oh thank god.. another 2 bite the dust ....

instead of focusing on what is leaving...

focus on all the potential ....

and all the free wood chips and fire wood ...

ken

PS: and the spring mess of seed pods.. and the lack of two zillion seedlings .... sorry .. i just dont see a downside here ....

The downside is that your neightbor will not replace them with anything. Or he may replace them with Bradford pears.

My neighbor cut down an enormous silver maple three years ago. It wasn't sick, there was nothing wrong with the wood. Undesirable tree or not, it was probably 90 years old and 75 feet tall with a crown that shaded our whole block. He didn't replace it with anything and even if he had, no one now living on the block would be around to see a replacement reach maturity.

Do you know what I hauled home today? A cut up Norway Maple which I intend to split, dry and burn in my woodstove next winter. They make great firewood.
You should be jumping for joy, it is a discredited species, and has no business under power lines.
Sam

I don't live in the city anymore, but for the time I did, I loved the large trees planted in the hellstrips between sidewalk and street. They often were just the kinds of trees you are talking about. Silver maples, Norway maples. Like leslies said, the down side is that they don't get replaced and a lot of people are happy because the sidewalks aren't drowning in samaras and leaves, and the birds don't poop on their cars. But, the charm is gone.

Here in the country, the powerlines go down one side of the road. It seems to alternate which side on our route and they happen go go across the part of our property located directly in front of our 1820s house. Some of the trees in front of the house are nothing less than massive. I have seen pictures of this house taken during the Civil War and some of the trees in those pictures are still alive. The tree crew who were contracted to top and trim around the lines were carping to me about planting trees near the lines. Excuse me? I don't think electric even ran down this road until the 1930s. Why did they run the lines near the trees? LOL.

People who live in close proximity to other people will have one half of those who are glad to be shuck of the shade and the other half who mourn the loss of it. I hate to see any healthy tree pulled down before its time, but I don't see much we can do about somebody else's responsibility.

The only "discredited species" I know of is Homo sapiens.

An 1820's home sounds wonderful. I hope to build something that someday could be confused with such an old home.

The only smart thing I've ever done was insist that the developer of our small subdivision have underground electricity. I was the buyer of the first few lots and told him that above ground power lines would be a deal breaker.

I agree with Ken, another two bite the dust! LOL Seriously, it will be something of a shock when the trees are removed, but it is for the best. This is a case where it is better to have NO hair. I had 2 large Norway maples removed last November, and it took awhile to get used to the gaps that were left behind. But now I am thrilled. I am planting gardens and shrub borders instead!

On the surface, these can be attractive trees, and they may work well in a contained urban setting. However, here in suburban/rural Northeast US, they are a scourge. I could go on and on about how horrible they are. But to summarize -

- They are extremely invasive, and on the Prohibited plant list in Massachusetts. They make a million samaras and the seedlings sprout everywhere, and well beyond the boundaries of one's yard. They are one of the only species that can invade a mature forest.

- Their canopies are extremely dense and aggressive, and cast a deep shade. The canopy spreads out wide and dominates its site, crowding out the canopies of neighboring trees (which can eventually die as the Norway grows bigger). When a Norway is removed, it is like "Let there be light".

- Like other Maples, their roots grow near the surface and are very thirsty. They are also alleolopathic, which means they produce a toxin that prohibits the growth of other plants. Between this and the deep shade created by the canopy, it is very difficult to grow anything under a Norway maple.

I have one remaining Norway maple which is GINORMOUS! The Vinca minor is the only thing growing happily under that one. I have been eyeballing it for removal.

I, too, agree with Ken. We need to be taking some care with this fragile earth. Need to be thinking about the future with our selections.
leslie should see my new 9 yr old yard before she claims nothing will mature during her lifetime. That is so untrue. My yard ran together with 3 yards on one side and one on the other. A humungous barren landscape. Then I planted my side lot lines with trees and shrubs. I now have a wonderful enclosed yard, full of birds and deer and other critters, and alot of privacy. A swamp white oak is now about 25' tall. Same with a white pine at the back lot line. All the rest are small trees by my choice. I think giant trees belong in a forest, not a city lot.

All my trees are healthy, produce fruit or shelter, and arent invasive.

I just cant agree that just because some piece of junk tree is old, that it is valuable.
Pondy

LOL. What a fun conversation! Think of the opportunity for a better tree to take it's place, once it is removed.

I have rescued tree seedlings from parking lots for several years now, and many happened to be Norway Maples. A few years ago, I came to my senses and dumped out most of the Norway maples, with the exception of some dark-red-leafed, or really large ones. It hurt, but I knew I did the right thing.

I planted two of my Norway Maple rescues by the SE Portland DEA office. They already had a row of Norway Maples that ended too short, so I donated a couple of trees to the government. They are still there, doing okay.

"by the SE Portland DEA office"

'DEA'? - Department of Environmental Affairs?