Victims of Indifference

I saw an elderly couple euthanized today. They were deemed unable to support themselves so they were put down.

These were two huge trees just two houses down from mine. The tree surgeons said that when the city had put in the sidewalk, they had simply sheered the roots on one side of the tree. Then later, when the citizens of Wandle Ave (my street) had rallied to have the original brick street replaced with asphalt, the roots got sheered on the other side so that asphalt and driveway aprons could be laid. That was six years ago (before I moved here) and now the trees were dying. They had to be cut down so as not to harm anyone in the future.

I understand that the trees had to come down, but it made me a bit sad nonetheless. And a little angry, at the city and the residents of the street. Why couldn’t they have had a little more… I don’t know… something. No help for it, I guess.

My little ‘burb prides itself on being a Tree City and today it showed how it did itself and its trees a disservice in the name of progress and convenience. The residents got their asphalt street but they lost those beautiful trees and I would guess a few more besides on the street.