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n OutDOORS | TREES FOR THE FOREST Seeing the Trees for the Forest BY gRegg losInskI When it comes to trees, I'm conflicted. You could say I have a love-hate relation- ship with trees. I love trees for their beauty and the functions they perform, but I hate the maintenance that goes along with taking care of them in an urban setting. Whether we realize it or not, trees are wild things, and like all other wild things that we try to domesticate, they make us pay for the privilege of having them close at hand. There is another city in our state that alludes to an abundance of its trees in its very name, and while it has an admirable number of the mega-flora, I would say that Idaho Falls holds its own in the large greenery department. Just how verdant our city has become is especially notable when you look at early pictures of the area. Lava rock and sage brush were all that one could see in the early days. Even the ripar- ian corridor (the land that borders water) along the Snake River was particularly sparse. I doubt the word oasis ever came to anyone's mind when they wandered through the barren landscape that would one day be home to a multi-national corpo- ration that utilizes oil from the leaves of a tree native to the swamps of Australia. I love living in a place where our neigh- borhoods are adorned by majestic trees that look so beautiful and provide so much wonderful shade in the summer. But there is a sinister downside to our urban arbo- retum. The luscious leaves that provide so much delectable shade when they form a protective arbor seem to multiple tenfold when they fall off and bury our yards in the autumn. If it were not for the winds that help to blow them away, my yard would always be knee deep in detritus. I honestly try to stay ahead of the build up, but I never seem able. Also, we forget mer, voracious aphids attack my maples, creating a sappy mess in the process. On another front, I have been unable to repel the host of insect invaders that attack my lone apple tree every year and short of full- scale chemical warfare, I doubt I will ever be able to enjoy the fruits of its attempts at self-perpetuation. Trees in the wild are able to grow free, limited only by the vagaries of nature and the competition of other trees. In our sub- urban captivity they are forever trimmed that trees are liv- ing creatures like ourselves, bent on the survival of their species. The whirly- birds, seed pods, and pollen that coat my home and yard throughout the spring and summer are a testament to their concerted efforts at perpetuation of their kind. As well as the trees fighting for survival, a whole host of critters large and small do their best to survive and thrive living in the greenery above our heads. Each sum- 106 Idaho Falls MagazIne SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2011 "Lava rock and sage brush were all that one could see in the early days." and hacked at by would-be arborists and weekend lumberjacks. Pity the tree that dares to grow adjacent to the alleys and is perceived as a threat to cable TV lines. Given that trees are a necessary indul- gence that help us to endure the captivity of our urban existence, raking a few bags of leaves here and pruning a couple of limbs there, are a small price to pay.