When you a buy a tree to have planted in your yard what are the motivations for making that purchase? Are you looking for a “statement tree” right out of the box? Are you looking for a tree that future generations can hang a tree swing in? Are you trying to create shade on the south side of your house or patio?
Don't Rake Away Yard Leaves, They are FREE Fertilizer!
Being a vocal anti-lawn person, I’m completely biased on the topics of leaf raking, leaf composting, and yard waste management. I feel our yards need fewer synthetic inputs and a lot more native inputs, in the form of leaf litter.
Every fall I am shocked, aghast and pinching myself to see all the people piling free fertilizer (that’s what I call it) at the curb. I take my neighbor’s leaves and pile them in my yard!
Swamp White Oak (Quercus bicolor)
As its name implies, the swamp white oak is a lowland tree, often found in areas subject to periodic flooding, and on the edges of swamps and poorly drained meadows. Unlike white oaks (Q. alba) and burr oaks (Q. macrocarpa), which occur in large stands in the forests and oak savannahs of the Midwest, swamp white oaks are usually found growing singly amongst forests dominated by other species.
Musclewood aka American Hornbeam (Carpinus caroliniana)
Carpinus caroliniana goes by many names: musclewood, American hornbeam, water beech, blue beech, and ironwood (not to be confused with a different ironwood that we also offer). When you’re strolling through Wisconsin woodlands and you come upon this tree, the name most likely to come to mind is “musclewood” because the smooth, ridged trunk resembles the musculature of a sinewy action movie hero.
iTree Helps Property Owners with Tree and Landscape Planning
i-Tree is a website designed to help property owners decide which tree species they want to plant and where they should plant them in their home or commercial property landscape. I-Tree was developed by some of the big players in U.S. tree care as an educational and practical tool, and is FREE to use. Combining data points and technology, this website can tell you actual benefits of planting a tree in a specific spot in your yard.
Forest Bathing in Big Basin
The defined practice of forest bathing is relatively young, but the intuitive act of healing in nature is nothing new. We evolved in forests, and forest bathing has been shown to decrease levels of stress hormones, improve the immune system and mood, and increase creative problem solving. I am certainly not the first to write about the benefits of spending time outdoors. In the words of John Muir, “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home. Wilderness is a necessity.”