years ago we were very aware of the fact that there weren't any trees that could fall onto it, and that there weren't any trees on the property that could die and have to come down at significant expense. I'm not going to say we wouldn't have bought the house otherwise, but it was discussed.

During that storm with the crazy downdrafts or whatever they were a few weeks ago, a house 5 doors down from us was destroyed by a very old tree that was uprooted and crashed right through the house. Scary.

Was that a brick house or a wood framed one?

The one that was destroyed? It was brick!

[Anonymous]

I have been very worried these past three storms in particular as we have some very tall mature trees in our yards and I saw first-hand as a few trees damaged the homes of neighbors. Now with a prediction for an above-average hurricane season I'm thinking I can't go another storm season worrying like this. We're going to cut a few trees this winter.

Yeah, statistics, chances are low, etc. But the science pointing towards warmer, stormier summers here gives me anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We took down the trees that would have damaged the house if they fell. Many of our neighbors did the same. There’s still plenty of mature trees in the neighborhood.

You can remove any tree on your property without a permit?

Of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m still going to pick an area with mature trees over one without if that’s your question

I didn’t know more people would prefer to live in a wooded area. I’m the opposite.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well maintained mature trees are amazing for resale value

Good to know. Most people I know don’t want to live near mature trees.

[Anonymous]

Neighborhoods with ample trees are measurably cooler in the summer.

[Anonymous]

Mature trees are SO important. I like to walk my dog in the neighborhood. Having trees makes it so, so much cooler and more comfortable. And it just feels better emotionally.

One thing that could be happening is that all the trees were planted at once - that often happens. So then they all get old at once. Hopefully they’ve been replacing them along the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well maintained mature trees are amazing for resale value

Good to know. Most people I know don’t want to live near mature trees.

No, I mean DCUM will teach you how different people are and there are definitely militantly anti tree people on dcum but unless you live in Ashburn or something, most people want mature trees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well maintained mature trees are amazing for resale value

There's no evidence that they are "amazing" for resale value at all. They might have a very minor effect.

As far as sever weather is concerned, we have a lot of older neighborhoods now where the trees are big but also aging out. Every tree eventually dies, and just because they have leaves, doesn't mean they are completely healthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m still going to pick an area with mature trees over one without if that’s your question

💯

Only philistines pick places without trees

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Neighborhoods with ample trees are measurably cooler in the summer.

Neighborhoods with ample trees literally raise iq and test scores and reduce violence even controlling for ses

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have family members who live in a relatively desirable area, part of which is that there are many old, very tall and beautiful trees in the neighborhood. With the crazy storms that seem to have become the norm over the last decade or so, seemingly healthy trees falling onto houses has become a standard occurrence - they and five other houses within a 2-block radius have all sustained major (i.e. roof collapse, rebuilding whole parts of a house) damage in recent years. I'm curious how this phenomenon is playing into people's house buying decisions these days.

Are you for real? Put down the wine, lady. Time for bed.