What should you do if you have a lifeless tree on your property? Consider your options. Although trees lose most of their aesthetic appeal when they die, they provide a beneficial afterlife. Dead trees are a source of food, shelter and home sites for wildlife. They may also be used for firewood, garden projects or building material. When you discover a dead tree, decide if it should be removed and what you want to do with the remaining materials.
Creating a Wildlife Tree – By leaving a portion of a lifeless tree standing (at least 15 feet is recommended), you can encourage a natural wildlife habitat, maintain safety and create a spectacular observatory for you and your children. As wood softens, insects residing in trees become accessible to birds. Woodpeckers excavate food and inadvertently create nesting sites for other birds and small woodland creatures. If you want to decorate your standing observatory, plant vines that will climb and cover the trunk, such as Virginia creeper or Climbing hydrangea vine. Accessorize by hanging flower baskets or feeders. You may also rest logs horizontally on the ground along a walkway, in a garden or near a pond. Make a narrow bed around the edges and plant wildflowers to attract butterflies, hummingbirds and beneficial insects. These and other plant species will eagerly take root on and around your nutrient-rich log.
Preserving a Piece of History – A very creative way to discard a lifeless tree is to use the wood for building projects. That’s exactly what George Mohrmann encourages with his company, Sawmill-On-Wheels. He feels that many people are looking for a productive way to use downed logs or preserve memories of their personal history with a particular tree. Sawmill-On-Wheels and similar companies throughout the northeast turn what was once considered cumbersome waste, downed logs, into valuable hardwood and softwood that can be used in a variety of projects and they do it right on your property! “A fully hydraulic, completely transportable saw allows me to produce just the type and size of wood needed for a particular project and often in sizes that are hard to find elsewhere,” says Mohrmann. Some of the work he has seen includes tree houses, fireplace mantles, giant beams, furniture, benches, carvings and matching old wood for restoration projects. How would you preserve your piece of history?
The removal of a tree does not mark the end its usefulness or your enjoyment of its beauty. In fact, it can be a very rewarding experience. You will preserve precious memories and form new ones by creating a unique afterlife for your old friends. For a complimentary consultation of your landscape, evaluation of a particular tree or hazard inspection, consult your arborist.
About The Author
SavATree provides environmentally sensible tree service and lawn care to homeowners as well as residential, commercial, institutional, government and historic properties in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C. Industry certified arborists with expertise in tree care and lawn service are ready to help you maintain a healthy, safe and beautiful landscape. For more info about the company, visit the website http://www.savatree.com
Advancements In Artificial Turf
Artificial turf has come a long way since it’s invention in the 50’s, what was at first quite an aesthetically unappealing surface has become a great alternative to grass. Needing almost no maintenance, artificial grass turf stays green all year round (or blue, black, yellow or orange if you really want to go crazy) and can cost much less in the long run than ‘real’ turf. Another big plus is that artifical turf doesn’t need weeding, meaning more time enjoying it and less taking care of it. Modern artificial turf often looks so real as to be indistinguishable from a real grass surface. For those that want a perfect looking lawn, but would still like to use it without worry about fading and patchy grass, artifical turf is a great alternative rapidly increasing in popularity. Artificial grass turf can not only be a greener option with regards to color, but also in terms of the environment.
This may seem an odd thing to say at first, how can artificial turf be better ecologically than natural grass? Well, grass may be natural, but lawns certainly aren’t. Artifical turf requires no weed killers or pesticides unlike grass, meaning less chemicals being released into the environment. Also an artificial grass turf lawn will never need cutting, so emissions and power use from lawn mowers doesn’t exist. Drinkable water is the most precious resource on the planet, and your artificial lawn won’t drink a drop of it. Obviously there are more emissions in the production of artificial turf than with real turf, but this is more than compensated for over the life of your lawn.
If you live in a location that receives little rain fall or is unsuitable for real grass for other reasons such as soil quality, then artificial grass turf can offer you all you want from your garden with none of the hassle. Artifical turf was originally mocked when used by football clubs and other sports teams on their grounds, but even they have started to come back around to the idea since the development of artificial turf has come so far in recent years.
Artificial turf now uses a combination of laminated fibers and coils, often with a ‘bed’ of recycled rubber to provide a softer surface, simulating an effect much closer to that of grass. Visually the change in modern artificial turf when compared to its predecessors is incredible. An artificial grass turf lawn can be incredibly difficult to tell from the real
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thing, except of course for the absence of burnt patches, bald patches and unsightly weeds. The lifespan of an artificial lawn can be anywhere up to 35 years, that’s 35 years of weekends free from mowing or weeding. Maybe you could spend that extra time relaxing in the garden rather than working in it. Do you have roof space that you’d like to use as a garden? Then go for it. No matter what the project, artificial turf has a good chance of being able to meet your needs.
By: Jacks Turf
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