A Troubled Pear
See the pear tree to the right, in front of the carriage house?
It is now gone, thanks to Matt Whitcomb. Scott pointed out that the many trunks were split and, at some point, without question, the tree would fall on the carriage house AND the neighbor’s house. That would be bad. Careful pruning many years ago could have avoided this fate. A few years ago I had the trees to the north of the Cross House drastically trimmed to assure single trunks. They looked funny for a while. But no longer.
Ready to be hauled away. Kinda sad.
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I see and understand and feel sad too Ross. I love trees. We need them to help the environment. But just like houses and our bodies, they need consistent maintenance.
A house was recently sold in our neighborhood and the new owner tore down a mini-forest of about 30 trees, drastically changing the character the neighborhood. His unusual property layout touches 7 neighboring backyards, who no longer have privacy. We are all also now exposed to the bright lights and noise of the high school football field, which is quite active. And we expect drainage issues there as well, having lost all the roots and stones.
I took a lot of heat online for my response to his cutting done the trees. Name calling and all. Now, that he has leveled the land with caterpillars, a neighborhood committee has formed, and he has received a cease and desist order, and must get a permit for a retaining wall. I have been invited to our new, local tree ordinance committee and notable tree committee.
Sad to see your pear tree go. Thanks for educating us about the trunks. It took me a long time to learn about trees and I am still learning. Hopefully our new committees in New Rochelle can help our city maintain our old trees.
A bit of a rant, I know, but I do love trees.
Peace, love and happiness to you Ross!
How perfectly dreadful. Some people can be so self-centered and inconsiderate, they can’t bother to anticipate how their actions will impact their neighbors or the environment.
While you can’t instantly replace lost, mature trees, all seven neighbors could plant trees on their property lines to eventually provide that lost privacy and act as a screening.
Too bad that cease and desist was a bit too late to save at least some of the trees and prevent the leveling. If anyone is subject to flooding directly because of this, I hope they sue him.
I am so sorry you had to experience this. I can imagine the name-calling, thanks to your (our) lovely name and the abuse it’s suffered. Are you with us on Facebook?
Hi Karen,
I didn’t know about the FB group, but I will join today!
Thanks for your support. I have always liked our name!
I am very against name-calling.
Thanks and all my best to you!
What is the name of the group? I love trees too and love to plant tree seeds❤️
Never mind, I know the fb group 🤦♀️ Took me a minute 🤣😂🤣
So sorry to hear of Karen’s predicament, but it seems some help on the way.
Sad about the tree, but at least you learned about pruning to keep trees healthy. Unfortunately other Ctoss House owners didn’t have that foresight. Sigh…
Hi Sandra,
I always enjoy reading your comments.
Yes, it had been a bit of a bad time for the 7 neighbors, but with a good result.
Hopefully we can educate children, their parents, and new home owners in our quite old neighborhood, about the benefits of trees.
And we all learned something more here from Ross and this wonderful community Ross has brought together.
Cheers!
You are so kind to mention that you read my comments. I am very sorry for this predicament & “miaiuppa” had great ideas such as each neighbor planting a grove of trees on their property.
Mother Nature needs a little help to do her best. A light pruning more often is better than a lot at once.
If the trees were left alone from the start you have much to correct.
I have a half acre lot on a cul-de-sac in town. We have 7 neighbors yards surrounding ours. The previous owners were excellent with tree and shrub placement. They added privacy and 40 years later we have mature trees that allow us some wonderful shade and a perfect place for over 200 Hostas and other shade lovers.
Some communities require a permit to remove a tree and other than dead/damaged ones limit how many at a time.
It is sad to see a tree go. Sometimes they can look perfectly healthy but still be a danger.
This is an opportunity to plant a new tree, perhaps a different variety in a slightly different spot so it can provide a bountiful harvest in a few years and for many years to come. A new beginning for the Carriage House commemorated by a new tree.
The tree you removed looks very much like the dreaded Bradford pear. If it was, you have just done your corner of the world an ecological favor.
Bradford pears are a variety of the highly invasive Callery pear. They are weak (as you know) but, more devastatingly, have escaped cultivation and are taking over native habitats. They’re pretty in the spring but provide no ecologic function in the US (where they are not native) basically creating a food desert for any native creatures nearby.
That’s one tree I rejoice to see cut down. If you plan to replace it, consider an oak which is strong, long-lived, and supports over 4,000 different species of insects and animals.
I agree to everything Christy said! If it was a Bradford, you did your little corner of the world a favor♥️ If you’re looking for a replacement try an Amelanchier. Also called Juneberries or shadbush… I’m pretty sure they are native to your neck of the woods 😁
Ross,
Don’t feel too bad. Bradbury pears were purpose-bred by humans, and are well-known to have various structural issues- many trunks often developing, and usually with tight V-crotches between the main trunk and offshoots. These trees regularly split themselves in half, and someone would have likely had to go above and beyond in preventative pruning to prevent this. These trees are nightmares for this, and it is a high-maintenance tree. You did your best.
There are many wonderful blooming tree varieties that do not have the tendency to rip themselves apart should you ever choose to replant!
I too hate to see a tree go, but sometimes it can’t be helped. 🙂
Is that another one of these potential problem trees in the foreground? The one on the right with the many trunks? Perhaps knowing what you know now, it might be prudent to get rid of that one too while it is young and much easier to remove.