Free trees for Earth Day...what are your thoughts?

SubRosa said:
Ever lived in a house with a Sycamore overhanging it? They lose branches faster than you're losing your hair! And while the wood will burn, it's far from good for heating purposes. The bark is good as a firestarter though.
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Only long enough to chop it down.....and plant freebies from the Arbor Foundation...
 
Mgamer20o0 said:
lol how much co2 does that release vs how much it took in lol
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Burning trees is a net zero carbon gain. TANSTAAFL! The reason fossil fuels are a carbon net gain is that you're releasing carbon that has been sequestered from a time when there were alot more plants and ALOT more CO2 than even 100 yrs from now in Al Gore's wildest dreams, uh I mean worst nightmare. Actually no I don't mean that.
 
Rbishop said:
Yes, I do. For many yrs it will be helping exchange gasses, providing clean O2, and a living space for birds and other creatures. If 40-50 yrs from now it needs to be cut down for out growing the area, fine. It then can provide warmth thru firewood or be composted to help the soil. Arbor Day Foundation gives away trees all the time and never requires folks receiving them to go thru an authorization process for them. Think you are over doing it a bit here. I handed out over 3,000 trees last yr for Arbor Day.... and if a tenth of them live for a tenth of their expected lifetime, then that is a plus overall. And even the dead or dieing ones help.
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**like**
 
LOL! I let my daughter plant seeds from the apple she was eating last fall. She carefully chose a seed, then planted 2 more, just in case. I figured they would never grow. Now I have 3 little apple tree seedlings. :) That will grow into huge apple trees, that are not the best variety for our area. What can I say??? They're getting planted this spring.

I take the freebie trees too. We have a farm. There are usually places that we can put them. Steep hill sides, wind breaks.
Lisa
 
I'm going to assume that the tree you get will be something native to your area. Searching around I'm seeing people in different areas naming different trees. If I had seen this earlier I'd have called to see what is being given away here. Only pine I'd plant would be a white pine, I hate the others.

Its irresponsible to plant non native trees as you introduce disease that wouldn't normally be in your area.
 
Well, sad as this is, I once got this big tropical tree. We figured it would die over the winter. Well, it did, then came back. And back. And back again. Looks nice, and hides the minor grafitti on the side of the house, but it overshadows the garden and buries us in a pile of leaves as big as I am, and it just won't die... curse you home depot! Anyway, that was my experiance with annoying trees, so now we stick with native stuff, a small pine in out backyard and some nice washamicallit bushes. (see how plant literate I am?) Anyway, I see no problems with a 100ft tree, there are a few big (80ft+) trees in this area, none of them are getting in the way.
 
Wren said:
LOL! I let my daughter plant seeds from the apple she was eating last fall. She carefully chose a seed, then planted 2 more, just in case. I figured they would never grow. Now I have 3 little apple tree seedlings.
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Yeah... We have some little apple trees that the kids grew from seeds last year too... and a couple of peach trees. Darn kids want to plant every seed from every fruit they get... LOL


Not too optimistic about fruit from them though- I think most fruit trees are grafted onto hardier varieties - not just grown from seed.
 
I don't mean to sound all curmudgeonly about it, as a kid I used to love planting fruits from seeds and pits as well (never got anything out of them, none of them grew into trees, except for an avocado which lasted for many years although it never bore fruit). I'm certainly not suggesting that anyone needs some authorization process (yeah, just what we need, more bureaucracy!)

I just mean that planting a tree is serious business, not just a frivolous freebie fest, and I feel a little troubled by people seemingly giving no thought, or having no concern, as to what kind of tree it is they are planting. This was what I saw reflected in many of the posts re: the Lowe's giveaway, which was discussed in many "frugal living" type forums.

Earlier today (after I had first posted this) I learned that this year at the college they are giving away tomato and pepper plants, much better :) Especially since a great deal of students live in dorms and apartments.
 
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