From therapeutic canopies to crime-fighters, trees serve a host of valuable roles, an audience learned Thursday night in Pennsbury Township
Sponsored by the Pennsbury Land Trust, the presentation exceeded its hour-long time slot by about 15 minutes, but no one complained. In fact, most in the audience of about 40 people stayed for another 20 minutes of questions.
“I love it when people are interested in trees because that’s what I do,” said the presenter, Jason Lubar, an associate director of urban forestry at the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum.
Lubar, a board-certified master arborist, said the widely known advantages of trees, such as their aesthetics and their role in lowering energy costs, are just a few of their assets. He said studies have repeatedly shown that tree-lined shopping districts generate longer visits and higher sales. In addition, tree-laden neighborhoods generate lower crime rates, and patients with a window that features a leafy view have shown faster recovery times.
He said such benefits make trees a great investment, but one that comes with some responsibilities for care and maintenance. Among the biggest mistakes that homeowners typically make are planting trees too deep, mulching them improperly, watering them ineffectively and over-fertilizing them.
When planting, the trunk’s flare – where it expands at the base – should be partly visible above ground. If the tree looks like a telephone pole, it’s too deep, Lubar warned. He said mulch is important but should be kept away from the trunk and aboveground roots. “Just say no to mulch volcanoes,” he said, describing the typical mound that many landscapers pile around a tree.
If using a sprinkler for watering, set a tuna fish or cat food can in its range to determine how much time it takes to accumulate an inch of water, Lubar suggested, explaining that tree roots need that much water each week. As for fertilizer, Lubar said it should be used only when a soil test shows a deficiency. “Growth does not equate to health,” he said, explaining that in some cases, forced growth can actually weaken a tree.
Lubar, who warned the audience in advance that it would be difficult to convey all the information he hoped, encouraged people to supplement the presentation by visiting websites such as www.treesaregood.org.
Randy Aylam, an East Bradford resident, said he enjoyed the program and was particularly pleased that Lubar mentioned the importance of getting soil-testing kits from Penn State. Aylam, a master gardener with the Penn State cooperative extension in Chester County’s Government Services complex on Westtown Road, said the kits, which cost $9, are kept in stock there.
Sarah Dayton, one of the directors of the Pennsbury Land Trust, said she was also pleased with the presentation, which covered a lot of in-depth material, some of which she didn’t know previously. “We were glad to see so many people,” she said.
Frank Schweitzer, another trust director, agreed. He said that when setting up the program, the trust knew that Lubar had great credentials but had no guarantee that he was an effective speaker. “He was really good,” Schweitzer said.
Alma Forsyth, also a trust director, explained that the program came about because one of the trust’s goals is to help people protect their natural resources. “We want to encourage landowners to be good environmental stewards,” she said.
Toward that end, the trust’s annual public meeting, to be held on Thursday, April 9, at 7 p.m. at the township building, will feature a landscape designer, who will provide tips on how to make yards look beautiful with native plants.
The staff of the renowned Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware will offer practical advice on selection, placement and care of some of the best native plants, which, like trees, provide aesthetic appeal and ecological benefits. Attendees will receive a resource guide listing native plants and local nurseries that supply them.
(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
Loading...
Comments