 Trees acquired just as they grew are most truly your own,
when you know them. Across the scene passes a panorama
of American homes from New England to California and from the
Adirondacks to South Carolina. Six have been his own homes, three
suburban, three truly rural. Most belong to people who have sought
professional advice about their trees, in grounds ranging from
segments of raw "developments" to expansive, manicured estates
laid out in unspoiled countryside. Regardless of size or pretensions,
the central questions have always been the same and always should
be: "What, if anything, do our trees really need? How can we preserve
and improve them most prudently?"Every one cherishes his trees to some degree, but no one really thinks money grows on them. Between the most affluent, experienced owner and the most modest and inexperienced, prudence is a common denominator. What the former well knows, the latter fears: tree care can be overdone as well as underdone. Each seeks a happy medium where overhead will not outrun psychic income and real value in the property. As with any other performance, some familiarity with the cast of characters is essential to directing and enjoying tree care. Happiest are those people who can recognize and understand all the trees they own. It is not within the scope of this book to provide a catalog of species, but careful thought has been given to a list of guidebooks appended to this chapter. Manuals that cover all sections of the country have been chosen, and also books of appreciation—good writing about trees by authorities who love their subjects as well as they know it. |
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