The Pines of Rome

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robcat2075
Posts: 1867
Joined: Sep 03, 2018

by robcat2075 »

You may have played "The Pines of Rome" but have you ever seen them?

Quite unlike the pines I am familiar with here in the US.

Get a good look at them... they're dying. An invasive parasite.

WaPo (sub req'd): [url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/romes-iconic-pines-hit-hard-by-a-nasty-parasite-now-face-their-own-pandemic/2021/08/20/1d2e0424-0035-11ec-ba7e-2cf966e88e93_story.html]Rome’s iconic pines, hit hard by a nasty parasite, now face their own pandemic

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AndrewMeronek
Posts: 1487
Joined: Mar 30, 2018

by AndrewMeronek »

They can't be particularly healthy trees even without parasites. All that pavement and very little room for water to get into their root structures.
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robcat2075
Posts: 1867
Joined: Sep 03, 2018

by robcat2075 »

[quote="AndrewMeronek"]They can't be particularly healthy trees even without parasites. All that pavement and very little room for water to get into their root structures.[/quote]

I'm not sure how that works, except that perhaps because Rome is on a river the water table is high enough for the roots to reach anyway. The pines in that top image seem to have been purpose-planted to line the street so it must somehow work.

But they have many other pines in conventional forests which aren't faring any better. :(

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AndrewMeronek
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Joined: Mar 30, 2018

by AndrewMeronek »

I'll also note that all of those trees are trimmed unnaturally high, so the only remaining branches are right at the top. That can't be great for the tree's circulatory system.
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Crazy4Tbone86
Posts: 1654
Joined: Jan 14, 2020

by Crazy4Tbone86 »

Nice tangent! Sad to hear that the pines of Rome are struggling.....they are beautiful trees.

I love trees and the uniqueness of all the many species. I planted some new trees on my property just a few months ago and really enjoyed researching the pros and cons of each species. I tried to find species that would live for many decades and provide beauty for future generations. I think of trees as a wonderful gift to people who will enjoy them 80 to 100 years from now.

The ash trees in my backyard (and throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region of the USA) are being devoured by the emerald ash borers. There is one spectacular 60 foot ash directly behind my house that is declining quickly and it saddens me. Once infested, it is nearly 100% fatal for the ash trees.

This thread has me thinking.....someone needs to compose a piece about ash trees before they are endangered. Then I remembered, someone already has......the traditional Welch song "The Ash Grove."
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robcat2075
Posts: 1867
Joined: Sep 03, 2018

by robcat2075 »

I suppose there's quite a bit of music about trees.

The next one i think of is "[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ombra_mai_fu]Obra mai fu" AKA "Handel's Largo from Xerxes" which is an homage to the [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platanus_orientalis]Plane tree.

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timothy42b
Posts: 1812
Joined: Mar 27, 2018

by timothy42b »

O Tannenbaum, o............
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timothy42b
Posts: 1812
Joined: Mar 27, 2018

by timothy42b »

[quote="timothy42b"]O Tannenbaum, o............[/quote]

Maple Leaf Rag

Chestnuts Roasting

Don't sit under the Apple Tree

When they're flecked with brown and have a golden hue (bananas)

Woodsman, spare that tree

the old Oaken Bucket
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timothy42b
Posts: 1812
Joined: Mar 27, 2018

by timothy42b »

Can't believe I forgot:

Put the lime in the coconut and

And the second saddest country western song I know: See the tree, how big it's grown.
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cmcslide
Posts: 130
Joined: Apr 01, 2018

by cmcslide »

Let's also throw in

Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'round the old Oak Tree...
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JohnL
Posts: 2529
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by JohnL »

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elmsandr
Posts: 1373
Joined: Mar 23, 2018

by elmsandr »

Norwegian Wood? Wait, is that not the same thing....
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robcat2075
Posts: 1867
Joined: Sep 03, 2018

by robcat2075 »