Trees are our salvation

I have deep greenie sentiments but in truth, unlike my father, I’ve never been a gardener, never can I recall have I even sowed some seeds and planted anything of note. Mowing the lawn and watering the garden have been my limits, and these days I don’t even do basic things like raking. Yes, I deal with the fortnightly green bin for the council pick up but little else more. I’m not even a lazy gardener. I am guilty of neglect and omission “… the darling buds of May”. Make that the darling buds of November. 

On our property in the Blue Mountains, with a riot of nature on a large suburban block, we have many trees both deciduous and evergreen back and front. We even have a Lilly Pilli tree growing up in the middle of our deck.  I love trees, climate change mitigation demands reforestation and more trees, and I’m forever singing their praises. The best views for travelling motorists are trees and beautiful forests. The best real estate is in leafy areas, and these days we see on TV protests about the removal of trees.

We live in a bushfire prone area and get constant reminders about keeping the greenery under control. There are regular burn-offs before the hot months set in, so we keep a watch for telltale signs of smoke: is it a burn-off or a fire? After bad storms, many trees come down and help is often required to remove the fallen trunks and branches.

In recent years we have needed some trees removed, which is painful both in the pocket but also because I have been both visually and emotionally attracted to these leafy buddies. My favourite trees are our Liquid Ambers and we are now down to the last three. Liquid Ambers are huge and great in parks and public gardens. They are truly majestic with leaves like Canadian Maples that give a lot of shade in spring and summer. In autumn and winter, they shed their leaves and there’s a lot of raking to do, but the colours are marvellous. Apparently, the resin of these trees is used in perfumery and cosmetics. The downsides are the spiky, seed capsules that carpet the ground everywhere including under our washing lines. Ouch, it isn’t nice to step on them. There are also a lot of clumps of leaves on the ground so I suspect it's party time for the birds. Well, spring is in the air after all.

Our largest Liquid Amber is a beautiful monster that towers over a neighbour’s fence, and a rear bedroom upon which we have a number of solar panels angled for the best sunlight. The afternoon sun is shaded by this grand tree which surely must soak up a lot of carbon. Late last year a large branch came down on our neighbour’s shed, and although it did no damage, it was a warning sign. When we got our preferred tree lopper in he remarked: “Half my business comes from Liquid Ambers.”

Problem was when more large branches came down one night when my son was visiting and sleeping in his bedroom. It missed our solar panels but landed on our water tank without causing damage. Our insurance paid for the branches removal but suggested we look at the future of this tree. And there’s the rub: my wife who’s the gardener in the family wants the tree to go whereas my son and I, who rarely pick up a rake, want the tree to stay, sans some branches. It’s a whopper of a tree and I am bracing for the quote for its removal. Maybe, eventually, the extra sunshine will generate more solar energy to balance costs more equitably.