Yogis,
When I am at my parent’s house, I help in the yard. Picking up sticks blown
down by wind in winter. In spring my dad and I head to the nursery to pick out
new plants which I get settled in the ground before leaving. Weeding the herb
garden in summer. But probably most importantly, removing ivy from trees.
This is my annual public service announcement.
Their house is surrounded by big old oaks, pines and maples,
all there much longer than the 44 years my family has lived among them. Towering
over the house providing shade, cleaner air and beauty. Ivy, though, has
managed to snake up many of the trunks, threatening to bring them down.
Last weekend we tackled two more trees. Stately pines in the side yard.
Removing ivy from a tree is not nearly as hard as it might seem. With clippers for small vines and a hand saw for roots thickened with age, a tree’s life can be saved in less than an hour.
Ivy should be cut close to the ground and then again about
knee height, with only that section removed. Everything above will quickly
begin to die back.
I heard yesterday that federal funding for tree planting
across our country has been dramatically reduced (if not eliminated). That
makes saving our current trees even more critical.
In a world where everything feels overwhelming, there is always something we can do to make a difference. Saving a tree is a perfect example. With only a little effort, the tree will appear to stand taller and thank you. Every time you pass you will know you did something good.
This is the time of year to tackle the job. With bare trees
ivy is easy to see and the brush hasn’t thickened yet. And no poison ivy!
Start with your yard, but you can do this for trees along streets or in your parks. Unfortunately, there is no magic ivy fairy. If everyone who reads this saves even one tree, that would be a couple hundred!
Heading out to do something for the Sycamore at the bottom
of my street,
SARAH