Hollywood has done us a great disservice by perpetuating the idea that once the big boss battle is done, all is right with the world. That trope is so common that we can easily start to believe that the real world works that way too. J.R.R. Tolkien gave us a much better sense of the challenges that can remain even when you think the worst is over.
The suburban landscaping aesthetic includes a lot of lawn and not a lot of trees. I’m bucking that trend by replacing my one dead ornamental plum tree with three uncommon native trees that will support more biodiversity, soil health, and climate resilience. In order to do that, I needed a crash course on how and where to plant, plus how and where to prune.
When a tree came down in our yard, we had to figure out what to do with it. Tree removal and disposal comes with its own risks to humans, and tree replacement comes with risks to the new tree if not done correctly. The chances of those risks increase in likelihood when a stubbornly optimistic gardener with a multi-year design plan is involved.