Comments on: Trees Are a Matter of Life and Death http://dirt.asla.org/2012/11/01/trees-are-a-matter-of-life-and-death/ Uniting the Built & Natural Environments Tue, 21 May 2013 20:36:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: scientiste http://dirt.asla.org/2012/11/01/trees-are-a-matter-of-life-and-death/#comment-18825 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 23:28:42 +0000 http://dirt.asla.org/?p=12113#comment-18825 Reblogged this on Mental Flowers and commented:
The title of this ASLA blog post says it all…

]]> By: Alisa Rose http://dirt.asla.org/2012/11/01/trees-are-a-matter-of-life-and-death/#comment-18813 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 17:17:26 +0000 http://dirt.asla.org/?p=12113#comment-18813 Such an important topic…A literal tree-hugger since early childhood, I too have always simply known that the presence of trees in our living environment is absolutely essential to physical, mental and emotional well being, and our ability to thrive.

Our built environments directly and continuously impact our social interactions. Where treeless expanses of hardscape dominate, hearts become hardened just trying to survive.

About this week’s devastating tree fallings: The confluence of high winds and high water presents a severe challenge (a ‘coincidence’, or destructive climate change? real?!), and what Hur. Sandy is yet again showing is that the overall design and placement of our built environment is crucial.

All over the planet, the earth has been massively paved…We need to ‘delete concrete’ – to find a way to get permeability back across the land, even in the biggest cities, by de-paving and by farming and gardening organically.

And of course, while vulnerable in some instances, trees also act as wind blocks…

]]> By: David Licata http://dirt.asla.org/2012/11/01/trees-are-a-matter-of-life-and-death/#comment-18809 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:30:48 +0000 http://dirt.asla.org/?p=12113#comment-18809 Wonderful post.
If anyone is looking for a lengthier treatise on the economic, health, and spiritual value of trees to people, you might want to read Jim Robbins excellent book, The Man Who Planted Trees. Robbins is a science writer who contributes regularly to the New York Times. Highly recommended.

]]> By: smithadrian http://dirt.asla.org/2012/11/01/trees-are-a-matter-of-life-and-death/#comment-18808 Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:17:05 +0000 http://dirt.asla.org/?p=12113#comment-18808 I enjoyed this article and I’m happy to hear that what we have felt intuitively as landscape designers is being proven true by scientific studies, since that tends to be what most people believe.

I wanted to add one point about the subject of life and death when it comes to trees: in light of the recent spat of hurricanes in the Northeast (Irene in 2011, Sandy just now in 2012) where there is a climate that supports a canopy of large, leafy trees, do we as designers need to consider how near to homes we plant trees?

Several of the fatalities in the region were due to trees crashing thru the roofs of homes. Do we build stronger buildings or move trees away from them? What will this do to our ability to live close to trees and the benefits associated with that proximity?

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