tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post1085877924421101907..comments2023-12-23T05:14:34.273-05:00Comments on Wit's End: There Goes The NeighborhoodGail Zawackihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-28824137617744971072016-05-14T01:00:21.549-04:002016-05-14T01:00:21.549-04:00Sorry it took so long to let your comments through...Sorry it took so long to let your comments through moderation, Linda. I have been visiting my daughter and didn't get a chance to post them. I miss Tom, he was such a voice a reason in a crazy world. Best regards to you, and thanks for remembering me and my blog. I hope you are doing well.Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-83958518172237483942016-05-13T02:50:50.766-04:002016-05-13T02:50:50.766-04:00Yeah the whole farm died Yeah the whole farm died Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05985905041241026170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-68262688645507007052016-05-13T02:49:36.124-04:002016-05-13T02:49:36.124-04:00My husband Tom Root really enjoyed your blog. He d...My husband Tom Root really enjoyed your blog. He died August 1 2015.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05985905041241026170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-37796366387747040932014-07-21T16:26:09.657-04:002014-07-21T16:26:09.657-04:00Tried to post this earlier, where you could actual...Tried to post this earlier, where you could actually see it, but alas not; so trying again. Via "lost in Facbook" -<br /><br />Well, and it's worse than that. One of the reasons humans fail to understand trees, let alone forests; is that the vast majority of us only SEE a tree for a very brief piece of its lifespan. Most of us lack the training, experience, and imagination; to see this mature tree before us as a seed, seedling, etc. And understand what all that entails. We are mayflies, ephemerals; pontificating about, and controlling, the lives of the tortoises.<br /><br />I'll give one brief example; all across North America; forests are commonly running into "problems" of various kinds; many resulting in a lot of tree mortality. We usually attribute this to something local - and treatable, by thinning. But - what if - it's mostly normal genetics?<br /><br />What reason have we to think that ALL white oaks - have a potential life span of 500 years? Measurements of the age profiles of "original" forests will not tell us anything about that question; what you will measure is a stand of survivors. How many trees only capable of a mere 200 years of life- are not there to see?<br /><br />What little I know about tree genetics makes me think it's very, very likely that a seed batch from this ancient oak is made up of thousands of genetic variants; highly variable; and quite variable in potential life span; like everything else we can measure. <br /><br />All those forests being thinned? Were almost certainly logged, within the past 200 years. Maybe all that mortality is just genetics kicking in? So- what are we cutting? <br /><br />Quite possibly - the genetics that would have survived.Philip Rutterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11041935672454266013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-84162713932994913492014-07-21T09:11:42.474-04:002014-07-21T09:11:42.474-04:00Another informative heart-rending essay Gail. Tha...Another informative heart-rending essay Gail. Thanks for your work. i'm picking up leaves and sticks, sometimes branches too, every day. Brown and shriveled, discolored and thin, others brand new but the little cluster just broke off with its supporting stem. Now i'm getting bits of cellulose and bark on the ground too. This isn't good.<br /><br />TomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-27141406774031066492014-07-19T13:53:46.399-04:002014-07-19T13:53:46.399-04:00Powerful work indeed. Both July posts have been wo...Powerful work indeed. Both July posts have been wonderful and it all ties in with what I see in L.A. The city and parks look uniformly dreadful-dead and dying trees are everywhere. All herbaceous plants have died in my garden and the ostensibly tough plants like aloes and agaves are on the way out too. The single surviving Japanese Maple I have looks like your photo only mine have retained the dead leaves from last year. Its all so sad. Thanks for the great work and your considerable effort.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-45192342905481841002014-07-19T08:45:48.386-04:002014-07-19T08:45:48.386-04:00I suppose some day, if there's anyone left to ...I suppose some day, if there's anyone left to notice, people will look around and wonder where all the trees went, and why they are living in a desert. Like the Mideast.Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-53105192848825440942014-07-19T08:35:57.565-04:002014-07-19T08:35:57.565-04:00Fixed! Thank you so much - I hate it when that ha...Fixed! Thank you so much - I hate it when that happens, and it is such a great talk!Gail Zawackihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01800944469843206253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5549306427964459740.post-64638812860554734292014-07-19T06:55:34.522-04:002014-07-19T06:55:34.522-04:00Powerful work Gail.
In regards to the Asian Longh...Powerful work Gail.<br /><br />In regards to the Asian Longhorn beetle in Worcester, I still remember when Worcester officials had declared the bugs were eradicated back in 2010 after they had chopped down a few trees. I laughed back then and am laughing now.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com