Pacific Northwest Gardening: One Billion Trees, 1 by Poochella

Poochella wrote:
Love the oak Lani. And the snowy scene. Small world: I worked in Wadena for 9 months or so right after college LOL. It was a bit too small for my taste, but yes, a wonderful area; kind of gateway to the north of MN, in my eye.

Murmur I can relate 1000% to your tree cutting grief.
About 7 years ago our adjacent neighbor, also seeking lumber money and more sunshine, clear cut nearly all of his 19 acres. Our property line ends right behind our garage and house: 15-25 ft away began his woods which had provided a lovely towering evergreen/mixed deciduous backdrop to our yard, a wildlife haven, shade, leaves, gentle breezes, windbreaks. You name it- the woods provided it.

Our neighbor had the good grace to forwarn all of us in the area of his plans and he had to attend a stewardship program put on by the DNR which also required replanting trees. That was of little comfort to me as 'our' entire backdrop of hundred foot tall trees was about to be lost forever. When the chainsaw and logging trucks started, I cried- a beautiful forested hillside was converted to a field of stumps in days. When the loggers edged ever closer and each trunk of another felled tree hit the ground I grew so anxious I was nearly paralyzed- couldn't focus on anything but the tree cutting. There was a lot of OMG'ing going on. I had to do something and fast.

So I called the neighbor LOL ( thinking swiftly....) and, like you, asked if he'd consider leaving us such a fringe 10 -12 ft deep as a little backdrop behind our house/property line. He came over right away, looked things over and said "sure." Great guy! The chainsaws began again, closer now at only 100-200 ft from our yard. I walked along the woods, looked at the few thin trunks that would be left behind us and the anxiety began to spin out of control, right along with the whirring chainsaws.

I have never ever been so riddled with overwhelming anxiety. I tried to go about household tasks, but couldn't. I tried to head to work in the lower gardens away from the mayhem of falling trees and to accept the fate of the woods, but could only spun in circles continuing the mantra, "OMG!" If anyone would have found me in that state, I would have surely been rushed away to a nice rubber room somewhere!

One little call to the DH, one more urgent call to the neighbor, and the imminent problem was solved. I asked if he would sell us the section of woods immediately behind our property! "Sure" he said. What a guy! So he got more money, we got our woods, the birds and squirrels kept their homes.

The amazing thing to see has been the regrowth in the clearcut areas. The first season was awash in foxglove. Alder, the 'weed trees' and vine maple followed and flourished. Evergreens began to sprout up and some are now about 6 ft tall. Blackberries~ ugh~ abound. I found patches of trilliums previously unaccessible! It isn't the lush mossy evergreen woods of yore, but nature is working hard to heal the wounds.

Murmur, if you want about a zillion foxglove seeds for your next seed sowing party ( love the photos BTW,) I'll get and hold them for you. I could muster up a few hemlock, fir and cedar saplings if you wanted those too.