AN EARLY AMERICAN STORY OF OUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION The Mighty White Pine Tree
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phases if you have a large space, or call in the help of a professional. This should include sealing up vents, electrical outlets, and garden-hose bibs — basically any location where cables or pipes go through the wall — to protect your home from the wind and moisture. This may help prevent mold and mildew, as well. In vulnerable places, use high-quality, urethane-based caulk to ensure no water can get through. If you’re a business owner, many of these same steps should also be followed to safeguard your business. You might call in the support of neighbors or your team members to carry out some of these tasks. Then, you can reciprocate and help them do the same for their home. Coming into storm season, it’s also a good idea to review your insurance policies and find out what’s covered in the event of a big storm. Your policy may have some additional suggestions for how you can properly prepare. The king’s proclamation caused major conflict with the colonists, who also used white pines for lumber to build their houses. Lumbermen caught harvesting white pine were detained and fined by the British, so the White Pine Act caused heavy resentment among the colonists. In 1772, the Pine Tree Riot was one of the first violent sparks of the American Revolution, occurring before the Boston Tea Party. In fact, the first revolutionary flag had a white pine in the upper left corner. After the war, New England’s mast industry continued until all old-growth forests were exhausted. The 1950s saw a resurgence of interest in white pines as hedgerows, bushes planted as borders between newly built houses, became popular. Over time, those hedges were not pruned and became tall trees. Unfortunately, white pines were never intended to be yard trees because branches grow twisted and weak in direct wind. In their protected forest setting, they will grow tall and straight. From a valuable resource for naval power to a majestic but dangerous yard tree, the eastern white pine is an integral part of the American story. 3. SEAL YOUR HOME’S EXTERIOR.
As we approach storm season on the East Coast, there are some important steps you can take to protect your home. While many whims of Mother Nature are unpredictable, one thing you can control is the potential threat certain areas of your home pose during a storm. A good place to start is with your backyard. Take inventory and determine what may become dangerous in high winds and rain. Then, take action and get those areas into shape! 1. REMOVE WEAK BRANCHES AND TREES. This should be your top priority going into storm season. Weakened or dead trees and branches pose a serious threat to your home. You never know when they’ll fall, or in what direction. Call a certified arborist to help with tree removal and always use caution around weakened trees. In the 1600s, harvesting pines for British shipbuilding was a very lucrative business for American colonists, but it was brutal work with only axes and oxen. Typically, eight men would work as a crew to fell a 200-foot tall white pine, cut limbs manually by ax, and tow the trunk with oxen to a river, where it was floated down to the shipbuilding yards. The English navy’s dominant power in the 1600s and 1700s rested in its ability to have the tallest masts on their war ships. And no other wood in the world served this purpose as well as that of the eastern white pine, which reaches the height and flexibility needed for massive British men-of- war masts. Britain’s high seas dominance and the spread of English-language culture was therefore directly dependent on the white pine. In 1691, to protect its interests, England’s parliament passed the first White Pine Act, decreeing all mast-worthy white pines in the Colonies as the king’s trees. Surveyors were employed to troll the forests and mark all white pines over 24 inches in diameter with the king’s mark of the “broad arrow.”
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Call at (860) 888-8472
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Email at TroutBrookTree@gmail.com
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Text at (860) 999-4630
In addition to tree services, we install native Connecticut gardens and trees with sustainability and site conditions, like sun, wind, and soil, in mind. Our master gardener will walk the property and propose designs based on your existing home, landscape, color preferences, and budget. If you are in the market for tree services or a garden, call Andrew Bachman, certified arborist and owner at (860) 999-4630 or Susan Potter, designer and master gardener at (860) 305-8762.
3 WAYS TO PREPARE YOUR BACKYARD FOR STORM SEASON
2. REPLACE GRAVEL OR ROCK LANDSCAPING WITH BARK.
Bark is lighter than gravel and rock, and, in a storm, it will wreak less havoc on nearby structures. Make this swap in
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