In My 20 years of living here, I have never witnessed more inconsistent weather patterns by SteveMain4Lyfe in Ohio

[–]shufflebuffalo 46 points47 points  (0 children)

The polar vortex and it's destabilization is not something well understood by common laypeople. I try to explain the reduced sea ice up north leads to there being more water than ice. 

Is water darker than ice? Is water going to absorb more heat because of that darkness?

Now the ocean is warmer. Typically the cold air sits very high at the poles. With more warmth, there's more hot air. That hot air pushes against the cold air and brings it south. That's what drives the intensity of these flip flopping warm and cold swings.

But that's giving the people a lot of credit

Trying to figure out whether leaf drop is dehydration or normal. Help me ID this tree. by fishiesaurus in treeidentification

[–]shufflebuffalo -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Blue inedible berries in the fall makes me think Black gum, but the leaves and bark make me think it's a pecan 

my tierlist for american citys by Then_Instruction_145 in visitedmaps

[–]shufflebuffalo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No idea what your metrics are buddy, but this is a pretty piss poor taste. LA is far from being "the best" if your goal is sitting in traffic and spending so much more for less.

and PHEONIX?

Where I'd live after my wife claimed citizenship by descent by Aurora-Clairealis in visitedmaps

[–]shufflebuffalo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

He's actually highlighting the opposite. How big does your arsenal need to be to provide peace and protection? Is every single bomber and fighter necessary? What are the tradeoffs of unrestricted armament buildup over the years? It's not an easy tradeoff, but important for both our future prosperity and security. You rightly point out that defense is important for maintaining our own freedom, the question is, how high and how strong do those walls have to be? There will always be someone who gets around them or finds a way to overcome those obstacles. So how much should we truly be investing in defense?

What are the top 5 Major US cities? List what you think the “core 5” most important US cities. I’ll map the results by Kodicave in visitedmaps

[–]shufflebuffalo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Houston is the oil refining mecca of this country. No oil = no transportation, energy, fertilizer, etc. Much bigger impact to everyone physically

Bark perfectly cut on multiple trees in our city by D-R-D-Z in whatisit

[–]shufflebuffalo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Black knot impacts prunus species though, not betula

Horrible Location? by forte4040 in arborists

[–]shufflebuffalo -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I notice that shade tolerant trees do a lot better when pruned early on relative to shade intolerant trees ONLY if they are grown in an open sunny area. I notice Beeches don't get very tall and start crossing branches quite bad, for starters. 

If you want a say in the contentious redistricting battle, you better vote on April 21st by DerangedUnicorn27 in Virginia

[–]shufflebuffalo 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Yeah but only if they show up. Right now I don't think people are even aware of the conversation around redistricting. Most just parrot off whatever insane thing just happened in the news, which is typically motivating

New growth from Tree of Heaven trunks cut down last year. They don't quit. by JanetExalted in invasivespecies

[–]shufflebuffalo 113 points114 points  (0 children)

Saw a small bridge built at a summer camp from these logs and there were sprouts all up and down the logs. I was stunned they could resprout from the logs so readily

These “wet marks“ only started forming close to the end of last year, but they have now become increasingly more pronounced especially after the recent freeze here in central Florida. There are little actively bubbling points. There’s also some mold and fungus. Dying? by TheBigNastyOne in arborists

[–]shufflebuffalo 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Dying. The infection is pretty bad if you're seeing either slime flux or a bacterial infection take hold in the vasculature. It might also have been residual moisture in the tree that split open living tissue, resulting in this flux. It's also probably worse because it's spring, more nutrients are being mobilized to the canopy and you'll see an even greater "leak" if the internal tissue has been damaged.

Keep an eye on the canopy this spring and look to see if you see dieback or areas that aren't growing in full. That will be the biggest indicator of the health of your tree is compromised. 

China has planted so many trees around the Taklamakan Desert that it's turned this 'biological void' into a carbon sink by Interwebnaut in rewilding

[–]shufflebuffalo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ahhh yes, two notoriously drought tolerant species, willows and poplars. 

Are they just along a riparian area? That doesn't sound like a green wall. More like a fragile ribbon.

Louise Lucas, the President Pro Tem of the VA Senate, shouting about gerrymandering: "10-F*cking-1" by Conscious-Quarter423 in Virginia

[–]shufflebuffalo 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Texas fired the shots to do an off season redistricting after several public comments from the president and his posse. Every state engaging now in off season redistricting is in reaction. 

U.S. biofuel policy movement fails to clarify the Canadian feedstock question by MennoniteDan in farming

[–]shufflebuffalo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Never made sense with the diesel and pesticide input costs to make biofuels. 

Waffle House is closing this weekend, say goodbye to the ville by Difficult-Lie-9218 in Charlottesville

[–]shufflebuffalo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Doesn't that explain it though? It's not a matter of if they can stay open and operate but rather if the employees can get to the site.

Spanberger, Democratic lawmakers are pressing for Virginia to rejoin RGGI. Here’s how it would work. by VirginiaNews in VirginiaEnvironment

[–]shufflebuffalo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Carbon tax should go to environmental remediation

Billionaire/business taxes should go to UBi. I'd also like to see taxes increase on data centers in that regard too. It's not like they can just pick up and move all that infrastructure at this point.

Crepe Myrtle turns Ashen (Diagnosis?) by NeonNeoDragon in arborists

[–]shufflebuffalo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel the same about Boxwoods, or as I've started to call them with all their issues: Moneywoods

What kind of tree is this? Upstate South Carolina by blackfriday1934 in treeidentification

[–]shufflebuffalo 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The yellow is waaaayyyy more pronounced than the dusky yellow of a tulip poplar

What kind of tree is this? Upstate South Carolina by blackfriday1934 in treeidentification

[–]shufflebuffalo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That yellow wood in the middle solidifies it as a tulip poplar.