Lynnfield Tree Committee Releases Spring Issue of 'Tree Talk'

Editor's Note: The following is a note from Tree Committee Chair Jane Bandini. The fall issue of the committee's "Tree Talk" newsletter is attached as a PDF file. 

In the Fall edition of Tree Talk, a semi-annual newsletter produced by the Lynnfield Tree Committee which will be distributed with the tax bill this week, the Committee would like you to consider the more unconventional side of trees. Because trees are stationary they have developed defense systems as survival techniques. In fact, all plants have evolved a system of complex chemicals as defense mechanisms to survive starting with resisting attack from hungry dinosaurs to insect predators. Since ancient times, humans have been wise enough to recognize that these chemicals could be used to make their life better. From the pain relief gained from a willow tree, that we now know as aspirin, to the development of cures for leprosy, malaria and cancer, chemicals within trees can also be used for our defense. In this edition of Tree Talk we present a different reason to appreciate trees in our lives beyond their simple beauty. For further information about the work of the Tree Committee and Lynnfield’s trees, contact the Lynnfield Conservation Commission on the town website or stop by Town Hall.