Thursday, July 9, 2015

What Is It About Trees . . .

that compels people to destroy them?

Heading out Harry Howard Avenue this afternoon, Gossips discovered one tree down and another coming down on the lawn in front of Montgomery C. Smith Intermediate School.


COPYRIGHT 2015 CAROLE OSTERINK

8 comments:

  1. I think there should be a citywide moratorium on the nonessential cutting of trees on public property. The city should consider undertaking a tree inventory, with an eye to managing our existing trees and planting more trees where appropriate. We should see trees, not as problems, but as the precious resources they are.

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  2. The hospital removed the second of two trees at that triangle intersection - which is now adorned with a large dead tree on the corner of the new mental health building lot .

    What used to be a welcoming space is now a bland cold hard experience.

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  3. The other commenters are correct, Hudson has a tree problem.

    About 10 or more years ago the DEC worked with volunteers to plant trees on the 200 block of Union Street. I'm talking about this program:

    http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4957.html

    Since then, I've personally met with the state's Urban and Community Forestry staff, both in Albany and in Hudson, and the same individuals who assisted with the Union Street project.

    They always ask me the same thing: Why don't Hudson residents work together to form a tree committee?

    And I always answer the same thing: That Hudson residents rarely work together, though we do extremely well complaining separately (above commenters excepted).

    Our new Conservation Advisory Council is discussing something in the direction of an urban tree inventory, and possibly more, but it's really not someone else's "job" if residents aren't going to take an interest, besides which the hard-working CAC has more than enough on its plate.

    The DEC wants RESIDENTS to get our s**t together and to begin asking for tree grants again.

    Consider these large and perfectly healthy trees cut down in April near Front Street and Columbia Street:

    http://www.gossipsofrivertown.blogspot.com/2015/04/who-looks-out-for-trees.html

    It was so wrong on so many levels, but to bring down these engines of evapotranspiration in the midst of our debate about runoff and sewer separation (thus creating more runoff and infiltration) was the perfect picture of our collective ignorance.

    We don't have to like each other (is that even the problem?), but we must learn to work together.

    Self-government 101.

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  4. What about trees. Let me tell you. Say you want to put in a above ground pool in the back yard and there's this big-ass tree in the way. What do you do? Go without the pool??? Or maybe your tired of mowing the lawn and you want to pave over the back to park your cars and your bikes or whatever. Well you cant do that with trees there can you? Look we’ve been cutting down trees in the USA ever since we put the Indians on the reservations, so whats the deal about cutting a tree or 2 around here, especially in Greenport where all they got is trees. OMG there are so many trees in Hudson now that the old ones wont be missed, they’ve been here so long no one notices them except the tree huggers. They should cut them all down on Warren Street. Gets the cars dirty when you park under them But no the antiquers will bitch about it. Or say a builder wants to put in a development of houses or make a parking lot for 30 or 40 cars and there are trees in the way. Are you going to let some trees stand in the way of progress. Or someone wants to cut down a tree in their yard, its their property and they have a right and don’t get me started on what you can't do with your own house here in Hudson. I mean I guess trees are pretty but you know they get in the way and block the view of the house next door and you cant see whats going on there. In third grade or someplace I read something that said that only God can make a tree. Well yeah God makes everything but answer me this if God makes them why does he make so many of them and then why does he let gay people sit under them that’s what I want to know. Its always the tree huggers like I said that complain about cutting down trees and you know for sure that they are all gay and democrats. Come to think about it I bet trees are democrats too, but they cant be gay if God made them. So I say get over it, cut em all down. I mean all those leaves. What a pain in the a…!

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    Replies
    1. Unless you're being ironic, that's not what this issue is about at all, "tree hugging."

      Totally aside from any picturesque qualities, individual trees are massive water engines. They also create heat islands in summer, a respite from the hot, impervious landscape underfoot.

      Again, unless you're being ironic, you're not being very practical. What Hudson lacks is a comprehensive approach to this vital form of green infrastructure.

      As old trees come down, as they sometimes must, we've exhibited almost no planning foresight to remedy the loss of the services these trees provided during their lifetimes.

      In short, we take our urban trees for granted as being merely "pretty," and when their prettiness is done we just get rid of them with no mind to comprehensive infrastructure planning.

      Even shorter: we're an ignorant community.

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    2. Ha! - obviously satire - the joke's on me!

      (I wondered whether someone might have hijacked Mr. Fone's name. Unfortunately I've never met the gentleman, though his book is invaluable to me: "Historic Hudson - an Architectural Portrait." Perhaps he should start writing for "The Simpsons" or something.)

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  5. Ironic is fine, satiric too. Unless??? Well yeah.

    yours in Whimsy,
    Byrne Fone,
    Gay tree hugger.

    PS- knowing Hudson from 1980 until we left in 2008, perhaps gives me leave to try to recreate the voice of some of those for whom phrases like "individual trees are massive water engines," "heat islands" and "vital form[s] of green infrastructure," would probably raise red flags of social and cultural irritability. The "ignorant community" you offer. Write for the The Simpsons? Why, when we've got Hudson?

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