"Treetime" is here

Jackie Heyneman

Special to the Village News

The Cut the Carbon program sponsored by Save Our Forest/Fallbrook Land Conservancy partnering with the Fallbrook Climate Action Team returns to offer free trees to private residents.

While the world has experienced drastic changes in climate for thousands of years, we now know enough to be able to do something about it. Have you asked, what can I do as an individual to help alleviate the problem? The answer is something as simple as planting a tree. The right tree in the right place can create cost savings in energy by providing shade when and where it is needed.

Trees, the workhorses of our environment, have been documented to save as much as 15% on energy cost, a benefit directly to your pocketbook. The big benefit of providing a more healthful environment for the entire community makes one imagine what even a hundred trees will do for the community. Offsetting the effects of increased traffic is a huge benefit. Last year was the beginning, adding about 40 trees to the community forest.

A membership fee of $50 in the Fallbrook Land Conservancy, a non-profit organization, includes a free tree, site evaluation, information from the Fire Safe Council on Defensible Space at your home site, a list of recommended trees for the Fallbrook area, and all their characteristics. Choosing the right tree alone can save many dollars in future maintenance and pruning costs.

Knowledge is power, someone said. Join the fight and call the Fallbrook Land Conservancy office, 760-728-0889 for more information. Let’s begin, we have the cooler months to make it happen.