Trees

               The other day I saw something really said.  I was in the car going along a road that I have been on countless times and saw a huge batch of trees had been knocked down.  The trees were knocked down so recently that they were still lying on the ground.  I could not believe what I was seeing.  Those trees had been on that road forever and now they were left on the ground as though they were nothing.  I tried to find out why these trees were taken down, but I couldn’t find anything conclusive.  The only thing I can do is hope they were taken down for an actual reason and not simply because they were in someone’s way.  Somehow I don’t think I’ll be that lucky.           

                This is not the first time something like this has happened.  Unfortunately it is happening more and more frequently.  There is one building in particular I can think of that stands on a spot that used to be all trees.  That building, probably a decade old, if not more, still has vacancies.  I don’t remember this building ever being at full capacity.  So in essence, a large group of trees died for a lot of empty office space.      

                As much as business and developers take down trees, they are not the only ones doing it.  The past six months I have heard a chainsaw somewhere practically every day.  I have watched neighbors take down perfectly healthy trees for reasons I don’t know.  Over and over again I find trees and other landscaping has been taken down just because it can.  It’s all a complete puzzle to me.  I have to wonder, don’t these people like oxygen?              

                The funny thing is, more than once I have heard that when people visit my area one of the first things they rave about is the trees.  They absolutely love them, and so do I.  The trees are beautiful all throughout the year.  Actually, what is going on with the trees helps us figure out what season we are in.  Don’t laugh.  I live in an area of the country where the current season can be hard to figure out at times.  The changing leaf colors and whether or not the leaves are on the trees helps declare what part of the year we are actually in.  Now, I’ll admit, raking up the leaves in the fall is not exactly the most fun job on the planet, but it’s a small price to play for the beauty the rest of the year.  Even in winter the trees are gorgeous as the snow clings to the bare branches and creates a winter wonderland. 

                 Another great thing about the trees is all the wildlife that lives in them. I love watching the squirrels as they chase each other up the trees and along the branches. Then there are the different kinds of birds that come and perch. I never know what type of bird is going to arrive to sit and watch the world go by. There are some that come all the time and others that maybe visit once a season. Either way, watching the wildlife is a really peaceful activity that I don’t want to see go away. Do we really want to keep losing this type of peace for buildings most of us will never enter in our lives? I vote “No”, but unfortunately I seem to be on the losing side. Maybe someday that will turn around and the trees will end up being the winners. I certainly hope so.