A arborist came over before the snows fell to trim the maple trees on our property. He didn’t bat an eye when I asked him not to chip the branches, saving himself gas and providing me with Patrick Dougherty quantities of building materials and fuel.
I have a new appreciation for maple trees now that I own a few (and yes, it feels odd to “own” a living thing that’s well over 100 years old). In no particular order:
- Their wood is very hard. I hadn’t worked with hard wood before, and it reminds me of working in metal. And it decomposes slowly, giving the berms and weirs on the hillside a chance to take root.
- They are an open source and self-replicating technology. If I invent something with sticks or branches, anyone else can build their own. This helps make my various projects open source, which is a very good thing.
- Their blood is delicious. I haven’t tapped these guys yet but one of these winters I hope to make some maple syrup. I was in Florida last week and they served fake maple syrup with the room service breakfast – blech!
What’s your favorite thing about maple trees?