Why is our neighborhood called a certified wildlife community...

...when we don't seem to want wild areas left alone to do what they do? I live near the corner of Claiborne and Stone Hollow Drive. I heard this grinding noise and after a little while went outside to find that a large dead tree was being taken down. Yes, I said a dead tree. Dead trees are part of a real natural habitat and they still have value. They provide nesting cavities for birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches and blue birds as well as a home and food source for many insects. This tree was not rotten or about to fall over on anyone's house or causing any hazard other than that some narrow minded people may not like the way it looks or appreciate its usefulness. In fact, this tree only recently died and was probably still pretty sturdy. Does the habitat comittee in this neighborhood do anything but see to it that the bare minimum is accomplished to maintain this standing as a "certified wildlife community"? Are we only allowed to have nature in this neighborhood as long as it is well manicured? The only space that is going to be "left for wildlife" is going to be postage stamp sized and groomed to within an inch of its life!Sorry for the rant, but who wants to live in a de-nuded tree-free neighborhood? Go back to the city if that's what you really want.

 

" Are we only allowed to have nature in this neighborhood as long as it is well manicured? "

I fear that there are some residents that feel that way.

Some people like to live next to nature, but get upset when an animal touches their deck.

I agree completly with your comments about the dead tree. As long as it was not a hazard, dead trees still serve an important part in nature. Sorry it was cut down like that.

 

if that dead tree that you think was PROBABLY sturdy fell on you while you were walking, you'd likely hold the HOA responsible for NOT getting rid of it. dead trees are cut down and left as a part of the landscape all the time, so i wouldn't worry about the Broadlands becoming a concrete jungle juuuust yet...

 

Redon is correct. Dead trees in common areas that are not near houses and walkways and that are not shedding branches are sometimes left up for a while. But if they are near houses or paths they are brought down to avoid injuries and damages. The felled trees are left in the common area when at all possible. This provides habitat for wildlife and reduces HOA costs.Tree removal is expensive, so we do not remove them without good cause.

 

thank you Maureen! I think you just helped AllieS's blood pressure drop to a normal level now...

 

The work appears done. All the branches have been removed from this tree, so it is essentially a stick, but I guess that still serves a purpose. None of the branches on this tree over hung a walkway or house, so there were no litigious heads that could potentially have been cracked open by falling branches. And what are the odds of that really happening anyway? Live trees blow down in storms all the time, but fortunately we leave some of those up in spite of the hazard. When I drove by, I could not see that any branches were left behind. I'll be interested to check on that after the rain stops.

 

Is it possible that the tree was diseased and could have spread to other trees?

 

The tree was less than 15' from the sidewalk on Claiborne, and close enough to the house on the corner to potentially do some damage. The brush might have been removed but the trunk will be left in the common area when it is cut down. Work stopped because of the weather.

 

Leaving the dropped tree instead of removing it will help the environment.

I do agree with the OP. We had a 'natural' wetlands next to the community pool. Then, the trees were dropped and removed. Now the water is controlled by rip-rap. I don't really understand these changes.

 

County took over the area and made all the changes.

Staci

 

That stinks for the 'natural' area!

Staci, you are the best! Some day, I'm gonna stump you.

 

Ok you keep trying.

I think what destroyed the "Natural" area was actually the road
The drainage system that was put in because of the road was totally inadequate and destroyed the natural flow of water. This caused the area to dam up and all that added water killed the trees and shrubs as well as any wildlife. The Hoa tried felling the trees in hopes it would help - it did not and then the county offered to come in and help "fix" the issues. I am hopeful that what the county did will revitalize most of that area. Think it is starting to work as the area is not as wet now and a lot of the snakes and turtles are back in the area

Staci

 

Staci you are correct about the turtles, we had to stop the other day to let a ginormous turtle cross Waxpool right at the community center...must have been headed home!

 

We had a huge old White Oak cut down because it leaned precariously toward a house. The arborist planned to cut down half the tree until they discovered it was hollow to the core - straight down to the base. So they took the whole tree down and it now provides shelter, feeds nutrients back into the soil, and the rotting wood attracks all kinds of bugs to feed the birds and wildlife.

 

Yep. I remember way back when we could actually see that tree, when it was alive, from our back porch- before all the homes built up. Then all we could see was about the top half. Heard the buzzing one day and saw the little man in the tree. I worried a branch would break and he'd tumble. Better to remove it (sadly) then have it damage your home when it falls on your roof or in through a window during one of the wicked storms we get.

 

It is true that we all have different levels of acceptance and or comfort with how natural or native the environment around us is. I personally don't like the amount of money, energy and time that goes into keeping the mowed areas up. But I understand that some people likes it cut and manicured all the time. Blowing some clippings up and down Claibourne is waste of what? money? time? energy? or Polluting the air with the blower is something we need to ignore on top of it.

The unfortunate problem is that people that really cares about the environment even a little bit have not made as much noise as the ones that hurries to the phones and complains about how tall the grass has grown.

That's why I hope more people can join to our Habitat Committee and help us to improve our dealings with our environment and spread the word. We welcome anyone that can give us even a little time sometime.