Editor,
I am pleased to hear that the Planning Commission is looking at the way they issue tree cut permits. It’s been distressing lately to see how many trees have been taken down for the sake of building something that will make the property owner more money without necessarily providing a place for someone to live.
Recent applications on North Main and Fuller Sts. have literally wiped the property clean of any trees, when often it’s the trees that people enjoy seeing, and not what is built in their place. Sometimes I marvel that we have kept our “Tree City USA” status at the rate we cut. It has long been a fantasy of mine that our city issues tree cut permits through a committee of three to five individuals, including an arborist and an architect – then the sole responsibility (or blame) for the cuts would not rest solely on the Building Inspector.
It would be nice if our residents and builders would try their best to leave as many trees as possible on their properties. Trees aren’t just a thing of beauty and homes for the wildlife, they are the lungs of the planet.
Mark Hughes