The other day I watched my oldest daughter — Metta Mae — ride her bicycle back and forth on our small driveway. I opened the house window and yelled to her, “Why don’t you ride that thing down the road.” She asked back, “I can ride on the road?” “Go ahead,” I said. I could tell she had some hesitation, but it quickly dissipated and was overcome by a sense of freedom and exhilaration. I must admit that I had my concerns. What if she falls? What about cars? Abduction? Etc. Everything bad comes to mind. It is difficult to “release” your kids from your orb, but I believe it is necessary for their growth. Too much supervision, and their light is smothered. I still have my concerns, of course. But the other day, I was climbing my neighbor’s hickory tree again to gain a view of the mountain and heard singing coming from the road. I looked down and could see her riding a bike downhill, singing like no one was watching her. It reminded me of how happy I was to ride my bike as a kid, to be in your own world and just happy to feel free.

Know Thy Trees & Their ‘Freedom’ Index

The same is true, in some sense, with trees. They too strive to be free and certainly thrive when they are. Freedom for a tree isn’t necessarily living with fewer taxes, zoning ordinances, or bills of rights. In a tree’s world, freedom is often about reaching for sunlight. In this sense, some trees want to be freer than others, just as some humans do, I suppose. Take black cherry, for instance. That tree will focus most of its energy in snaking its way between neighboring tree crowns in search of more sunlight. Gray and white birch are even less tolerant of sun-stifling and will bend far to get it. On the other end of the spectrum is eastern hemlock, which tends to grow straight in shadier conditions. Its indifference to the sun is counterbalanced by its tremendous patience. It simply waits for trees above it to die off. Most other trees would have died long ago waiting this long, but not ole hemlock. Oak is a moderate on the freedom index and is somewhere between cherry and hemlock. It can take a little shade when younger, but eventually needs more light to thrive, otherwise it dies back or is eaten by hungry deer.

Of course, I’m anthropomorphizing a little bit here, but in jest to make a point. And the point is to first know your trees. Second, to know their freedom index, or shade tolerance. Some trees must be “released” more from the shade of their neighbors. This simple understanding is probably one of the most underrated aspects of basic forest and tree management in eastern North America. Instead, humans are coddling or loving their trees to death. “I don’t want to cut one tree down,” is commonly stated. “The more the better,” says another. “Let Nature takes its course.” Although well-intentioned as these notions may be, they often lead to unintended consequences. Consequences of over coddling are often: (1) Densely packed, sickly trees, or (2) The default increase for shade tolerant trees at the exclusion of “freedom loving” trees over time.

Densification & Mesophication

First, let’s deal with the first one — densification that leads to sick or dead trees. Often, foresters and arborists are called out to assess a sick or dead tree in one’s forest or near the home. It is commonly assumed that the tree is or was killed off by something biological — i.e. insect borers or saprophytic fungi. These “pests” are often secondary and instead finished off the tree. The primary stressor or cause that contributed to the tree’s demise is often too much density or shade. Remember, a tree creates carbohydrates or “food” by combining three ingredients: sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. If it doesn’t get it, it will suffer, be less vigorous, and less able to ward away attacks. Therefore, it is really about quality, and not quantity of trees. This can be difficult for those that wish to love every tree. The “densification” of eastern forests is a real thing that has made our forests more susceptible to pests, exotic species, changes in weather, etc.

The second has been discussed a lot in past articles and is often referred to as “mesophication.” Doing nothing is just dandy if you’re managing for plants or trees that can take some shade. Sugar and red maple, for instance, aren’t as fussy about spreading their limbs far and wide. But fruit and nut trees that are often important to humans and wildlife is another story; they need more sunlight. Oaks like their freedom and want to spread those limbs. Mulberry, apple, and cherry prefer more sunlight. The absenteeism of humans in the eastern forest in the last 100 years has led to the slow decline in these “freedom-loving” trees, or “mesophication.” Mesophication refers to forests gradually stocked primarily with shade-tolerant or “disturbance-intolerant” plants or trees. Maple trees are great, but red maple is New York’s most popular tree, and having them is at the expense of other beneficial plants. Just know that by “preserving” some trees, you are disregarding or perhaps saying goodbye to others more important to your goals or other flora and fauna.

In summary, know thy trees. Learn their names and what they look like. Second, learn which ones require more sunlight. Most trees like more light, but it isn’t always about what a tree wants that makes it successful, but instead what it can tolerate, like shade. If you know which ones cannot tolerate being close to others and wish to preserve them, then you might have to do some work and “release” them. Call CFA to assess your trees, help ID them, and tend to their future.