Sorry to jump on my tree bandwagon again so soon, but I am hopping mad. I just learned that a beautiful spot near my home has been basically clear-cut of 15 oak trees as part of a project to build condominiums. This news is bad enough in itself, but what makes it worse is the fact that when this whole thing came before the city council, careful care was taken to preserve these beautiful oaks. Somehow, these (insert expletive here)developers, who purchased the land and plans from the organization that originally presented this (now) travesty to the council, decided to totally ignore the caveat to protect these trees and just ripped them out.
Oh sure, they have the oaks boxed, and they intend to "replant" them, but replanting hardly ever takes with trees this age...And all of this was done undercover, so that no one found out about it until after the fact. Many people who live in and love this village are devastated, myself included.
Surprisingly enough, they did leave the redwoods. Maybe those are considered more "commercial."
*sigh*
How can people be so cavalier about such majestic creations? The live oak in my yard is like an old friend, and its presence is felt by us every day. That now denuded hollow was sacred ground; I really believe that. And anyone who ever walked through there could feel it.
Honestly, I could beat those people up right now. I'm not even kidding.
"/
20 comments:
ugh...i am a total tree hugger...i cant believe they cut down ones near here to build houses when so many are up for sale already...ridiculous...
I'm so sorry. Having recently been given the grand tour of the area you live in, I can honestly say it's the trees that give it so much grace, charm and beauty (tree-loving residents a close second). It's sad when things like this happen - especially for something like expensive condos or shopping malls - neither of which we need more of. My sympathies. But please don't beat anyone up.
I think they left the redwoods because in your state...they are protected.
It makes me crazy when they cut down beautiful old trees for building.
When my oldest daughter was little we watched the city cut down a whole row of beautiful old trees to put in a new power line. She cried and cried over that.
I'm sorry.
I think probably lots of things happen under cover like this. Amazing that you found out about it.
On another note, I'm a true lover of Kahil Gibran. I use to carry his book of sayings around with me when I was a teenager...."Your children are not your children, they come through you but not from you. And though they are with you, their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams."....I'm sure I don't have that exactly right, but it's the way I've remembered it all these years later.
Ugh...I've been to four nurseries looking for good trees for my back yard, but everything is picked over...too bad,I can't transplant those trees over here!
I thought Calif. was a tree-hugger state and you could NOT cut ANY trees down without a permit!!? confusing.
Oh Sue, that absolutely makes me crazy!! I know how you must feel. I know how much you will hate seeing them missing. There just isn't anything I love more that trees. Did you get that from me? I almost had a fit when they had to remove our lime tree when it got deseased and even our lemon tree when it threatened to overtake out tangerine tree. Now we only have that one left. I am glad it is taking up the whole part of our backyard that isn't either the pool or the patio. I just wish we coud have some of those gorgeous trees you enjoy. It's just too bad that they wouldn't survive our desert. We drove down Country Club Drive and discovered that they had cut down a fairly large grove of date palms to make way for something. You know how often we have to go to Eisenhower medical clinic and every time we do, I'll have to go by there. Yes,they were only palms, but darn, I still love them.
I know, Lisa. But they did it without a permit. And yes, they will be fined. But it wasn't enough to deter them.
So maddening!
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So sad to hear that they would be so sneaky and underhanded...Grrrr.
Wow Sue I can feel the anger in your writing and that honey I have never felt before from you.
Makes me angry that it has upset you so bad.
I too like you can not believe that they do this to put up housing. It's really sad and you have every right to be angry.
I am lucky enough to be surrounded by beautiful Oaks where I live and I thank God every day that I live here but one day Houston will take over this area and there goes the magneficent trees.
Loved how you bleeped your words. You go Girl...
Love ya
Maggie
That is awful! Dishonest. And I would be mad too. I wish I could plant a really big tree in my yard. Trees can entertain children for decades!
heehee
Oh, I can definitely get mad, Maggie. Injustice and deceit gets me riled up, and so does seeing people or things I love threatened.
=)
I hate to see this happen. We have an oak that was planted not long before we bought this house 10yrs. ago. It's really grown a ton since then and someday it will be the mighty oak..for some reason I always want to call it the "old" oak tree. I'm sorry that you had to lose such a precious gift from God...your community is the real losers here.
That is awful and so sad. What is wrong with people. They could have built around them and it would have looked beautiful.
How they be so cavalier, too, about city council decisions? I hope they are fined for their actions.
I've been so sad watching orchards lose ground to developers in our area. I love love love trees.
Sue, my uncle is the Director of the Environmental Studies program (etc) at Yale...my grandfather was a forester and we as a family are huge lovers of the outdoors. It sickens me to see people with such a lack of integrity and a complete disregard for the environment.
This breaks my heart, Sue...
Let me come by to help you beat those people up! Ugh, I hate it when developers buy up land and then abuse it for profit. So many parts of Tokyo have had the same thing happen. A lot of the beautiful traditional houses and mom-and-pop stores and the streets full of culture and local life get bought up by greedy developers. They always turn those properties into ugly skyrises that have apartments that are way too expensive or houses brand name stores. Hearing these kinds of stories always gets me angry and upset that people can be so irresponsible like that. Ugh! I share your anger and frustration!
That is so sad. I hate when the selfishness of man so brutally tramps on the beauty and treasures God has put in this world. So sorry. What an outrage! Somebody should uproot the houses those developers live in and move them onto a top heap in a dump. :)
I am always heartbroken when I hear of a tree being chopped down or ripped up. I have made dear friends with trees. In the hardest moments of my life, they were always there to lift me up. Literally and figuratively. Every one of them has been felled for one reason or another and I cried over every one of them. I am so sorry, and honestly, quite angry as well over this! It brings to mind the Counting Crows song "they paved paradise to put up a shopping mall." Sigh.
wait, I got it wrong! It was "they paved paradise to put up a parking lot." Oops! Sorry.
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