(Response to Ms. Hofmann’s column GENDER BENDER, dated May 29-June 4, 2011, titled “Trees of life-and how we treat them”)
It is always good to hear of people who are concerned about the things that most of us have taken for granted. So when people talk or write about how we homo sapiens have denuded our forests, how we have “maltreated” our trees, how we have remained oblivious of our trees’ plight despite the many benefits these have provided us — these remarks are always welcome and worth noting. Just like the article of Ms. Hofmann which was surely an eye-opener especially to those who think that the only important creation on this planet is man.
However, there is one point that needs to be explained regarding the cemented portion (that also serves as a seating facility) surrounding some of the acacia trees along the Boulevard in order to correct some notions of people.
I will respond to Ms. Hofmann’s statements and expound on the manner by which trees subsist and how they manage to survive despite the many “cruelties” they have to endure in the hands of man. Of course, this is not to say that it is OK for us to abuse the trees just because we know they can survive the mistreatment. The point of this elucidation is to correct some misconceptions that many of us have about trees.
It is erroneous for any of us to think that these cement formations can kill our trees, devastate their roots or restrain their development. For a start, roots have 4 major functions: 1) they anchor trees, 2) store energy, 3) absorb water and nutrients and 4) conduct water and nutrients to the rest of the plant. Generally, roots, by nature, grow in any direction in search of areas where there exist the correct and adequate environment of air, mineral nutrients and water in order to meet the plant’s needs.
Some roots can grow as deep and as long as the height of the tree. Majority of these roots position themselves relatively close to the surface where nutrient availability and aeration are more favorable to their growth. Considering this root configuration, we can see that the cement structure cannot and does not disturb the tree’s development process nor disrupt the roots’ methods of survival. How? The place where the cemented structure lies is not the place or spot where the roots breathe or where the roots secure air. In reality, the roots have stretched or widened very far from the cement structure so it is not possible that they have been “choked” by that structure or have been mutilated (please see illustration).
Further, roots normally grow outward to about three times (3x) the branches spread which means that if we see how thick the foliage is of the acacia tree and how far it has gone outward from the main trunk, that is how far the roots have extended three times. Likewise, when we see that the leaves/branches of a tree look injured on one side, say on the left side, it means that the roots ON THAT SIDE have been hurt or wounded.
In short, those rounded cement structures that surround the trees along the Boulevard DO NOT and CANNOT destroy the life of these trees contrary to what the article of Ms. Hofmann has insinuated or what some people thought. Hope this will set the record straight.
William E. Ablong
City Administrator/City Agriculturist