BY KATHY HERSH
Imagine, for a moment, DeLand without trees — no shady canopy passing through the Stetson campus, Minnesota Avenue’s stately homes baking in the hot sun, Earl Brown Park’s walking path without the cooling shade, George Marks Elementary’s playground in the broiling sun, no green, shaded pastures and woods encircling the city, empty sky where the Great Oak Tree opposite the DeLand library spreads wide its limbs as if embracing the sky. Without trees, there would be no birdsong, no squirrels entertaining with their acrobatic antics, no shady respite from the broiling sun.
When I moved here four years ago, I was elated to see trees everywhere. I thought, “Finally, I am living in a place where people respect trees.” I smiled whenever I drove down Garfield Avenue just south of ISB, where the street curves slightly to the left to accommodate a huge tree, which had been there long before the street was paved. “Home,” it’s said, is where what you value is valued. I was home.
Then I watched the Lincoln “Oaks” subdivision being built. The entrance signage came first. The name “Lincoln” conjured images of dignity and the integrity of Honest Abe. I soon became disillusioned. Lincoln Oaks turned out to be just another linear development with tree sticks and a dubious name. Though technically the planted trees may have met the code requirements, it will be many years before the sticks create shade, if watered regularly.
I saw reports in The Beacon about the new housing developments being approved and complaints about the removal of tree canopy. I saw enormous heaps of bulldozed, uprooted trees. In near despair, I see forested fields providing a cooling green belt with “For Sale” signs inviting even more development.
A certain amount of development seems inevitable, but at what price? The deforestation of one of Central Florida’s most beautiful cities?
Maybe our city and county officials need a refresher on the value of trees:
Trees give off oxygen and absorb carbon. What a deal!
Trees cool the air through transpiration, reducing our a/c bills.
Tree roots aerate the soil and disperse moisture into the earth.
Deciduous trees drop leaves, which provide free nitrogen, essential to their growth. Leaf drop is Mother Nature’s gift to the soil.
Beautiful trees increase property values. According to the USDA Forest Service, healthy, mature trees add an average of 10 percent to a property’s value.
Trees provide a habitat for birds and other animals. According to recent studies reported in The Washington Post, even just 10 minutes of backyard bird-watching improves one’s mental health by reducing stress.
Trees provide a windbreak.
Tree roots help retain the soil and prevent erosion.
Trees provide nuts, fruit and maple syrup.
Some tree bark and leaves are medicinal. Think quinine and aspirin.
Trees provide great spots for picnicking or napping.
Mature trees are fun for kids to climb.
Trees give us so much, and all they ask in return is space and some respect. If this community seriously respects trees, we need more rigorous tree ordinances to discourage wanton bulldozing of mature trees, including beautiful old-growth oaks. We need real incentives to encourage developers to maintain some canopied space as a habitat for birds. And a healthy habitat for people, too.
— Hersh is a DeLand resident, who delights in hearing a barred owl hooting at night in her backyard.
