Thursday 28 October 2010

Tree Hugger

I am not a tree hugger but I could easily be. This beautiful Linden tree stands outside my house.It provides privacy between my house and those across the road. I like to watch as it changes throughout the seasons. The leaves were beginning to turn from green to a golden yellow and each day a few more leaves would fall from the tree revealing the sky up through the branches.

Today I felt sad. I woke up to the sound of a chainsaw. The local council had come to give the tree its annual prune. I say 'prune' but they chopped it to within an inch of its life. No leaves remain. It's natural shedding of leaves has stopped abruptly. The tree now stands as an ugly black silhouette devoid of life among its branches.

The birds can no longer use it for refuge. The wood pigeons used to like to hide inside it as did the blue tits and squirrels.

Why oh why do so many people have to interfere with nature? I believe the only reason for pruning it, was so that they don't have so many leaves to sweep up. All our local trees have been pruned. They look so ugly now without the softness of the leaves. The changing leaves that led us gently from one season to the next.

It now looks as though it has become winter overnight. The jagged silhouette of the trees look almost threatening against the bleak grey sky. It is as though the trees are angry at being butchered in this way.

Unless the trees are a danger, I think they should be left alone.

14 comments:

  1. What a shame that your lovely tree has had such harsh treatment - it should recover though....and hopefully the council can keep their hands off it to let it do so. Juliex

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is just awful Simone, I'm so angry for you!
    I agree trees should be left alone unless of course they are a danger.
    Just think of the number of little creatures that will displaced by this!
    Vivienne x

    ReplyDelete
  3. oh no - I'm a tree hugger and I'm proud to admit it -- I couldn't agree more about just leaving things be ... wht don't you write and ask just why it's been " pruned"

    ReplyDelete
  4. How awful I do hope it will be OK. I understand why you are so sad.x

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh Simone, I felt so sad when i read this post (beautifully written, by the way). I agree that it is a travesty to butcher a tree without a very good reason. You seemed so in tune with that tree and the beauty and shelter it provided, I can see why it was such an upsetting occurrence for you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The councils are so worried about people taking them to court over slipping over leaves they cut lovely trees right back. ggggrrr

    They even sweep up the leaves before we have had a time to run through them sometimes here :-(

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh I'd be as angry as you, especially if I could see it from my house. Hopefully it will grow again, but it's going to take some time!
    Love Kathy xxx

    ReplyDelete
  8. How awful! No wonder you are upset. Unless the branches are unstable or hanging over a road there is no need to over prune the tree. Surely it would cost the council just as much to prune all the trees as it would to send out a couple of men with one of those machines to suck up the leaves if they are slippy in wet weather. Hopefully it will recover and be just as lovely next spring:)

    ReplyDelete
  9. thats rubbish, my neighbours chopped a huge bird infested tree down in summer, i dont think people realise how trees effect our lives, especially when they are gone!

    ps. thats reminded me, in summer we were on our way to the vintage fair and past a road called Linden Grove.
    It made me think of you :)

    Clare
    Have a leafy weekend x


    Omg you know how I get verification words that are somehow apt?!

    This one is topsad!!
    (with respect to the tree)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow Simone, I have missed so much, so excuse the masses comments I'll be leaving today (I am finally coming out of wedding land - thank god because it was driving me insane - and am back to catching up on everyone's news!)

    I would cry too... trees are my favourite creatures in the whole world. They bring me peace, inspire me and are just so grounded and yet so spiritual. They are why I chose to be attuned to Celtic Reiki out of all the forms of Reiki to be chosen and they were also the theme of our wedding :o) So I share in your grief that a council has decided to act so harshly on them in your area.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That tree will get its own back on the Council by growing back thicker and stronger. x

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a shame Simone, I'm so sorry.
    pamela x

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a difference between the picture at the top of this post and one in your newer post..that's really sad :(
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  14. That makes me so angry too. I wish the council would leave the trees alone in our town too. Hopefully it will recover in the Spring.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are moderated on this blog so it may be a while before your comment appears. I will try to leave a response to your comment where possible. Thank you so much for reading!