Friday, September 2, 2011

Lorax wanted

Big Ol' Oak Tree on West Bay Road

"Yes, I am the Lorax who speaks for the trees, which you seem to be chopping as fast as you please. But I'm also in charge of the brown Bar-ba-loots, who played in the shade in their Bar-ba-loot suits and happily lived eating truffula fruits. Now, thanks to your hacking my trees to the ground, there's not enough truffula fruit to go 'round! "


Twin Oak on West Street
Red Maple on West Street looking up...not so much for this particular tree
Official subpoena leading to a death sentence
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Public Shade Tree Committee
September 13, 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
First Floor Meeting Room, Town Hall.

PUBLIC HEARING: to review the proposed removal of the following public shade trees: one oak tree on West Bay Rd and one twin oak and one red maple on West St. Tree Warden will post signs on the trees during the weeks of 9/1/11. Trees: a. One oak tree, 28.3" DBH. b. One twin oak tree, 24" & 21" DBH. c. One red maple tree, 18" DBH. Tree locations: a. On the south side of West Bay Rd across from the new addition to Atkins Market. b. On the west side of West St across from Mountain View Cir. c. On the west side of West St across from Mountain View Cir.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Who speaks for the trees?

Anonymous said...

Good! They're going to fall on power lines. Either install power lines underground like they do in more urban areas of the nation or remove those close to the wires and plant new elsewhere. All of the sick, dead and diseased trees in town need to go as well - or the town should sue those negligent homeowners responsible for knocking the power out for the entire community. Some of us need power to heat our homes and make a living.

Larry Kelley said...

Now we know who does not speak for the trees.

Anonymous said...

LOL Larry. Yes, we certainly know who does not speak for the trees.

Anonymous said...

The life of a tree? The life of a person? Hmmm ... how to choose?

Larry Kelley said...

Oh, I don't know...they don't look overly threatening to me.

And they also look like they have been there for 40 or 50 years.

Anonymous said...

Amherst has about 850,000,234 wanna-be Loraxes already. What the town needs is someone who will speak for the homeowners.

Larry Kelley said...

Well the tree warden now works full-time for the DPW, so it's a pretty safe bet he will speak for you.

Kristi Bodin said...

One of your best posts, Larry. Kudos!

Anonymous said...

Where on West St is that twin oak?

- The Lorax is Back!!!

Anonymous said...

Larry -- some time, walk down Kellogg Avenue with your camera. Take a picture of the century old Oaks which are HOLLOW and ROTTING and in some cases, held up by less than an inch of wood all around.

There are two problems with this. First, it is only a matter of time until they come down. And Second, they will all come down at the same time, in the same storm, and then you will have NO TREES on Kellogg Avenue.

Trees need to come down -- you take some down, replant, and over 10-20 years, you have a diversity of ages and lifespans and when the inevitable hurricane comes, the inevitable ice storm, or whatever -- you have most of your trees still upright and not in the road afterwards.

If Alan Snow is still tree warden, if he says a tree needs to come down, it *does*...

Larry Kelley said...

Anon 10:16 PM
Just past main Hampshire College entrance on same side of road and before the curve at Bay Road intersection.

The trees do not need to come down due to disease or old age, they are just in the way.

Anonymous said...

"Now we know who does not speak for the trees."

That is not true. While I feel dead, dangerous and diseased trees should be removed, healthy new trees must be planted in their place somewhere.

Anonymous said...

I have some credentials in this area, being a conservationist who purchased a woodlot along the M+M trail to help preserve it.

Though it is sad to lose some particular trees, we aren't not in danger from becoming barren if the tree warden determines some trees should come down.

Trees aren't eternal, but they grow so readily here that they regenerate within a few years. However, it's best to measure tree growth in decades. In 10 years, a young tree can become moderate-size, and in another 10 years it can be a wonderful shade tree.

Trying to protect all trees is like BANANAism. It's important to find out the rationale for cutting down a tree before you imply callousness in the decision.

Anonymous said...

"Trying to protect all trees is like BANANAism. It's important to find out the rationale for cutting down a tree before you imply callousness in the decision."

Three cheers for rational thinking (and replanting)!

It's cute to remember Dr. Seuss, but some of us have grown up and use adult solutions to problems.

Larry Kelley said...

Yeah, my Anons are so "grown up."

Anonymous said...

You Amherst tree huggers shouldn't worry about these few trees. Amherst has some of the best trees around, and has a large portion of the town protected from development. Sometimes, a healthy tree must come down for various reasons, and while you may find it sad, it is statistically insignificant.

Anonymous said...

why does the number of trees coming down keep increasing? can't anyone count?

Anonymous said...

Make furniture.
Plant more trees
Further away
From the road.