I can’t help but think who’s in charge of maintaining the trees that line the SLEX (South Luzon Expressway).
I have no qualms with the regular maintenance and removal of waist or knee high grass and vines that crawl up the trees. I understand that trees need to be rid of weak and dead branches, it should be trimmed properly to avoid contact with the towering power lines that run through opposite sides of the SLEX and to avoid accidents and damage to people and vehicles passing by. What disturbs me most is the way the said trees are pruned.
I observed the pruned Narra trees in this sorry state last week, when I passed by the area before Batino exit up to Calamba / Los Banos exit. It was only the other day that I was able to stop the car and take pictures of the pitiful state that the trees were in, due to negligence!
I am not an expert in pruning trees, but I have read instructions on proper pruning and seen illustrations on the correct steps in accomplishing this specific task. Definitely, there is something wrong with the final outcome of how the pruning work was done here. I’m sure that most readers here will agree with me.
Narra trees take years to grow into considerable size such as the one’s that are found along SLEX. It only takes minutes or hours to destroy them. I suggest that before we do any pruning, please try to research and equip ourselves with the proper knowledge. Otherwise, please get professional help from experienced gardening contractors who are capable of doing the job properly. Because instead of trying to save some money, you might even end up spending a whole lot more, plus the agony of bearing with unsightly landscaping or possibly killing individual trees even.
As the landscape shown is part of our city, this only shows that most of us neglect our surroundings and the importance of the trees and plants and the life it brings.
Personally, I think that the Narra trees were unprofessionally pruned and haphazardly done ……barbaric or brutally cut if I may say so.
I have no qualms with the regular maintenance and removal of waist or knee high grass and vines that crawl up the trees. I understand that trees need to be rid of weak and dead branches, it should be trimmed properly to avoid contact with the towering power lines that run through opposite sides of the SLEX and to avoid accidents and damage to people and vehicles passing by. What disturbs me most is the way the said trees are pruned.
I observed the pruned Narra trees in this sorry state last week, when I passed by the area before Batino exit up to Calamba / Los Banos exit. It was only the other day that I was able to stop the car and take pictures of the pitiful state that the trees were in, due to negligence!
I am not an expert in pruning trees, but I have read instructions on proper pruning and seen illustrations on the correct steps in accomplishing this specific task. Definitely, there is something wrong with the final outcome of how the pruning work was done here. I’m sure that most readers here will agree with me.
Narra trees take years to grow into considerable size such as the one’s that are found along SLEX. It only takes minutes or hours to destroy them. I suggest that before we do any pruning, please try to research and equip ourselves with the proper knowledge. Otherwise, please get professional help from experienced gardening contractors who are capable of doing the job properly. Because instead of trying to save some money, you might even end up spending a whole lot more, plus the agony of bearing with unsightly landscaping or possibly killing individual trees even.
As the landscape shown is part of our city, this only shows that most of us neglect our surroundings and the importance of the trees and plants and the life it brings.
Personally, I think that the Narra trees were unprofessionally pruned and haphazardly done ……barbaric or brutally cut if I may say so.
13 comments:
What they did there was topping. I believe in Australia for instance, topping is banned as it destroys the natural symmetry and structure of a tree. Pruning takes time and requires planning. Topping only needs laziness.
Ed
Hi, Ed! Thank you for introducing me with the word "topping". It's the first time that I have encountered this word so I googled it to fully understand what it means. Based from the source, http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/topping.aspx - I now understand the implications and hazard to trees brought about by this harmful method of pruning practice. I highly recommend anybody to read from the website indicated above. It explains everything here.
I agree with you. The trees look terrible and it is obvious that the pruning was done in a haphazard manner. Obviously no thought was given to either the tree or aesthetics. Someone just wanted the job done, never mind if it was done poorly.
thank you for posting those pictures. i totally agree with you. akala ko ako lang ang naiinis how filipinos cut trees along the roads. ganyan din dito sa davao.nagtanim pa sila. such a useless exercise!
Rico,
Thanks for your blog. I browsed through your articles and pictures and I think that your ideas are wonderful. Please get in touch with me 0927 369 8198. Nani Nobleza
Hi, Nani! Thank you for commenting on my blog.
Whoever approved this system of tree pruning should be fired! So ironic that it was done close to Los Banos where we have the UP College of Forestry.
Who ever did or approved of this is definetely uneducated. BOBO!
Hi Rico, i've just opened this a bit late. I go along with all of you in feeling bad about prunning trees in our highways. I always notice them too. I wonder why they still plant trees under the electric lines when they will prune them anyway! Maybe they should have planted it farther so they wont suffer later from unscrupulous prunning. Narra trees in Buendia Ave suffered the same. And the most unfathomable sights in our MM is concretizing the sidewalks so close to the acacia trunks (esp in EDSA, QC), sinasakal masyado ang puno ng kahoy, not thinking that it is alive and expanding. I 2nd Anonymous' comment above! I also wonder why in concretizing sidewalks there is no DENR personnel consulted for the proper way of doing these things. Nakakagalit talaga makita ang sitwasyon ng mga puno natin dito, unlike in other countries where they even treat sick or scared trees!
To everybody: Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
It will take time before we have a collective consciousness on the importance of trees, let alone pruning. But blogs like ours are good, home-grown, personal, pro-active responses to this problem. We just have to go on educating people.
i think the problem is with lazy people who would like to plant trees beside the road why don't they plant those trees on areas away from developing community.
The reality is that our people just encroach on any land. And wherever it is, if they don't respect nature, then there will always be chaos and imbalance.
Thats a shame, the greatest tool to the show, knowledge. Works with everything!
-Samudaworth Tree Service
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