From masting to marescence ; the phenomenon where oaks , especially when younger , don ’ t drop their dead leaves until spring , when the tree breaks dormancy and begins to grow new leaves . Thankfully , the dead leaves do eventually drop , adding to the leaf litter that ’ s been decomposing since other tree species shed their leaves in the fall .
Oak leaves , with more tannins and lignins than many other native trees also take longer to decay — which is good news , since it appears that oak litter may help suppress the spread of incredibly invasive Japanese stiltgrass , as well as Asian jumping worms , an exotic that ’ s also threatening forest ecosystems . Letting leaf litter remain and crumble also supports the many creatures that hide in this decaying leaf cover . While leaf litter in the yard may suppress the lawn , less lawn means less mowing , therefore less of a carbon footprint , and more habitat for native creatures !
So don ’ t plant an oak ; plant several ! Create a legacy for the future . Two mature oak trees produce 260 pounds of oxygen a year — enough for a family of four to enjoy breathing for that year ! When you do plant your trees , remember that they will need infrequent but deep watering — and not just during the first year they are started . Particularly during drought , water your trees , even several years after you ’ ve planted them . Oaks can live for hundreds of years , if you give them a good start .
“ What really interests me is how long-lived plants allow humans to think about — and emotionally relate to — long units of time ,” muses Jared Farmer , the Ellen Gordon is a long-time civic activist Walter H . Annenberg Professor of with Sugarloaf Citizens Association , History at the University of Pennsylvania . “ They provide a bridge promote regenerative farming . She is
currently focused on SCA ’ s efforts to between human time and geological time . Given that anthropogenic and editor of stories about the ocean
a former coastal issues analyst , writer
climate change will have effects and the people who study it . An avid deep into the future , people need horseback trail rider , an avocational to get better at long-term thinking — even as attention spans get gardener in the veggie patch , Ellen
herbalist , and an enthusiastic chaos
shorter and shorter . Basically , I ’ m chooses the outdoors whenever she wondering if trees can help us plan can — in the fields and woods , the ocean , for longevity under precarity .” the mountains , and her yard .
Our forests matter ...
Seeing the urgent need to protect our communities ’ health through improving protections of our forests and trees , the Audubon Naturalist Society and partners * formed the Montgomery County Forest Coalition in late summer of 2020 . The collective goal is for the county to reach “ no net loss ” and a “ net gain ” of forests by prioritizing the protection of forest ecosystems .
Despite the well-known benefits of trees and forest ecosystems and current Montgomery County Forest Conservation Law ( FCL ), Montgomery County continues to lose trees and forest cover . Between 2008 and 2016 , development in the County cleared 1,383 acres of forest — the fifth highest amount of forest cleared among all Maryland counties .
Many are asking that the Montgomery County ’ s FCL be updated and strengthened . This step would follow other counties around the state that have recently strengthened their local forest laws , including Frederick County which unanimously passed Maryland ’ s strongest local forest protection policies in the summer of 2020 .
Your voice is needed !
Please visit any of the websites of organizations in the MoCo Forest Coalition listed below to learn more about how to advocate for the strongest forest protections possible in Montgomery County . You will be asked to share your own “ forest stories ” with the Montgomery County Council who will soon be deciding on how best to improve the FCL though strengthening amendments .
* Audubon Naturalist Society , Potomac Conservancy , Chesapeake Bay Foundation , Friends of Sligo Creek , Conservation Montgomery , Sierra Club Montgomery County , Defensores de la Cuenca , Friends of Ten Mile Creek & Little Seneca Reservoir , Montgomery Countryside Alliance , Rock Creek Conservancy , and MoCo Stormwater Partners Network .
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