Lets take a moment and talk about your real estate, what does it consists of? Well its your land, house, plants, grass and your trees. Yep, the plants, grass and trees are real estate and add value, real value that can be assessed in the $$$$ sense. Now look at your maintenance of this real estate, you have the shrubs pruned, the grass cut and cut and cut....and if your like the majority of people employ a lawn care company that comes along once per month and sprays, applies chemicals and may even cut your grass but nothing for your trees!
This kind of baffles me! With a little time and effort the shrubs can be replaced, the grass can be completely removed and replaced with a different species, if desired. You can completely redo your landscape in just a matter of days! However, that 30" Oak tree, that has been there for 50 or so years cant be replaced....sure you can cut it down and plant a smaller one and wait 50 years for it to grew....but who wants to do that!
Here i sit scratching my head.
If you consider this from a fiscal perspective....shrubs-cheap, grass....cheap but that 30" Oak tree not so cheap.
If you consider this from an environmental perspective....shrubs are small, often out of range (non native) and i do admit they provide benefits to the environment. Grass is often out of its natural range, requires constant maintenance-cutting, over seeding, edging, chemicals (fungicides, insecticides, fertilizer, herbicides) applications and lots and lots of water.
Trees the largest living organism on your property provide a wide range of benefits, some of with are intangible....they keep your house cool, lowering your bills, are an eco-system to a variety of insects, birds and other vertebrae (this is the above ground portion). Below ground they work in synergy with billions, yep billions of soil microbes such as fungi, bacteria, nematodes, insects, vertebrae to produce a healthy thriving soil food web....life below ground....that's another blog!
On top of all that the have the ability to keep the earth cool, sequencer pollutants from the air....they filter particles, harmful particles out of the atmosphere that we would otherwise inhale, they produce oxygen.....i could go on but you get the picture.
Now you see why i'm baffled, often times the most valuable asset on your property aside from the house, is often overlooked, not on a maintenance program and just left until there is a crisis.
Next time you step outside or when the lawn service turns up....it will be soon....take a moment and look up at that majestic tree and ask yourself "what have i done for you lately?"
Next up The Soil Food Web....its good stuff, even if i say so myself....a must read....see you there!