Instant culture and Israeli trees

From legend to reality. We see in this small introduction the story of top-quality trees such as those from the Quercus, Acer and Pistacia genera: trees whose proper place is neglected, which can be magnificent additions to boulevards and gardens, but who don’t get the respect they deserve and whose use is not widespread enough. In their stead, trees are selected with lower costs in mind (using common trees). Preference is given to trees with increased growth capacity and need for minimal upkeep and care. The consideration here is that the trees should fulfill their function as soon as possible. We have gotten used to the reality of “results here and now.”

We don’t mean to belittle such a consideration. Sometimes it’s even important. After all, we wouldn’t want to see large landscaped areas with young trees that do not provide enough shade and that don’t reach their full beauty for many years until they develop and reach maturity. But we would like to see a balance. We would like to see, alongside the thought for the short term, the infrastructure for the more distant future to be established.

Properties of Quercus, Acer and Pistacia trees

The first botanical meaning of a slow-growing tree is optimal development over time. This ensures strong wood, high durability and a longer lifespan. This relatively slow rate of growth allows us a greater period of time to optimally design the tree, without fearing that the tree will “lose” the shape of our design. For the most part the design will be simpler and will be preserved longer. Strong wood allows for thick, dividing branches without fear of breaks. All this contributes to an impressive canopy structure. Think about the look of an old tree. About the aesthetic value in the development of these trees, which have lifespans of many dozens and even hundreds of years.

These are features of the various species of Quercus, Acer and Pistacia, which excel in their decorative looks. Most of them have sculptural, grooved and special trunks that often also have unusual colors. Some of them grow leaves in impressive colors, and others have fall displays in a variety of shades. Some are exceptionally visually stunning, and their durability and presence are priceless.

But unfortunately, we will not encounter such trees on the streets of our cities. The trees of Israel’s “pioneer” days, which are common and fast-growing, such as ficuses, Albizia lebbeck, Jacaranda mimosifolia and Peltophorum dubium, are aggressively pruned and trimmed today, a result of incorrect design and care over the years and mainly due to their incompatibility for the streets of Israeli cities.

Quercus suber is an excellent example of a special and beautiful trunk. Another special property is its resistance to extreme temperatures, even though it’s an evergreen! Another example is Quercus ithaburensis, which also radiates power. This is a tree of medium height but a solid appearance that is very wide in relation to its height, which even when its leaves have fallen is very impressive with thick branches. Moreover, compared to other Quercus (oak) species, it grows faster (similarly, incidentally, to Quercus robur, whose growth rate is also faster than the other species in this genus). Also from this genus, Q. ilex is a tree that is resistant to weather conditions, despite being an evergreen.

Q. calliprinos is a good example of a missed opportunity with oak trees. It is characterized for slow growth so it is easily dismissed from consideration. Q. calliprinos is a small, evergreen tree with glossy, dark green foliage that originally blooms reddish. The tree is especially resilient and long-lived.

Oak trees are commonly used in the world alongside streets. In Israel, this use is limited, usually with the argument that their fruit, acorns, are a sanitary hazard and even pose a risk to causing slips. There is some truth to this, but fruit falling from trees onto city sidewalks is a common phenomenon and nothing new. Everyone is familiar with the fruits of Ficus and Alectryon trees, Cupaniopsis anacardioides, Celtis australis and more. The advantage with acorns is that they are not juicy, don’t stain the sidewalk and don’t attract bats or other winged creatures. In any event, until this matter is decided on, there are still so many places that deserve the use of oaks, such as roadsides, gardens and basically anywhere else that is not paved.