Ironically, the show that honored the trees recently cut in Kopachuck State Park is traveling to the Washington State History Museum in March of 2012. I consider it good news that tree cutting has become a hot topic for KP residents. Yes, it's my soapbox, read on if you dare :)
The topic of trees is a volatile one and it should be. In our world they are a diminishing resource that is not accurately accounted for by our flawed socio-economic system. After all, how "valuable" is a dollar bill when you're freezing in a snow storm? It's difficult to apply a monetary figure to items of greater value than money.
Land ownership is a treasured right, but with it comes responsibility. With any luck, the land will remain long after we're gone. I propose that we "land owners" reframe our reference to identify ourselves as " land stewards" for the generations that follow us. Hopefully the caretakers of the particular swath of mature trees in question considered the very real, but less clear value of a standing, mature small forest ecosystem against the merely monetary and short term profit from their demise. Historically that has not been the case however, and I believe the community is justified in making the topic a "hot" one…. and requesting explanation for a deed that affects the entire community. It's not enough to say "they'll grow back". That mature stand is gone, forever, you cannot recapture the years it took to grow them. At the end of the day, when the chain saws are quiet, it's your own children and theirs that you are accountable to. Dear landowner, Is this the best you can do? It's an honest question, is it?
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