Topband: Blessed With Too Many Trees?

[Wayne Willenberg]

I am very fortunate that my home is located on 5 acres of land in the
country.  This make for a very low noise environment.

The problem I may have is my house is located on about 21/2 acres of
landscaped land that is surrounded by a forest in the remainder of the 5
acres.  The forest consists of very old trees that are 50 to 100 feet tall,
some of them having a diameter of 24 inches.  The question I have is to
what extent can there be mutual coupling between a vertical antenna and one
or more of my trees?  The answer to this question will determine if I can
effectively use vertical antennas on my property, and if so, how close they
can be to these large trees without altering the performance of the antenna.

The  ARRL Antenna Book states: "It is important to remember that mutual
coupling exists between any two conductors that are located near one
another."  So, the question is, i think, to what extent is a living tree a
conductor?  I have done a lot of reading about verticals, but I have not
seen this issue addressed.

Your comments would be greatly appreciated.

73, and Happy New Year, Wayne KK6BT