MacBeth thought trees were a threat, but apart from Shakespeare's evil character I would not have believed that trees were a menace outside the imaginings of a deranged would-be king. Alas, our mayor shares MacBeth's neurosis and is determined to chop trees down along our pristine rural roadsides.
The same man who would say "Guns don't kill people, people do", is speaking out of the other side of his mouth when he claims people don't kill people, trees do! It seems roadside trees are a liability this rural municipality cannot afford.
If public outrage does not muster, then our beautifully canopied backroads will soon be decimated. This in an era of environmental concern. What of the endangered wildlife and the precious fauna that nourish there? What of the roots that keep back erosion and the canopies that shelter the roads from the destruction of wind and rain and sun. What of the arborial borders that keep top spoil and snow from drifting? And what of the attempt to make this a tourist destination, a destination sought out because of its natural beauty and rural charm. Without any evidence to support his aim - at least evidence that has been disclosed to the public, the mayor plans to bulldoze on.
There is only one thing worse than arrogance in a petty politican, and that is arrogance combined with ignorance.
But now some farmers are saying the tree huggers don't know what we are talking about because we a city emigrees. Well there have been plenty of farmers in my ancestral lineage and are still today. And those who have been true caretakers of the land have known for centuries the benefit of vegetation along the edges of fields and roads.