More on the Bradford Pear: one of my friends & clients who is much more scientifically exacting than I and keeps me on my toes, reminded me that Michael Dirr's Hardy Trees & Shrubs cites the lack of a strong central leader as one of the contributing faults. Since our village did not have the budget to trim parkway trees for six years, I got to see first hand what happened when the branches were not thinned: not a pretty picture. Ironically, I was able to bond over this particular dislike of Bad Pear with our municipal arborist who turns out to be married to somebody in the office next to ours. In December, after we discussed the ridiculous number of leaves left on the tree, he told me that Evanston no longer plants them on parkways. Since 1999, due to Emerald Ash Borer (Morton Arboretum has a good fact sheet on the non-native pest), our village has not planted Ash trees.
I like to believe that I am not a purist about anything (hubby would disagree). In my landscape design/build practice, though I work for a sustainable larger picture, we do incorporate some non-native plants if they grow in a similar environment to the plant community and do not require babying. Since the mercury was at -17F this morning, I feel a warm image or two might boost the immune system. So here are two photos from one of my trips to the AFOPADI/Earthways reforesting/organic ag project in NW Guatemala. Above you can identify the bromeliads (epiphytes) and below you can see the dry barren soil to which the native trees must adapt. This was en route from the village of Papel (up around 10,000 ft). Most of the few remaining native trees there are oaks & pines. For replanting, we use a mixture of native and some non-native, fast-growing trees for erosion control.
I revel in the fact that we are having a real winter here again. Last winter was the first in years with substantial snow & cold temps in the Chicago-area. Despite this, I still defer to the real scientists who document global warming and see it more in the extremes of climate such as rain arriving less frequently but in large torrents. This cold is a gift in terms of a natural cycle that periodically cleanses certain insect populations.
And the part of me that loves winter co-exists with the part that looks forward with sheer delight to March when I return to Guatemala. Especially exciting is the fact that a gracious client donated a meaningful sum to the project and so I am excited to meet with the AFOPADI people and figure out some new applications. Add this to genrous refunding for the silo (food storage) arm of the project and I am in pig heaven. With the global economy, I don't need to reiterate how issues of food & reforesting are affected. The irony is that now the situation demands green solutions even moreso, but I see many dropping the ball. This is the time when it is most vital to continue our sustainable approaches & commitments. Thus, trying to practice what I preach, I will be giving two "green talks" soon in 2009. February 2nd at Wicker Park Garden Club and March 26th (a week after I return from Guatemala) at the Lurie Garden Millenium Park Lecture series at the Cultural Center (not yet updated on-line due to speakers like me changing dates...look for Spring Lecture Series under "Featured Events").
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