As the top ranked tree removal experts in Edmonton and the surrounding area, we spend an immense amount of time considering questions along the lines of: what is the meaning of the life of a tree? While some may think this is silly, we don’t really see how it’s any different than asking what the life of a humans means. If you really get to know trees and how they function, you’ll see that they are a complex organism with rich lives and even a social aspect to their existence. If you have trees on your property or hike in the forest at all, it’s worth learning more about trees so that you can understanding how amazing they are and gain an appreciation for an everyday experience that we mostly take for granted. Here are a few thoughts that will help you take in the magic of trees:
Trees take things at a much slower pace than us; something we could surely learn something from in our own culture. The oldest tree in the world is a Swedish Spruce that is 9,500 years old. Part of our inability to relate to trees may come partially from the fact that we exist along intensely different timelines.
Leaves being eaten by insects can actually sense the bugs’ saliva, sending out chemicals to predators who will eat the bugs – a literal bat signal! This defense mechanism helps defend the entire forest.
Forests sometimes feed stumps of downed trees nutrients and sugars through connecting roots for hundreds of years just to keep them on life support – sometimes stump grinding is important to put a tree out of its misery and allow the magnanimous trees to put those resources to better use. If you require expert stump grinding in Sherwood Park or the greater Edmonton area, we can be on site to take care of it in no time.
In North America’s national parks, trees and their roots slow the moving water, creating drinking pools for the local wild life and providing majestic creatures like beavers the resources to build their homes and carve out niches for other organisms. In Yellowstone park, for example, when the wolves disappeared in the early twentieth century, the elks feasted on the trees and the whole eco-system collapsed. When the wolves returned seventy years later and began herding the elk, the park once again became a fecund mating ground for birds and mammals of all stripes.
Isolated trees, such as the ones that likely grow on your property, are actually much less likely to survive than trees that grow in a large forest community, where a social network of trees actually manipulates the microclimate for sustenance and growth. For this reason, tree pruning can be crucial, since it helps the tree’s “immune system” function more efficiently, allowing for a longer life. Tree pruning service in Edmonton is our specialty, so don’t hesitate to call us if it’s too big of a job for you to take on yourself.
Getting lost in the forest and studying the trees can be interesting if you keep an open mind – there is a story being told, a battle between commerce and organic survival, with a massive cast of characters in an epic that unfolds over hundreds and thousands of years. Ask yourself questions: is this a naturally occurring forest, responsible for its own destiny? Or a forest planted by humans? Is it ornamental, or is it for commercial gain? Folks today are so caught up in the hustle and bustle of modern life that they simply cannot find the time to consider something as basic and as good as a beautiful tree. Think about it: if you stopped a busy, high-powered businessman walking down the street and asked him to consider a tree, do you think he would be receptive? He would not – he would look at you like you were crazy and go back to staring at the trading screen on his smartphone.
