Winter in Canada can be an extremely difficult time for some. While we love skiing, sledding and the comforting relief of returning to a warm home after a long day of work, by February it sometimes starts to seem as if the cold, dark weather will never retreat. If you happen to have access to a chalet or cabin in the woods, then planning a getaway can really help to break up the dreariness of winter. A long walk amongst the jack pines is a remedy to the winter blues, and if you’ve got snowshoes, then all the better!
As tree removal experts in Edmonton and the surrounding area, we often find ourselves tapping into a deeper appreciation of the trees that coexist with us and help to cleanse our atmosphere. Edmonton is situated on the bottom edge of the boreal forest, which stretches across Canada from Newfoundland and Labrador all the way to the Yukon and Alaska. The boreal forest, which wraps around the earth just above the 50th parallel, also covers great swathes of Russian and the northern European countries of Finland and Sweden.
The fact that this massive global forest made up mostly of coniferous trees (predominantly spruce in Canada) wraps around the entire world is pretty darn cool, and it gives you a greater appreciation for the bigger picture when you’re taking a random walk in the woods. Imagine, for a second, all of the trees in this massive network breathing in carbon dioxide and breathing out fresh, piney oxygen that nourishes the world’s lungs. It’s a pretty nice imagine, and it’s not so far from the truth.
One of the reasons we’re so passionate about tree pruning and tree care is that trees help us feel connected to something bigger, they help us connect with our roots. In hunter gatherer times, human relied on trees for fruit and shelter from the elements. While trees used to be our best friends, we have now destroyed more than half of the world’s forests, which used to cover 48% of the earth’s surface. Some of this has been done to harvest the lumber, but much of it has been done simply to develop and expand urban civilization. Rather than working with nature, we have pretty much turned against it, waging war on the world’s forests, jungles and what remains of remote tribal cultures.
Thus, taking a random walk in the woods is good not only for your physical health, it is also coded into our DNA to feel good when we are around trees. Walking through a dense, piney forest can give you a greater sense of wellbeing and bring out very pleasant feelings that sometimes feel buried.
In Edmonton, we are fortunate enough to be situated right in the middle of a heavily treed area that provides lots of paths for adventure and networks of trails sprawling throughout our urban environment. Our River Valley is twice the size of NYC’s central park, and contains glorious, healthy Elm Trees unaffected by the nefarious Dutch Elm disease, which has wiped out most American Elm populations.
Hopefully, appreciating the trees in your natural surroundings will inspire you to plant and cultivate trees in your own yard. Contact us today for an assessment of your land and we can advise you as to what might be the best species to plant. For any other tree needs including stump grinding or deep root fertilization, we’re here for you.
