Mar 02 2009
The Last Tree
On Saturday I heard the sound of buzz saws. I never like that sound. It means a tree is coming down.
As it turns out, all of the spruces in my neighbor’s yard were doomed. By the time I looked out the window a man was cutting the limbs off the last tree. It was nearly gone.
There used to be five spruces, home to many roosting birds and nests of grackles, cardinals and mourning doves. Before the power company cut down the locust trees at Magee Field’s edge two years ago, a pair of eastern screech-owls courted in those spruces in late winter.
Not any more. Slowly the trees closest to the alley died of road salt. Two of the five were gone by the time a storm blew through on February 11 and toppled one of the remaining three.
The fallen spruce was cleared out within days but when one tree “misbehaves” the others better watch out. The tree cutters must have argued that the remaining trees would die some day and have to come down too, so why not take them all.
Alas. It’ll be hot in my backyard this summer and there will be fewer birds.
My neighborhood isn’t called Greenfield for nothing.
(photo by Kate St. John)
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p.s. How ironic that today is Dr. Seuss’ birthday who wrote: ”I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees.”
The city tree murderers really piss me off when they take out perfectly healthy ones. They slashed all the locusts at the end of my street a month ago. {sigh}
My neighbor had to cut down a massive pine tree a month or so ago. A very healthy beautiful tree at that.
I asked the reason…insurance fees. The insurance company demanded an outages fee if the tree was left standing. Needless to say, the tree lost.
One lonely tree out in the field which shaded the parking lot where I live nicely.Then the tree murderers come and cut down the defenseless tree yesterday not hurting nobody or nothing but helping the environment by keeping it cooler around here.I dont understand why they did this?It was one of the surrounding factors which attracted me to this area where I live but now Im thinking about moving because now theres no shade.People who cut down trees for selfish reasons suck!