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As a result we lost about 70% of our backyard. The trees are now 12 foot tall. What should we do? Call a tree company to take these pine trees and do something new? Right mow the trees are great for privacy and they act as a screen from bad weather. Only bad part. Our lot line isn’t parallel to the street, but the pine trees are.
I apologize these are blue spruce’s.

keep the trees….. someone went to considerable effort and expense to install those trees and I’ll bet they had a good reason for it…. whether the privacy thing is that important or the windbreak or shade part is important, there was a good REASON for them to plant those trees…. don’t remove them and then wish you still had them, ya know?….. spend a year with them in place, maybe the real reason will show up….

if they cut thru the lot oddly, perhaps there’s water pipes or the wind blows just so, or the septic drains or something is in the way of the tree roots…. I’d work at setting up the backyard to INCLUDE the line of trees as a focal point….

You have to chop a few down every year, so you need fast growing trees that provide good heat when burned. You also need to squeeze in the most trees per acre. What are the best trees for this?

Willow to start with because there are some very fast growing varieties. And these are often intended as bio-mass.

Secondly, some birch. Only slightly slower to grow, but these have thicker stems, ie better logs. Pine would also be quick, but would make a mess of your flue pipe soon enough.
You would then have some harder-woods to come on in their own time. Ash burns really nicely, and is reasonably quick growing for a hard wood. You will die of cold waiting for your oaks.

As for acreage, if you can’t manage on 5 acres, then put on another pullover.

I have a cat and she has fleas so bad that my house is infested with them. Someone told me that there are certain trees and bushes that can get rid of them. Is that true and if it is what are they so I can get rid of the fleas without having to use any chemicals.

Juniper trees and bushes are natural deterrents for fleas. My husband used to live in Oregon and they had many juniper trees and two dogs. The dos never had fleas.

By-the-way, you really should get some Frontline for your cat especially if it’s an outdoor cat. You can plant as many junipers as you want, but if your cat wonders around the neighborhood as most cats do, you’ll still get fleas.

Where can I find grants to plant trees in New Orleans?
I want to revitalize a playground in New Orleans. The area is very poor and coming back slowly that I am considering. Due the families having low budgets, I was thinking of planting apple, orange and pecan trees in the park over the benches. I know the trees would bare fruit and the kids would be able to have a healthy snack. Any ideas of who I could ask for finacing on the trees and materials need to plant them?
ANy ideas on playground funders would be great too.

Start with Parkway Partners, since they already work with NORA on maintaining parks and parkways. Also, try Hike For Katreena, as they have a similar goal to yours.

Good luck!

I never thought that they were supposed to, but I’ve recently heard that they’re supposed to. I thought that we are losing rainforest so quickly because they don’t replace the trees they cut down. So, do they have to replace the trees? Thanks.

Actually most of the rainforest is being cut down to develop new pasture land for beef cattle. The trees are not being replanted. The soil will be depleted and they will need to continue cutting to find richer soil. One alternative is to pay Carbon Credit $s specifically to preserve and protect the rain forest.

I have 2 sweet gum trees in my yard that completely cover the ground with gumballs. I had heard that by pruning the top of the tree it would actually stop the tree from producing the gumballs. I have not been able to verify that anywhere. Does anyone know if that’s true or does anyone have any ideas short of cutting the trees down?

The last house we lived in had Liquidambar(Sweet Gum) trees lining the street. Those prickle balls covered the lawn every year. There is NO way I know of to get them to not produce them. I know they hurt. But it’s really only a once a year thing. I remember raking leaves for a few weeks, then raking the prickle balls once and filling up 2 or 3 trash cans full. That’s what we pay for shade and oxygen Sorry. Good luck.

Is it the right time of year to start growing seeds? Which seeds (or trees) grow the quickest? And can you point me in the right direction for more information about this topic. Also where can you obtain tree seeds? Any info will be greatly appreciated
thankyou, luv tree hugging mac!

Some quick growing trees are Common Ash, Most Sycamores, Scots pine, Larch, Field Maple, Cider Gum, Hawthorn, Willow, Poplar. Most of these tree’s can be harvested for seeds and they are very easy to grow, to find out when and where to grow them get the "Collins book on Tree’s and Shrubs" Or go on the web site of a tree specialist college, like Moulton College, Moulton, Northamptonshire. I find that the best time to plant them is the beginning of spring when the sap in other trees is rising, spring is a very productive month, it would also be helpful to the seeds if you grow them on to small plants in pots to start with, with Willows you can take cuttings of the older trees you find and place the cuttings in a damp and fertile soil, only take cuttings from new growth or this years growth. Good luck from a professional Tree hugger.

What plants, shrubs or trees are best for noise reduction? I need to lower traffic noise coming into my garden. Any ideas or websites you could guide me to? Thanks.

If you live in the West, Oleanders are the best shrubs and Eucalyptus trees will do a great job muting traffic noises.