In the interest of further expanding our human footprint on the land, we not only clear cut our surroundings, but those trees left standing are allowed to be butchered, for the sake of a better view, to a point that they look like the tail end of a French poodle.
We all know what I’m talking about – an old house gets taken down and its tree, which was originally left alone and allowed to grow to maturity, is now considered to crowd the lot.
Because there are a few rules in place not allowing home owners/developers to cut down an established tree, too often you’ll see up to 10 metres of branches cut off the lower portion of a tree and the top portion left to support the tree for the rest of its life. Taking that even further, I’ve seen cases where individuals remove all but the top few branches.
The outcome in either case is that in a few short years, it will be deemed unsafe and the owners will demand to take it down (putting it out of its misery).
Let’s make it so that trees cannot be altered in any way, without authorities being queried first.
Damaging the tree in this manner should carry the same penalty as removal, since it eventually achieves the same result.
It’s a sad statement about our community when we can’t live with our natural resources and help them flourish rather than bow to the pressures of greedy development.
Our trees provide more than shade and air filtration, they’re home to wildlife that’s under stress to survive.
Let’s be remembered as a group who appreciate where they live rather than a group who saw resources to be exploited and
profited from.
Steve Lloyd, Surrey
