Comments on: Shade Trees as a Smart Financial Investment

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 22:50:44 +0000

Hi, I like your blog. It is the first time I am on it and I almost spend an hour reading through the post. I must agree with Tang comment. The article is a bit single sided, leaving out maintenance and potential damages to foundations, sewerage. Despite those, there is likely to be an increased insure premium (depending were you live) due storm or tornados, etc.

So, yes it does increase value, but by 25% sounds to much.

By: tang

tang — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:20:29 +0000

This article is supposed to be about a smart financial investment, yet the only places that talk about the cost of putting them in, the time it takes to see the investment pay dividends(such as producing sap and shade), the maintenance costs, and the risk of damage to sewers and roofs are no where to be seen but the comment section.

It seems to be a very lop-sided argument on why someone should buy a tree. It’s like saying how great of a financial investment it is to buy an expensive car, without talking about the costs. You get the external gratifications, the extra horse power, the nice seats, the nice handling, but don’t sweat the $60K cost that will depreciate right when you get off the lot.

I am a big fan of The Simple Dollar, but this article is by no way on par with other articles.

By: alilz

alilz — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:43:33 +0000

There’s a 40 to 1 ratio for making syrup, so you need 40 quarts of sap to make

By: Kate

Kate — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:47:52 +0000

to Gretchen:

We chose to plant fruit trees for our shade – apple, plum, pear and cherry.
To be kept healthy, they don’t require any more pruning or other attention than any other shade tree would, and we don’t use ANY chemicals on them. Our cats keep the birds off, and we spray them twice each spring with a mixture of water, dish soap, and powdered borax for insect control – we use the same spray on ALL our trees. So far the only pest problem we’ve had is a family of raccoons who love apples and carry away all the windfalls :-)

By: rebecca

rebecca — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:25:25 +0000

We have eight or so trees on our 55 ft wide lot and I LOVE THEM! I love them for the shade (it’s hot in the desert, yo). I love them for the thought of their use (mesquite flour, citrus) even when I don’t take full advantage. They were a major draw in moving to the property (paid more in rent for those mature babies, but waaaay less in cooling costs). I do not mind the cleanup and can do it when we tend the veggie garden. It took decades for them to get into the clay sewage pipes and a quick snaking took care of that! I know they are not just money in the bank, but joy in my life.

By: Leah

Leah — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:10:38 +0000

If you do want to make your own maple syrup, see if people/organizations in the area tap trees and end up with too much sap. At the nature center in my town, we gave away quite a bit of sap to volunteers at the end of the season — we had way more than we could boil down in the time we had. We tapped something like 100-150 trees and got a good 30 gallons of sap! It is a lot of work, but it’s pretty fun.

By: DC

DC — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:47:32 +0000

Shade trees are definitely an excellent idea for many reasons. To mention a couple, they increase the amount of oxygen production in the air and another is the absorption of carbon dioxide.

So, thinking about the environmental benefits of planting trees and how it can reduce certain things such as use of a lawn mower, etc. How about using a reel mower (no engine) AND planting some trees! For those who aren’t familiar with how good of a job a reel mower does (considering it’s using only human power), think about giving it a try. Have fun!

By: Kaye Swain

Kaye Swain — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 03:13:16 +0000

Thanks for an interesting article. I love trees around the house, even if they are sometimes messy and have to be pruned. They cool the house and yard, give wonderful shade for grandchildren and grandparents to enjoy in the hot summer and help shade the house as well. But, as many writers have mentioned, research is vital.

An invaluable resource, if it’s available, can be a Shade Tree program provided by many cities. It’s definitely worth calling to see if your city or county offers it. The one I participated in gave us two classes with lots of info and advice on the best types of trees for the area, how to plant them, where to plant them, and cautions such how to call to find out where NOT to plant them because of water lines, electric lines, etc. Then they provided each of us with 2-3 free trees and even came out to help us plant them. It was a wonderful program and we learned a lot. :)

By: Two Dozen

Two Dozen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:56:39 +0000

And I forgot to mention that one of the neighbors trees lost a branch in a thunderstorm and knocked a hole in the roof and a cousins car was crushed by a tree limb during a hurricane.

So Trent, tell me how my BBQ grill is a smart investment and I will tell you how my wifes sewing machine is a smart investment.

By: Two Dozen

Two Dozen — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:49:17 +0000

Speaking as someone who planted Bradford pears in front of my house and a sugar maple behind it, I regret the decision. The Sugar maple was wonderful for the first ten years, but since it was planted in the middle of a ten year drought it shallow rooted and when the rain came it shifted, towards the neighbor. The Bradford pears suck up all the nutrinents in the front yard, they have to be pruned up at the trunk every spring, older trees are prone to splitting at the crotch during thunderstroms, crashing into your roof, they stink of sex 10 days during the spring and they are a highway for any critter with nails.
They are pretty in the spring and summer.

Two problems with fruit trees. You usually have to plant two, one to fruit and one to pollinate. Then there is the constant spraying. Don’t believe me? Check out the seed catalogs and how they play up the self pollinating and sprayless varieties.Not to mention late frosts killing the buds, or no bees in the spring or the trees just up and dropping their blossoms. Not to mention that if the harvest looks good, here comes the critters.

And admit it, how many of you have fallen out of trees? Heck, we left our youngest son with the grands and got a panicked call two hours later. Turns out he started pioking figs and was on the roof and scared to come down.

Trees are an investment the same way in ground pools raise the value of your house. Yeah, right

By: Larry

Larry — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:13:16 +0000

nice idea…but we bought a house in the past 2 years and had to have our one tree pruned $600.00 worth of pruning, and the tree will need this about every 5 years. As a Home inspector trees are often planted way to close to a house causing damage to roofing and possible moisture damage in general. shade trees are great..just pick a slow growning type and give it plenty of room to grow.

By: SLCCOM

SLCCOM — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:35:37 +0000

Sweetgum trees dump round balls with prickly exteriors that can cost big bucks to remove from canine throats, too.

A neighbor has a trash tree that is constantly seeding my lawn and garden with suckers that are impossible to get rid of short of hiring a lawn service to treat the yard all year long.

Hmmm. Salt, huh? Actually, it is far too late for that since the suckers and roots take on a life of their own.

By: Kat

Kat — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:57:38 +0000

I recall reading somewhere that most species of maple can indeed be tapped, but the best is from sugar maples, not red, black, striped or silver maples. Sugar maples produce the sap from which the famed maple syrup of Vermont, NY and Ontario is made.

As others have pointed out, it takes around 10 gallons of sap to produce 1 qt. of syrup. And the process is highly energy intensive (the sap has to be boiled for hours) and produces a ton of steam. So it’s not something you’d probably want to do in your house. Old farms had “sugar houses” for this job.

I think fruit or nut trees might be a better option if you’re looking for a harvest to go with the shade. Nut trees produce without you having to do anything except share with the squirrels.

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:27:52 +0000

It’ll take a few decades to pay off, but a shade tree is certainly a good financial investment. Also, it’s something a family can share and watch grow. Plant the tree with your spouse and kids and watch it grow as the family gets older. When the kids are reaching retirement age, they’ll see the tree and remember when they planted it. It’ll become a living family heirloom.

By: sewingirl

sewingirl — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:04:24 +0000

Good Grief. You’re a smart man, you want a tree, plant a tree!

By: Lily

Lily — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:53:43 +0000

Trent, for all the negativity on here, you’ve got people writing – 50 comments so early!

I live in Vegas – not known for it’s trees. So I can only live vicariously through these comments.

Hopefully, one day I can have a big lot with a couple of laying hens, a goat to milk, a dog, a garden, and several fruit trees.

By: STL Mom

STL Mom — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:46:00 +0000

If you are going to spend hundreds of dollars on decent-sized trees, I would agree with Mr. Hart that you should hire an arborist first. You can get a lot of information from your local extension agent or botanical garden, but I think it is worthwhile to spend the $100 bucks or so to get a personalized assessment of your property. The arborist can recommend specific trees and, perhaps more importantly, advise you on where to plant them to avoid the problems that so many other commenters have experienced.
Careful planning makes a big difference. For example, our previous home had two sweet gum trees in the yard. They were planted in a sloped area of the yard that was covered with ivy and bushes, so very few of the gum balls ever had to be picked up. Unlike many people, I enjoyed my sweet gum trees because they created very little extra work in that location.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:13:16 +0000

If you live in a suburban neighborhood, check with your city ordinances before planting trees. Certain species of trees are not allowed for residential cultivation, and it would suck to buy an exotic $300 tree only to learn it’s not one of the “approved” species and must be removed.

Also, certain trees have very aggressive root structures that seek water relentlessly. If you plant too close to your home and the roots find your foundation’s weeping system, say goodbye to your foundation (and tree).

By: t

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:51:16 +0000

I tend to believe that shade trees (especially large ones) lead to foundation and structural problems. Tree roots can pull a lot of water from your soil.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:49:21 +0000

There are no trees in my yard…but my neighbors on both sides have trees right along the property line that dump all their fall leaves in my yard. I’d chop them all down if it was my choice, and at the very least I’d like them pruned…but they are not my trees. On one side we have a big silver maple, which are messy and prone to falling over. On the other side, we have a line of black locust trees, which are possibly the messiest trees I’ve ever seen. There is always some kind of tree debris in our yard at any time of the year. I love the shade, but our grass doesn’t grow well and we only have limited space for our vegetable garden.

My mom planted apple and pear trees 20 years ago and we are just in the past few years beginning to get good pears…the apples still turn out rather little and sour.

I think trees are good for shade and for looks…otherwise they are a huge time and money investment.

PS if you are researching trees that grow well for your state, check your state’s agricultural extension website. Ohio has a nice list of trees that grow well here, as well as trees to avoid. (Surprise! Silver Maple and Black Locust are on the list of trees to avoid!)