Trees, Again!

I have written about trees before in my blogs; apparently, I still have more to say! 

I learned today about a study done over 36 years ago, and reported in the journal Science in 1984. Hospital patients recovering from gall bladder surgery did better if they looked out on trees from their recovery room, compared with those whose only view was a brick wall.

Humans are so hard-wired for nature, that even looking at a tree helps healing. This seems especially pertinent during this time when so many are confined to small spaces as we globally weather a pandemic. We need views of nature.

Perhaps the view out of a hospital room might be of a tree like one of these. Patients looking at a view with trees recovered faster, spent less time in hospital, and required fewer pain killers than those who looked out at a brick wall.

Patients who looked at a stark brick wall did not have as positive healing experience as those who looked at nature. As well, they had more post-operative complications.

The benefits of trees in helping us heal provide just one more reason to protect them!

I love all the different ways I see that trees are protected here in Victoria.

Fence carefully built around a tree. I notice the tree has expanded almost to the point of growing into the fence. Some adjustments will soon be needed.

Trees pruned for hydro wires

Trees are protected during construction projects

Another example of the efforts to protect trees during construction

There is also planning and action for the next generation of urban trees. 

I see efforts to raise awareness about the importance of dead and downed trees.

Wildlife tree sign, Beacon Hill Park

This tree blew down in Beacon Hill Park in a windstorm in August. The park is leaving it for habitat.

Although I do see dead trees allowed to remain, nonetheeless, some are removed. When this happens, neighbours are given warning, and the rationale is provided, through a notice stapled to the tree. Neighbours are also advised about the plan for replacement trees.

And, I have seen many replacement trees planted.

A healthy young tree, protected from browsing animals and mowers, with a diseased tree to be removed in the background

There are stories to some of the trees in Beacon Hill Park. The Mayor's Grove was started in 1927 when Victoria hosted a conference of Western Canadian mayors and planted trees in memory. In subsequent years, more trees were planted when foreign dignitaries visited the city.

A tree in the Mayor's Grove, planted in honour of the visiting King of Siam (now Thailand).

While stately ornamental trees like those in the Mayor's Grove are beautiful, I am equally enchanted by the wilder looks of Garry Oak and other native trees.

Birches in landscaping in a dense apartment development

There are many things to appreciate about trees; one which I have been exploring in the last while is their bark. Here are a few images of bark from trees I have found on recent wanderings.

Giant Sequoia

Cedar root wad

This bark almost looked like elephant skin in the evening light

Tree species not known

Another unknown tree species

In researching to identify the varieties of trees in Victoria, I came across a website developed by James Clowater, naturalist and birder. Clowater notes that Vancouver Island has 34 native species of tree, but that many more varieties grow here, from all over the world, and add to the richness of our urban environment. He suggests that we need to appreciate the diversity of trees in our own neighbourhoods; I would agree with him.

Clowater's website has a data base of trees in several Victoria parks. The user can zoom in on a dot, and details about the species of tree are provided. The two images below illustrate this.

Source: http://treesofvictoria.com/beaconhillpark/bhtrees.html

Every green dot in this zoom image has similar information to that shown. In this case, the tree is a Ponderosa Pine; diameter at breast height is 70 cm

A number of the trees identified on Clowater's website are Garry Oaks.

Garry Oaks of Beacon Hill Park. These drought tolerant trees are adapted to the unique climate of the area, with deep roots to access moisture during the dry season.

According to Clowater's site, this Giant Sequoia in the park is 262 cm at breast height.

I am fortunate to live in a city which values trees so much, and has such a hospitable climate in which they can grow. But even Calgary, the city I grew up in and has a reputation for having a harsh and unforgiving climate, can grow trees.

When I was a student at the university there in the late 1960's, the campus grounds were barren. Here is the library, where I spent a lot of time, as it was in 1967. Hardly a tree to be seen! But thanks to the far-sightedness of a couple of grounds managers, the university is now a thriving community of trees, which create their own micro-climate. (https://albertaviews.ab.ca/issues/2002/janfeb02/janfeb02garden.pdf)

University of Calgary, 1967. Source: https://www.livabl.com/2016/05/university-of-calgary.html

An article in the publication Alberta Views describes how the dustbowl which was the university building site of the 1960's was transformed. A lot of the credit goes to Walter Retzer, who started working as the grounds manager in 1964, and built the soil up with composted manure. 

I had trouble finding any photos online which adequately portray the canopy of trees on the university campus now. Here are a couple I found on flickr. Even these are not current however.

University of Calgary. Photographer P.M.Varma. 

University of Calgary. Photographer P.M. Varma.

I will end this tribute to trees by referring back to the brick facades I started with. Trees can make the plainest of brick buildings beautiful.

Cherry blossoms earlier this year on Menzies Street.

May we continue to plant and appreciate trees.