Wow.
That list is amazingly humbling. Overwhelming.

Thank you, Lynn.

That is so sad about the tree burning

Lynn, I've opened your link in a new tab and will read.

Every morning, I walk the dogs up our little mountain and I always stay right on our side of the property line but whoever owns the property that adjoins ours has acres and acres of trees so of course I enjoyed them. It was all pretty much old growth and huge stands of hardwoods and softwoods. Long story short, they had their property completely clear cut.

I was so sad. I was mortified. I came back from my walk one day and was sobbing. The crying you do when you're gulping for air and your shoulders shudder. I just couldn't understand how or why somebody would do that. We had walked our property line many times with our plot plan from the county office as I didn't want to trespass and I was sure they were cutting trees on our side so Hank went up with the plot plan and sure enough, they were encroaching our property line. The guy that was in charge of the clear cutting on the adjoining property whipped out his plot plan and we had to all decide to meet somewhere in the middle. He assured us that they would replant but they didn't. It's growing again but mostly pine trees.

Strever, gorgeous photos. Makes me miss my home in Nor Cal tremendously. But I loved seeing the pictures.

Vic, reading our above post makes my heart hurt. I don't have words to tell you how sorry I am for the loss of your trees.

I'm glad you are enjoying the link about the oldest trees in the USA. I have loved trees since my earliest memories.

Well shoot, Vic. I was fine even though it's stormy outside, till I read your post. What a heartless ugly thing they did. And yes, it makes my heart hurt.

Meeting somewhere in the middle was not good enough.

Ugh. So they ended up cutting some of YOUR trees, too, Vic? I didn't know that. And yep, that was an ugly site...looked like a bomb hit that area. And all for a couple thousand bucks, can you believe it?

Clear cutting should be against the law. All the homes that are taken away from the wildlife; the damage to the soil life; erosion (and Vic's area is mountains and hills, even worse); abrupt micro-climate change; possible fish/water life kills due to water temperature change and silt flowing in creeks/ponds. It all just escalates. I guess the best we can tell ourselves is that Nature herself has to suffer the same fate from tornadoes, hurricanes, etc from time to time and the land bounces back eventually.

Shoe (thankful)

We feel they cut about 3 or 4 of our trees. I know that sounds small out of thousands but that's the way we are. We've even taken the transit up there trying to shoot definitive lines but it's almost impossible with the hills and valleys up there. Of course we could have it re-surveyed. The guy that was in charge of cutting adjoining property, his plot plant was more recent than ours and he said the way the county works, it goes by the latest survey as to who is right or not. What??? - banging my head - I understand it's much more difficult when you are in a huge area of woods/trees/forest as opposed to a small lot in a city but still.....

And Shoe nailed it, looked like a nuclear bomb went off. And these folks don't clean up their messes. They go for the huge trunks and leave the rest of the mess lay.

Lynn....that wikipedia page rocks. I'm still reading it. It humbles me to think of trees thousands of years old.

Shoe nailed it also about the after effects. But Nature does heal itself, though it takes years and years to recover what man destroyed.

I also need to remember my manners - you know, that part about walking in another's shoes and all that....

It was clear cut right when the economy went south and maybe they needed the money for something, I don't know.

I DO know that our neighbors on one side had all their trees cut to pay for their grandfathers funeral. No comment or I will stick my foot in my mouth.

I need to find the link again as I lost it when my hard drive crashed but there is some kind of deal here in NC where you can set up something with the state to preserve all the trees on your land. I don't remember all the details. I need to find that link again.

I got this photo of a huge elephant foot palm at the Ruth Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek, CA. My first time to see a huge one like this, makes my plants a dwarf Trees in various sizes and width..adding depth and dignity to their amazing beauty

This photo was taken on July 2010


Here is another photo we took at the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequioas in July 2005. They have put a little fence around some groups of the Sequioas for the trees' protection.

Oh yes, trees that touch our hearts, Tarev. How beautiful.

Vic, I know the feeling. Still saddening, though.

Wonderful photos Tarev.

valleylynn said:Beautiful photo Tarev. I agree that winter time is a great time to get out and take photos of the trees. The water is mesmerizing.

Here is a photo I took at Home Depot this last Thurs.
Japanese Maple 'Sango Kaku'. Now to find a nice mature speciment somewhere. I love the coral barked maple.

• Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku')
• Uploaded by valleylynn

I did NOT need to see that... I also did NOT need to learn that a very local nursery (like, less than 10 miles from my house) has those in stock.

And look what else you can do with trees

The thread "Pooktre shaped trees" in Garden Art forum

And don't you just love those shapes!

Sure do

Reminds me of those the Native Americans forced into shapes to point directions.
Much more elaborate though.

Well, how cool is that. I would love to have something like that in my yard.