Tallamy started a program called “Homegrown National Park,” which catalyzes a collective effort of homeowners, city officials, land managers, farmers and others to remove invasives and to plant a variety of native plants to create a “national park” all over the United States. You can register your own little native ecosystem on his website to help it grow in size.
I love trees the many intricate food webs that they support. There is a lot of love for birds out there, but about 96% of terrestrial bird species must feed their young insects (largely caterpillars) — and those native insects need native trees. Planting trees that are native to our area helps regenerate the biodiversity of our suburb and increase the overall ecosystem function. Planting trees is also one small thing we can all do to mitigate climate change.
Native trees are adapted to living in our exact conditions, so once established, they do not require water, fertilizers, or much maintenance. They support the food web above ground — a diverse underground ecosystem full of fungus and microorganisms.
Unfortunately, many trees that have been planted in the last 20 or more years in many cities and landscapes have been non-native or man-made cultivars that require the soil to be regularly altered to survive. These varieties are less likely to support the ecosystem, can be less resilient to pests, storms and weather extremes. Additionally, many of them do not live as long as promised. Native maple trees can live to be 80-100 years, but some man-made cultivars are only surviving 15-20 because they were created to have specific characteristics. Another issue is that some cities have planted many of the same cultivar, which reduces biodiversity and can lead to issues when pests or disease spread among them.
Kettering has been working hard to plant a wide variety of tree species, including many natives. The Tree Committee has helped plan and make decisions on some of the trees planted using grant money and is working on some exciting new community tree programs in the next year. The Tree Committee also participated in invasive honeysuckle removal events and assisted with the annual Tree Fest community tree planting event. Our goal is to plant more trees in our beautiful community, spread awareness about tree health, and promote an appreciation for all of our trees, new and old.
We would love residents to properly maintain their precious elderly trees and plant more native trees to build a healthy ecosystem right here in Kettering.
Molly Merrill is a member of the Kettering Tree Committee.
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