Butchered trees

Well done Steve Evans (The Timaru Herald, October 16) for bringing the matter of butchered trees to our attention.

When New Zealand once hosted tourists, those from the United States in particular often commented on our practice of butchering trees and claimed Canterbury leads the world in this respect.

Many of the butchered trees would be better felled due to their tragic appearance. If trees were supposed to be be treated like this then surely they would grow this way.

There is also the matter of the significant trees we see removed all too often where the excuse is usually age and condition when in fact they are mostly young and healthy. It makes me shudder to see the deciduous trees in West End Park and Craigie Ave underplanted. Does this mean they are in for the chop?

Instead of finding reasons to remove our more significant trees why can’t we instead find reasons to save them and especially in the case of the many trees we see disappear during developments. If the recently subdivided historic property in Temuka can save their trees why can’t others?

Fairlie’s peace trees are under the spotlight where it is claimed 97 per cent have defects, which is hard to follow because they are not old trees. One wonders how good their advice is when we recall their arborists working in jandals following the April windstorm.

Timaru has the Scenic Reserve which is looking magnificent with extensive plantings of natives and this would be further enhanced if we could just show more compassion for our significant trees. Surely the only reason to cut down a tree is because it is old or diseased, otherwise you give it a reason to survive.

Ash Pierce Timaru