This isnt gonna be a treatise on how much I love trees and how we should celebrate the existence of every single little seedling we see growing beside hikebound pathways but rather how trees themselves can be extremely lethal, fatal weapons when ripped apart and tossed about like matchsticks when various weather phenomena takes place, specifically, hurricanes. Dont get me wrong, I already know that it wasnt any trees' faults that they landed on the tops of homes and automobiles when Hurricane Irene made her impact here in Connecticut and the rest of the U.S. Eastern seaboard this past week; however, the ways in which trees are regarded, even treated, here in Connecticut is the real problem, a problem which I feel needs to be addressed before the next major hurricane comes along, if that is even possible to begin with.
Before I go any further though, please note that I basically do love trees of all shapes, kinds and sizes. I think they make our homes and neighborhoods look beautiful, they're great for shade and if you love the Fall season as much as I do, the various species of Maples that dot our great nation really do put on quite a spectacular show come October and November. But, like with everything else in the natural world, there's a time and a place for trees and one group of citizenry who needs to be made aware of this are those who reside in the state of Connecticut because it is they themselves who were responsible for increasing a greater probability of human fatalities during the time-frame in which Hurricane Irene was slamming into this state more than anything else. It's true.
If you go anywhere in Connecticut, no matter which direction you look in, measure out any 10 x 10 foot area in this state and you'll be surprised what you find. No, not just trees, but the way in which those trees are growing. Two words - very dangerously. Because within any 10 x 10 area you wont find just a coupla trees, not even 5 or 6 but as much as a dozen or more growing in the same tiny measured area. Totally unkept, totally free of preening and grooming and therefore nothing butta radical mess of horticulture gone very awry. Remember, that's just one small measured area; but, try to imagine thousands and thousands of acres of this type of thing and that right there is the perfect description of Connecticut's #1 crop - trees. Nutmeg my ass. Trees, trees and more trees. Every kind you can possibly imagine and in many cases, as many as a dozen or more different species all growing in the same small measured patches, side by side and 101% of the time, within mere inches of each other. It's terrible, and not because I feel everyone needs to stomp out the advancing encroachments of Mother Nature, but because such ratioed areas of tree growth spell trouble not just for the man-made world but for the trees themselves too.
When anyone allows trees to grow in such tight-spaced areas like that, they create what are called "widow-makers" here on the East coast. A widow-maker is any given tree that will automatically fall-over - usually onto human beings when they merely walk by them, hence the origin of the name - when anybody or anything walks by them. No shit. Spend a few hours or more walking near any of the forested areas here in Connecticut and I will guarantee you that you'll hear at least 1 or 2 widow-makers topple over within that particular timeframe. Why do they do that? Because, they dont have the normal, deep root systems that other trees have; they have no space to branch out and strengthen themselves and with stunted growth patterns like that, how could any tree realistically prosper under such limited, unfair conditions?
What could be done to prevent these horrible living conditions for trees? The same exact thing a person would do if they planted a package or two of tomato seeds in their garden and then decided they needed their patches a bit more thinned out and organized - weed out and then transplant the trees into other areas. Hey, any state forestry project could undertake such a project and not only would it benefit the trees themselves but think of how it would make our immediate environments safer for all of us, especially with having fewer trees flying around not just in hurricanes but in tornadoes and major thunderstorms too.
But, I think it would take more than just your average state forestry programs to address the ridiculous overabundance of trees in Connecticut. If I had my way, I'd personally invite the logging industry into every backyard across this state and tell them "Knock yourselves out, boys!" I know, I know, all those "Go Green" folks, as well as Greenpeace and many other such organizations, are probaly thinking "Let's go after that Spice dude!" but the ironic thing about everything I've just said is that it's the truth - and people know it, they just dont wanna admit it. For decades alotta folks have been up-in-arms over the travesties committed (and still being committed in some instances) by the international logging industry in places such as the Amazon Rain Forest areas as well as in states like Oregon and Washington; BUT, trust me folks, the American logging industry could come to Connecticut and have heyday after heyday for a good few months and there STILL would be too many trees in friggin Connecticut.
I'm not saying that all the folks here in Connecticut should grab their axes and chainsaws and start partying it up in their own backyards and in every public forest lot in their state; but, what I am suggesting is that the people of Connecticut need to start doing more realistic and careful planning on how they go about conserving their trees, so that there is indeed more of a balanced harmony between the benefits of having trees as well as limiting the lurking dangers of letting them thrive totally out of control and therefore presenting a very legitimate danger in times of natural disasters and/or catastrophes. Afer all, you wouldnt bring truckloads of paper towels to a forest fire, would you? It's the same damn scenario with having trees located in areas that are the most affected by severe weather situations. In other words, people need to stop thinking of what's best for the trees and start thinking what's best for their co-existence with us. Thank you for reading.
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