Friday, February 29, 2008
Did Anyone Notice?
Was there a posting in advance of tree removal at 837 Wellesley? There's not a twig left standing on that lot.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Another One Bites the Dust
Yesterday's storm caused millions in damage across north Georgia, including destruction of many homes and trees. Thankfully, it only cost Memorial Park one beautiful tree, one of those lining the rubber path leading to the playground. (Our neighborhood was without power for much of the day.) I haven't heard from anyone who lost any in their yard.
That's a total of five trees lost from the park this month. The City of Atlanta Parks Department crews recently removed three that had been deemed ill or injured by the Arborist, and another tall pine toppled earlier this month after another storm, it's roots apparently weakened by the ongoing drought. One of the park's regular daily dog-walkers happened to be only a few feet away when it fell!
The thirty or so saplings donated by Trees Atlanta that were planted by MPCA volunteers a few years ago to help replace the many that have been lost in recent years are struggling valiantly against the drought, but they won't be large shade trees in our lifetimes, even those species that are large growth. Hundreds of thousands of big, old trees that Atlanta has always been known for, lost either for development or by accident, cannot be replaced at any price. Ten (or 50) young trees will not provide the shade canopy, the CO2 uptake, erosion control, reduction in ozone and temperature or the aesthetic beauty of one great oak or hickory -- caliper measurement formula notwithstanding.
(The big trees and their extensive root systems are particularly important to the residents of Wesley Drive and Woodward Way, who are subject to massive flooding. Who knows how high the water will be next time? People were kayaking from Riada to Woodley in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.)
Those who blithely throw around the term "tree replacement plan" are missing the point. It's like reconstructive facial surgery after a terribly disfiguring accident: It's very painful, expensive, and takes many years to get acceptable results. Sure, it's eventually a big improvement over the initial damage, but the person is never really like he was before.
Of course, planting new trees is a really good thing. The old ones are going to die someday, and in an "urban forest" like our neighborhood, there's little chance of a tree coming up on its own.
That's a total of five trees lost from the park this month. The City of Atlanta Parks Department crews recently removed three that had been deemed ill or injured by the Arborist, and another tall pine toppled earlier this month after another storm, it's roots apparently weakened by the ongoing drought. One of the park's regular daily dog-walkers happened to be only a few feet away when it fell!
The thirty or so saplings donated by Trees Atlanta that were planted by MPCA volunteers a few years ago to help replace the many that have been lost in recent years are struggling valiantly against the drought, but they won't be large shade trees in our lifetimes, even those species that are large growth. Hundreds of thousands of big, old trees that Atlanta has always been known for, lost either for development or by accident, cannot be replaced at any price. Ten (or 50) young trees will not provide the shade canopy, the CO2 uptake, erosion control, reduction in ozone and temperature or the aesthetic beauty of one great oak or hickory -- caliper measurement formula notwithstanding.
(The big trees and their extensive root systems are particularly important to the residents of Wesley Drive and Woodward Way, who are subject to massive flooding. Who knows how high the water will be next time? People were kayaking from Riada to Woodley in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.)
Those who blithely throw around the term "tree replacement plan" are missing the point. It's like reconstructive facial surgery after a terribly disfiguring accident: It's very painful, expensive, and takes many years to get acceptable results. Sure, it's eventually a big improvement over the initial damage, but the person is never really like he was before.
Of course, planting new trees is a really good thing. The old ones are going to die someday, and in an "urban forest" like our neighborhood, there's little chance of a tree coming up on its own.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
What's Going On Around Here?
There is actually a lot going on in and around Memorial Park, but there's not really much communication. Yes, there's neighborhood gossip. And there are a few email groups here and there. There are a few official mailings from the Memorial Park Civic Association, and then there are the very sparsely attended biannual meetings where business is conducted.
Things are happening that affect our lifestyle, our property values, our children's futures, our peace of mind and our environment. We ought to know about them. I am going to blog here on a fairly regular basis. I will post what I know, what I find out and what you tell me via e-mail, if I can verify it.
This blog is needed because our officers haven't started a listserv or a website to entertain conversations about important issues. There is an MPCA website. Did you even know about it? Now you know. It's linked at the right.
Atlanta Memorial Park is the centerpiece of this neighborhood. It is probably the number one reason most people bought a home here. Whenever anything affects the park, such as flooding, drought, loss of trees, planting, landscaping, building, traffic increase, crime, commercial activity or anything else, we need to consider very carefully the repercussions to this community before rushing headlong into any changes.
More specifically, we must be very thoughtful about the individuals and organizations to whom we entrust our property values and our quality of life.
More to come.
Things are happening that affect our lifestyle, our property values, our children's futures, our peace of mind and our environment. We ought to know about them. I am going to blog here on a fairly regular basis. I will post what I know, what I find out and what you tell me via e-mail, if I can verify it.
This blog is needed because our officers haven't started a listserv or a website to entertain conversations about important issues. There is an MPCA website. Did you even know about it? Now you know. It's linked at the right.
Atlanta Memorial Park is the centerpiece of this neighborhood. It is probably the number one reason most people bought a home here. Whenever anything affects the park, such as flooding, drought, loss of trees, planting, landscaping, building, traffic increase, crime, commercial activity or anything else, we need to consider very carefully the repercussions to this community before rushing headlong into any changes.
More specifically, we must be very thoughtful about the individuals and organizations to whom we entrust our property values and our quality of life.
More to come.
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