My first Magazine | Page 2

DEER SEASON

It seems early , but the deer have already started to visit backyards to scout out their winter menu . Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife biologists have estimated that the deer population in some local areas are as much as 5 to 6 times what they should be .

Landscape plants treated with deer repellent stand a better chance of being in tact come springtime , particularly in a winter with snow levels that bury other deer-edibles . But your valuable landscape plant material deserves to be given a fighting chance of maintaining leaves , needles and shape , to see another growing season . The time to discourage the deer from munching is early in the season , so that they go elsewhere looking for their options as winter sets in .

KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING

Kiln-dried firewood is ready for delivery ! Our firemaster , Ken , is a familiar face on many of your properties and he ’ s in full swing , delivering and stacking the highest quality , cleanest burning product available . Heat treated at 160 degrees for a minimum of 75 minutes , this firewood lights easily and is free of insects , mold or moisture , making it suitable for the most discriminating living spaces and a first-choice for wood burning ovens . Give Cathy a call at the office to schedule a delivery .

SNOW ON YOUR ROOF

We were thankfully spared this past

winter from most of the horrors of damaging ice dams and snow build up on homes that we suffered in early 2015 . If you have concerns about roof clearing for the coming season , help is available . Our equipment and experienced climbers allow us to address the needs of a limited number of clients in emergency situations and we would be happy to add you to our list on a first come , first served basis ... just in case it snows !

WHAT DO YOU SEE IN TREES ?

Quick to climb the nonfiction “ best seller ” list is a book by Peter Wohlleben , a German forester of many years , who has pieced together his life-long observations and extensive compilation of scientific research into a quite readable , almost poetic storytelling of “ The Hidden Life of Trees – What They Feel , How They Communicate – Discoveries from a Secret World ,” ( Greystone Books , Ltd .).

Much of the author ’ s experience is with Central European forests , but any reader will be able to envision the “ families ” of trees he describes , the communities they form and the seasonal events in which they care for each other . Wohlleben exhibits a genuine respect for and understanding of the forests in which he works , that we might call “ old growth .” However , one or two hundred year old trees are youngsters in his view . Along with their many-century-old mothers and community of elders , these youngsters are raised to carry on as the next generation , through protections , communication , and nurturing . The trees communicate using senses that he describes in human-equivalent fashion . He prods our thinking with a gentle willingness to ask as many questions as those to which we seem to have discovered answers . The science is woven seamlessly and interestingly with Wohlleben ’ s narrative .

Peter Wohlleben now cares for the same forest trees , but in much different ways from his earlier years as a forester . And he now shares with us so much of what he has learned personally and scientifically , in an approachable and enjoyable read , prodding us to reflect on and appreciate the beauty and peace of our own landscapes and properties .

For further discussion , an On Point interview of Peter Wohlleben by Tom Ashbrook can be found at www . wbur . org / onpoint / archive entitled The Buried , Secret Lives of Trees on September 14 , 2016 .

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