Keep the Trees

As I left the house yesterday I noticed that a whole row of mature trees next to the main road had been hacked down. These are trees I've admired for a long time partly because so much of the surrounding area is wide open it was nice to have them. There were bulldozers working further into the property so I'm guessing they're clearing it for a new development. That's just irresponsible and wrong as far as I'm concerned.

Don't get me wrong, I'm waving the banner of free enterprise, but I'm also interested in conservation and retaining the features and beauty that God gave us here on Earth. I believe they can coexist. Quite nicely actually.

Do these developers think that if one thing obstructs any view of their precious concrete monument-to-come that nobody will ever know it's there? Mr. Developer, you need to get out more. I've been to every state in the country expect for Alaska and more so in the Dallas/Fort Worth area than in most have I seen such approaches to commercial development.

Actually it happens in most residential developments too. Flatten a piece of property, stack houses next to each other like sardines and then put sticks in the front yard with a half-dozen leaves on them. "Sorry about that 40 year old Post Oak that would have given you and your neighbor some shade right away, but we would have had to put one less house in this block", Mr. Developer says to Mr. & Mrs. New Homeowner.

Some of the most attractive retail centers I've seen in my travels managed to exist within the natural landscape with a cool sign in a reasonable spot on the street. You look back through the trees and see a building that looks like it grew there too. It can be done.

I'm no extremist and I don't want to impose regulations on development that keep properties from being developed because a tree has to be cut down. I just want developers to think this stuff through, get creative and maybe go with a few less houses or parking spots. Texas has too few trees as it is, in my opinion, so let's try to hang on to the ones we have.

Amendment 1-hour later to my conservative brethren: It's irresponsible behavior that causes our liberal, big-government adversaries to enact legislation to force our behavior. Keep that in mind.

A.J.

P.S. Hey Texans, quit throwing your trash on the road too. Few states in the county have as much trash on the roads as Texas. Our well known state tagline for not throwing your McDonald's bag out the window when you're done is cool and all, but it's not working.