The idea of trees being inherently good is ingrained upon on us. Trees are the source of life, oxygen, a feeling of being at one with nature. We hear of bands and companies pledging to plant trees in the name of so-called carbon offsetting, so we see more trees as a good thing. Deforestation, the loss of trees, is considered as a global catastrophe. They are used to symbolize good, green intentions for political parties – the association runs that deep. Trees = good.

Despite this message being continually reinforced, there are plenty of times in life when trees are more foe than friend. Not believe that they are the silent branch-y menace to humankind? Then you might want to read on…

[Image courtesy of Antranais/pixabay.com]

Climbing Matters

You climb a tree as a child or a particularly adventurous adult. In the pursuit of this goal, you also inevitably fall out of a tree. How do we know that people aren’t forcibly pushed out of trees? We don’t, do we?

Actual Problems…

Okay, in all seriousness, there are times in life when trees can be a nightmare. And we’re not just talking the trees in The Wizard of Oz attacking Dorothy either; these go on on this side of the rainbow.

Trees kill people. It could be argued that trees don’t kill people, storms do, but the result is the same. Trees cause a huge amount of damage every year when inclement weather takes them out. They can down power lines and cause disruptions on the roads.

They are a complete pain to remove. If you decide there is a tree near your house that one good gust of wind is going to fell, you might choose to have it removed. This is a nice decision, but ultimately, it’s going to take a lot of time and effort. Trees are so deeply rooted that you need to bring in the pros to take care of the problem. If you have an unwanted tree, you have to be willing to make an effort to ensure it’s an ex-tree. Help from Integrity Tree Service and others may be needed.

They can cause your garden to suffer without sunlight. Too much tree coverage and your plants will begin to wilt from lack of attention. The shade may be beneficial for some plants, but our best-known flowers and shrubs tend to need plenty of daylight.

The Case For Trees

The issues above are real problems, and if you have a tree that could damage your home in a storm then you should take action against it. Of course, things are never that simple. Trees do have the enormous benefits that we credit them with, including – but not limited to – preventing floods in gardens. They also provide homes for birds.

If you don’t want to remove any potentially troublesome trees, then it’s worth seeing if there is something you can do to secure them. Try and love them. Forgive them for pushing people out of them. If not, bring in the pros – or the silent branch-y menace might claim another victim.