borers and beetles bug me

Yesterday, part of the background of my life was destroyed. Heritage trees were harvested, infested with the Asian longhorn beetle.

Three years ago, across the street from me, two beautifully shaped ash trees were removed, to prevent infestation with the emerald ash borer.

All our technology, all our education, and the only way the experts can think of to stop infestations is to destroy the trees themselves.

Near Bethel, my home town, they have already been taking down the maples. They go into peoples yards, fire up their chainsaws, and remove people's shade, remove their windbreaks, remove their family picnic spots, remove their landscapes and continue to change the architecture of the land.

It's unseemly.


www.BethelALB.com

And it's ugly.

The execution of the ash trees in Adams County has given us less beauty and less protection from nature. Trees are windbreaks, and trees prevent erosion of the soil from flooding. Trees provide a natural sound barrier along the unnatural freeways.

Now, the bare spots and the nakedness of the land are set loose in my home places, and everything changes forever.

Some say the trees will grow back. Some say that they won't all be destroyed. There are still elm trees (Dutch Elm Disease) and even an occasional chestnut (blight.)

There are also still gaps where the wind whistles, and houses that have fallen into raging -- creeks.

Infestations are bad, unless you're a borer or a beetle or another bug. They can eat up all the wood, and cause the trees to die standing and then infest the other trees. It's hard to watch trees you've known and loved get sick and die.

But even dead trees can continue to act as windbreaks and dams, something chopped down and chopped up and even uprooted trees can never do.

Did anyone think this through? Why are so many communities endorsing so quickly a 'cure' that's worse than the 'disease? Why not let Mother Nature decide what trees will survive and which ones won't?

She's been doing a pretty dammed good job for a lot longer than we have.