My Town Is Cutting Down All The Trees :(

I live in North Liberty, Iowa which is one of the fastest growing cities in Iowa. It used to have lots of trees, farmland, and green space but now they're cutting down all the trees to put in developments. It makes me sick that they seem to think humans are the only animals living on this planet. I plan to write a letter to my city, but I'd love to know what else I can do to make a difference. I feel extremely passionate about this and I'm more than willing to do anything I need to do to protect the planet.

 

They are cutting down all the big trees everywhere...

 

I know the feeling, I watched the place I grew up go from rural to a suburban sprawl nightmare in a matter of 15 years.


your town should hold public meetings anytime something is rezoned. I dont know how much of a difference one can make by attending these meetings but its worth a shot.

the main reason the area I grew up in was able to develop as it has is the old farmers who owned the land died and their children sold the property to developers.

 

Chain yourself to your favorite tree, they surely wont cut it down if you are attached to it.

 

That's an arrestable offence

 

I just can't stand to see it happen, but I don't know what to do. They say we need the land to build these developments because our town is growing so fast, it's the second fasting growing city in Iowa, and people need places to live. I guess they don't understand that nature lives on this earth too. Humans only seem to think for themselves and nothing else. This planet is so overpopulated but people keep having children.
*shakes head*
I'm only 17, so I highly doubt anyone would take me seriously, but I feel like I have to do something.
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not." -Dr. Seuss

 

poor trees, it's not their fault that their in someones way and don't have feet to move and go somewhere else ... we do tho.

 

Sometimes I think we should put some people in caged zoos and let the wildlife out.....people suck big time sometimes....

 

Exactly. The city is trying to pass cutting down the forests by saying they've started collecting people's compost once a week and that they made a "permanent green space" on the other side of town- it's just a big grass field with some trees on it that they planted. They plan to use the green-space to hold the annual jazz festival they have here and their other stupid events. They have no consideration for the trees, the flowers, the grasses, the wildlife. It's all about money.
I don't know how to live in a world like this- it breaks my heart. Everyone thinks I'm so ridiculous for crying for the trees and nature, but someone has to. I wish I could run off to my perfect world where we all coexist happily and respectfully, and take all the animals with me.

 

When i was little I screamed and cried at my grandfather for cutting down one of the trees in his woods...i was so angry at him. I think I was about 4 at the time......I could not understand why he was doing that.....
I cannot understand why people do what they do many times.....stupidity.....

Some trees are dead, though, that still stand and need to be pruned. Are you sure this is not the case where you are for at least some of them?

 

Who knows, I think some of them are dead, but others are just losing their leaves. Regardless, even dead trees offer homes for wildlife, shade for the plants that grow around them, everything has a purpose in this ecosystem.

From what I've seen, they're taking them down in one spot to build a driveway through a forest leading to some development they plan to build. I don't know their intentions or anything, all I see is more and more trees being knocked down every day.

 

If a tree is dead here or near a person's house...it is usually safer to get it pruned, as it could fall easier on a roof or onto a person's house.....so I understand it for some scenarios...if the tree is dead...

developments...of course.....to make room for more concrete jungle.

 

Nah, these trees are dead on the outskirts of town- no buildings, houses, electrical lines around them, just forest.

I'm planning to write to the city as well as the county conservation. They're both government-run though, so I don't expect to get anything more than BS answers about all the things they're supposedly doing to protect the environment. Hopefully I can get hooked up with some people that understand where I'm coming from and feel the same way, and we can come up with something to do to help.

Right now it's really making me consider going into environmental studies, becoming a conservationist and opening a nature refuge of sorts.

 

Cut down the humans

 

Pfft, if only.

Here is the email I'm planning to send to the county conservation office. How does it sound?

"Johnson County Conservation,

I'm writing in concern about my town of North Liberty. It is the second-fastest growing city in Iowa, and every day there's more and more construction and less and less green space. It seems like all the farmland is being developed, and more and more trees being cut down in the area to put up developments. The town has a composting program and they created a "permanent green space," but it's not enough when there's so much wildlife to support around here. I've noticed the deer wandering into town at least 80% more than I used to, I believe because they have no where else to go since their natural habitat is disappearing.

I'm only 17, so I don't know much about what's going on, who to talk to, what to do. I'm hoping someone with your program can help direct me to resources. I just can't stand seeing all the nature disappearing, so I felt the need to speak up about it before it was too late.

Thanks so much, I appreciate all your program does to assist in conserving Iowa's natural beauty. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Laci *****"

 

There's a lot of dead wood here on my property... Got hit hard by Ash borer and Dutch Elm disease. Some is being used for firewood. (my only source of heat) Some stay for wildlife but very few of those would be left standing for safety reasons. There are others that are alive but not healthy and some that are invasive species that will be cut down and used for firewood. The majority will remain though and new trees will be planted even though I'll never see them get big.


It's very common for municipalities to clear cut and make a park with a few select trees and grass thinking that "green space" is going to help but it does nothing for the environment. Insurance companies get involved also, threatening cancellation of policies because of trees that are to close to houses for their liking. Factory farms over run forests for monetary reasons... Look at the devastation done with this "tar sands" thing in Canada. The list goes on and it's a global problem. Eventually there won't be enough trees to support human life... A little late to say "I told you so" but those in power won't listen anyways, it's all about the money.

 

so what is your alternative? you say the population there is growing fast; where do you suggest they go instead?

i understand where you're coming from. i hated when the farms i grew up around turned into houses. but i don't know what better option there was. most of the farms that disappeared were right by town anyway, and that bothered me a lot less than when a farm out in the middle of nowhere turned into a housing development. i guess if we need to jam more and more people onto the planet, it seems better to at least keep them together so that there's still green space between towns.

 

I've grown up to see relatively every single tree I was personally familiar (yes, I was) with be cut down or struck down half-way, causing it to be cut. One humongous oak fell once at the old farm house right at the back door..

When the huge linden fell in our back yard, barely missing everything vital, but still... it is something I continue to feel and deal with...I've been planting and planning some herbs (thyme) out back there around 2 slabs I wanted left from her, my playhouse tree, her huge branches going up and over until it was truly a canopy of sorts.

The only and biggest trees I know of surround our home.

They are oaks, for the most part...but not solely.

I can't imagine life without them.

 

That's really sad. =[

 

Trees are cut down, land disturbed, buildings are built. What kills me...in a few years the business goes under and there ya have an empty building. Empty buildings everywhere!! That kills me!


They paved paradise and put up a parking lot....