First: Tree Huggers. Now...

[NEOWatcher]

...we have to keep them warm at night. :lol:

Knitters Dress Up Trees For Public Art (http://www.myfoxcleveland.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=5984963&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.7.1)

YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio -- No, that's not a hallucination. That pear tree is wearing a sweater.

I guess some people have extra time on thier hands. :think:


And a pa-arka on a pear tree.

[Moose]

And a pa-arka on a pear tree.

If I wasn't on a phone meeting right now, I'd have loled.

[davidlpf]

I thought dressing pets like humans was stupid looking.

[Noclevername]

...At least they could have dressed it in something that looks good, instead of like Punky Brewster. I think they need Lumberjack Eye for the Wooden Guy.

[Moose]

Punky Brewster was cute as all-get-out. Don't be slagging on the kid for her unconventional desire to dress in all colors simultaneously.

[Noclevername]

Punky Brewster was cute as all-get-out. Don't be slagging on the kid for her unconventional desire to dress in all colors simultaneously.

Punky was a kid, it's okay for her to dress like that. But this is a grown tree with a job and a family. :razz:

[Larry Jacks]

I put this in the same category as that "artist" Crisco who wants to go to a beautiful river in Colorado and drape it in a bunch of pink plastic in the name of "art." Nature doesn't need this kind of improvement. Only someone from a city would look at a river and say, "Needs pink plastic." Same for trees.

[geonuc]

I put this in the same category as that "artist" Crisco who wants to go to a beautiful river in Colorado and ...

That would be Christo.

[Larry Jacks]

Whatever. I remember the name Crisco as lard used for cooking. Cristo is, IMO, an oily "artist" who solicits contributions to create his "art."

[Argos]

What a waste of wool. I hope nobody in Ohio is in need of some cozy clothes.

BTW, Christo is off-fashion nowadays with all those massive plastic wrappings...

[NEOWatcher]

I put this in the same category as that "artist" Crisco ...
I wouldn't. While both concepts could be considered rather gaudy and useless, the tree sweaters are much less intrusive. The tree-knitters don't seem to be doing this solely as a publicity stunt. They seem to be enjoying this more as a hobby.

I wonder what pattern they use... Knit 1, pear 2?

[NEOWatcher]

What a waste of wool. I hope nobody in Ohio is in need of some cozy clothes.
Not at all. It may have been a blizzard this weekend, but it was a warm blizzard.

[Swift]

So, that's what they mean by knit-wits! ;)

[Moose]

I wouldn't. While both concepts could be considered rather gaudy and useless, the tree sweaters are much less intrusive.

They may end up killing the trees as well, especially if the sweaters aren't removed come spring when the trees start growing again.

Will the dyed wool be toxic to the trees if the bark grows into/around the wool fibers? Odds are, neither do they. :naughty:

[NEOWatcher]

They may end up killing the trees as well, especially if the sweaters aren't removed come spring when the trees start growing again.
My guess is that there is enough stretch and breathability to allow for un-impeded growth, and that the fibers would break down before it is a problem.
Will the dyed wool be toxic to the trees if the bark grows into/around the wool fibers? Odds are, neither do they. :naughty:
I doubt a yarn could be that toxic. There would be sweater wearers keeling over and filing lawsuits everywhere.

[Noclevername]

I think this thread is starting to unravel.

[Celestial Mechanic]

I wonder if a nice warm sweater could start the sap flowing in a maple tree a bit early, or closer to on-time in the event of a harsh winter. Just wondering! :think:

[jamestox]

I wonder if a nice warm sweater could start the sap flowing in a maple tree a bit early, or closer to on-time in the event of a harsh winter. Just wondering! :think:

Perhaps as a way of increasing syrup production in maples..?

'Nother stack o' waffles, please!

[RalofTyr]

Once, I tripped from a pear tree while drinking.

I hate being impearred.

[mike alexander]

I think it's silly and fun, exactly what a hobby should be.

It's also obvious that there aren't many knitters (or spouses/friends of knitters) around here. If I tell my wife about it she will undoubtedly knit a panel for the tree.

The Ankh-Morpork Knitter's Guild is just finishing a large quilt to send to Terry Pratchett, with apparently hundreds of squares, each illustrating a theme, character or object from Discworld. My wife's contribution was a bat (from the homing bats in Going Postal).

[pghnative]

I wonder if a nice warm sweater could start the sap flowing in a maple tree a bit early, or closer to on-time in the event of a harsh winter. Just wondering! :think:
Quite the opposite, I'd say. A sweater keeps you warm only because you are warmer than the surroundings (it helps a lot that you also generate heat).

So, in the fall (when the air is getting cooler) a sweater might keep the tree warmer than ambient for a little while. In the spring (when the air is getting warmer), the sweater, if anything, would keep the sap cool longer.

[Celestial Mechanic]

Quite the opposite, I'd say. A sweater keeps you warm only because you are warmer than the surroundings (it helps a lot that you also generate heat).
Are you sure trees don't generate some heat? I see less snow underneath some evergreen trees, and it isn't just from foliage blocking the snow, I also see the amount of snow under an evergreen diminish in the days after a snowfall. After a day or two there won't be any snow under some evergreens.
So, in the fall (when the air is getting cooler) a sweater might keep the tree warmer than ambient for a little while. In the spring (when the air is getting warmer), the sweater, if anything, would keep the sap cool longer.
I suspect that only in the worst of winters do deciduous trees ever drop below freezing under the inner bark. Hmmm, I'll have to Google this ... :think:

[KaiYeves]

I like Christo's stuff!

[Swift]

Are you sure trees don't generate some heat? I see less snow underneath some evergreen trees, and it isn't just from foliage blocking the snow, I also see the amount of snow under an evergreen diminish in the days after a snowfall. After a day or two there won't be any snow under some evergreens.

As far as I know trees don't generate heat, but I have seen the effect you are talking about. I've always assumed it was two effects: foliage blocking the snow, and dark tree trunks absorb some sunlight and warm slightly above ambient air temperature (you'll actually see more of an effect on South facing sides in the Northern hemisphere). I suppose a third effect, particularly with evergreens with thick foliage, could be that the foliage acts as insulation, prevents some of the radiant cooling of the ground and the tree at night, and keeps the ground and the tree trunk slightly warmer.

[TheHalcyonYear]

I think it's silly and fun, exactly what a hobby should be.

I agree... I thought the article was cute!! :)

[Whirlpool]

And it looks like the Tree isn't complaining.

:lol:

[Torsten]

As far as I know trees don't generate heat, but I have seen the effect you are talking about. I've always assumed it was two effects: foliage blocking the snow, and dark tree trunks absorb some sunlight and warm slightly above ambient air temperature (you'll actually see more of an effect on South facing sides in the Northern hemisphere). I suppose a third effect, particularly with evergreens with thick foliage, could be that the foliage acts as insulation, prevents some of the radiant cooling of the ground and the tree at night, and keeps the ground and the tree trunk slightly warmer.

Well, they generate a small amount of heat through respiration, but I doubt that it is enough to cause the effect that Celestial Mechanic described. I think each of your mechanisms contributes to the phenomenon. I really notice it under the white spruce that grow around here. They typically have long crowns that intercept a lot of snow, and when that snow eventually slides off, a good portion of it is probably deflected away from the bole. That means the albedo will be lower around the base of the tree than for other species, which ensures that on a warm, sunny day, this species develops a larger snow-free area than other species. Just by chance, a picture that I took earlier today shows the effect for some young trees. The tree immediately behind and to the left of the (sad-looking) spruce is a lodgepole pine. Its growth habit is quite different, with a more open crown structure and less foliage near the bole, and I just don't see the effect that often under these trees.
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh315/TKphotofolder/BAUT/To_illustrate_spruce_vs_pine_snow_u.jpg

[NEOWatcher]

And what about the decay of needles beneath the tree? Pine needles will generally end up directly below the tree and won't blow away like leaves normally do.
I know they are generally more acidic, but I don't know if that can also add to it.

[ASEI]

I think trees are more than resilient enough to handle having wool around them (they survive all sorts of abuse, powerlines, crampons through their bark, ect - they're not delicate animals with irreplacable vital organs).

As long as this is just a zany hobby, and not a multi-million dollar public works project, I wouldn't get all dour about it. We need a few silly off-the-wall things going on - makes the drive to work much more interesting.

PS - It would be Yellow Springs, wouldn't it? I know a bit about the place.

[HenrikOlsen]

<snip> - they're not delicate animals with irreplacable vital organs).
Tell that to a tree that's been ringed:think:

[NEOWatcher]

Well; she's at it again, but not on trees this time.

Apparently, someone hates the idea.
Artist Crochets Cover For Parking Meter (http://www.newsnet5.com/news/19632778/detail.html)
Or was that Parka Meter?

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- An artist's crocheted covering for an Ohio parking meter has been stolen, but soon there will be hundreds more.

[BigDon]

I've just noticed in Pacifica somebody is going around glueing ceramic facial features on the oaks and cypress trees. Kind of quaint looking in a Tolkian sort of way.