I haven’t had a good rant in a while.
As you might know, our property is bordered by woods that are filled with tall pines. As a result we have tons of wildlife (darn those hawks) and a nice diversity of plant life, including the protected Lady Slipper.
A few weeks back, a letter was sent from the town (we are goverend by a town manager and a town council which consists of elected residents – I know, right?) notifying all of the abutters to the woods that the town was going to do “selective cutting” on the trees.
Selective cutting. To me that means a few trees here, a few trees there.
Apparently to our town though, selective cutting means clear cutting a large (interestingly, it’s a house lot size) “landing area for trucks”, as well as cutting down hundreds and hundreds of trees. All day we’ve been hearing tall pines crashing to the ground. Before we couldn’t see our neighbor’s house, now we will be able to tell what book they are reading on their back porch.
I’m told the town will reap $7,000 from the downed wood. Sap money.
I blame a neighbor who wanted the town to cut down some trees so that he could install solar panel (if you want to use solar do you think it’s the best idea to build a house right next to a forest?) and I blame our town council that doesn’t have a clue on how to communicate what is happening in the town to its residents. (Don’t even get me started on their ineffectiveness with regard to communication on the Kinder Morgan proposed pipeline through our town.) Had I known that this is what “selective cutting” would be, you can be sure I would have registered my dissent at a town meeting. We have owls on that land, woodpeckers, and yes, even a few varieties of hawks and while I don’t like it when they take our chickens, I bow to their right to be here.
The neighborhood is in shock, we are in a state of heartbreak. Such beautiful and stately trees – gone.
Tall pines sway like mad in the wind. Without the support of other trees, I’m not sure we won’t see many of these remaining solitary trees come down (close to our houses) in high wind storms.
Think I’m ranting now? Check me out if that happens.
The blue trees come down.
There is nothing we can do, the damage has been done, we can only warn others to beware and take heed of “selective cutting” letters from our town. The town uses that word, but I’m not sure they know what it really means.
The pink trees stay up.
Pink, blue – does it really matter?
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Wendy Thomas writes about the lessons learned while raising children and chickens in New Hampshire. Contact her at [email protected]
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