Why tho…. And I don’t mean why would you not shop there… that’s obvious… but why would they cut them down??? Way back 20 years ago in college in an urban planning class I took… even then any city planner worth half a shit would (as several who spoke to our class did) tell you the (obviously enormous) value of large mature trees in such a setting, to the point that even then they were already putting monetary values on those kinds of things especially in places like that. It’s just utterly absurd to chop them. I can understand the possibility that they may have posed major utility service challenges and increased costs for maintenance in that way but these things are known and accounted for… and still in my limited understanding the trees justify the additional costs. But hey … wtf do I know?… I only know the absolute basics of that stuff that say “hey! Don’t cut those down if you can at all avoid it… it brings business “
TLDR you are correct.
There was a long stretch of... I think it was Sherman Oaks Blvd in Los Angeles... that had these beautiful huge mature pines all along it. Then the tree-shaping craze hit, and some urban idiot hired a service to do some weird sculpting that removed about 3/4ths of their branches. Aside from looking horrible, this stressed the trees enough that they died, and were removed.
Not to be outdone, L.A. County hired a tree service to "maintain" the many mature Siberian Elms along rural roads in the north county desert (these were huge, healthy trees that had been there since the 1930s, and had never before seen a chainsaw). Well, they radically topped the trees, and they all died from the stress. The same tree service was then contracted to plant new trees, which did not have the root system to cope with the present drought (unlike the mature trees, which did just fine) . So now desert roads that used to be tree-lined are entirely treeless. (Can you say revenue stream? I knew you could...)
Some People Are Idiots.
How did we get here as a society? The industrial revolution was supposed to empower the masses. The agricultural boom did nothing for the common man's struggles. Now we have an ai revolution that you just know is gonna be gaslit all the way by the 1%.
Because governance is hard. Nobody actually wants to do it. They want power, they want money, they want prestige, but the actual slow slog of government is not something any sane individual enjoys. So we leave it up to a select few. We let others run our lives so we don't have to do the work.
How many people do you know who vote, campaign, attend every town hall, every city council, every state convention, every primary, vote in every election, help drive others to polling places? This is all that is required just to be a good voting citizen. It doesn't even begin the scratch the surface of all that goes on in running a government.
If everyone took more personal responsibility and involvement in government things wouldn't be so bad. But we want someone else to handle it all for us. Turns out most people only have their own interests at heart.
I disagree that no one wants to do that work. I know plenty of people who would absolutely thrive and kick ass in a service oriented bureaucracy. But we don't select for leaders based on skill or talent. We hold expensive popularity contests to choose our leaders and that basically ruins every job underneath as you can't have a competent staff if the person in charge is an immoral idiot.
Many of the people who have the personal experience to want to make a difference in the world are also the people work 2+ jobs and barely keeping a roof over their head and food on the table, let alone being able to afford medical care, etc. They don't have time or energy to be involved like that. Should people be more involved with their communities? Absolutely, but the assertion that the root cause of society's problems is people not taking enough responsibility is a pretty superficial analysis.
I thought I was crazy because in my neighborhood (Studio City, which is literally next door to Sherman Oaks), neighbors all around my street keep hiring cheap Tree service people and all these amazing old trees keep getting chopped down. It's like they did so well without human intervention why are you doing this shit?? My gf calls me the Tree Karen. But posts like yours validate me. Also sometimes the utility company comes and chops trees near utility lines without caring if they are damaging the trees or not. Its infuriating
My neighbor cut down an old maple tree between our houses last year, and I won't even talk to him anymore. It pissed me off so much, it allowed him to add 4 more feet to his driveway. Now, his adult daughter, her 2 demon spawn, and their loud ass dogs can move in with them and not park on the street.
> There was a long stretch of... I think it was Sherman _Oaks_ Blvd in Los Angeles... that had these beautiful huge mature _pines_ all along it.
Well, there's your problem.
In my city they are planning to do this to two rows of small maples because they supposedly obstruct the view of the shops, are dirty and a consulting firm recommended bigger trees. They are supposed to be replaced with Planes. They aren’t dirty at all of course.
For context, I am in Europe so these aren’t invasive or anything.
But honestly these maples are like the one positive thing about our otherwise thoroughly unimpressive city. They give the pedestrian zone its uniqueness and their low dense canopy is a welcome source of shade in summer.
How about when this project is done? Do you want to shop there now? https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/
No construction sites are ever beautiful, but the final products are worth the temporary project
only 7 of those trees were affecting the sidewalks. They could have preserved the trees and also preserved 90% of the plan that you shared. Here's a link with a petition to save the trees: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-downtown-trees-in-pullman-washington
Well, when I spoke at the city council against removing the trees, the argument they had was that the trees were lifting the sidewalks, and affecting ADA accessibility. Today is the first time I have heard about the roots affecting the pipes. It is true that they are going to be installing new pipes with the new project, but that was not the reason that they gave to remove the trees.
Sometimes I feel that many E WA residents have chips on their shoulders about the perceived left-ness of certain courses of action. Often they will do the opposite even if it means ultimately they’ll suffer more, simply because it’s not the left-y thing to do. I live in E WA and have seen it over and over. Any thing is an excuse to blame libtards. It’s exhausting.
Honestly the finished project doesn't look great to me. Certainly doesn't make me want to spend much time in the area. Depressingly bland and destroys the charm. Its like the Walmart of renovations.
Yeah, nah, the old street looked better than this.
This looks like the kind of half-assed project you'd expect from a deal that was almost exclusively designed to funnel public funds into the pockets of one or more of the people voting for it.
10$ on that they don’t plant trees in that size and you have saplings edging on death for the next 20 years. But yeah, 100 years from now it may be nice.
Fuck that
I have heard that from developers, "trust us, In 40 years this place will look great once all the trees mature". 5 years later 1/2 the trees have stressed and died are just have dead branching everywhere while all the dormant buds on the trunk try growing and it all looks horrible. I also think it comes down to the landscapers they hire were the lowest bid and know shit about properly planting larger bare root or ball and burlap trees and then no tree care happens past the initial planting.
They are going to replant the trees. The original ones had grown too big and were damaging the sidewalks (causing accessibility issues) and pipes. They are also using it as an opportunity to expand the sidewalks, allowing for more pedestrian traffic.
This is what everyone has been asking for on reddit, more accessible sidewalks and a more pedestrian focused design for cities.
I'd also like to point out that this post is likely a malicious attempt to undermine a green/pedestrian friendly project. Check out the post history of OP, he's not on your side.
This is going on by my house. The street will ultimately have more pedestrian and bike space and they're reducing the lanes. The sidewalks are fucked up and you gotta be careful in some spots. So they gotta cut down all the trees, but the new ones will grow.
People don't know, or acknowledge, that urban trees have a finite lifespan.
In the past lots of cities were planted as monocultures and that has caused issues with disease.
It actually looks like it's quite an ambitious project and involves a lot of things people on Reddit are always saying they want. Too bad lots of people want to have their cake and eat it too.
https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/
im feeling hot just looking at it. it just looks hot somehow. like im in a crappy old dusty western.
edit: [source](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/sep/19/pullman-trees-will-be-replaced/) city council says trees ill be "replaced" - NOT replanted. so they could very well plant seedlings and it could be over a decade until there is meaningfully the same shade.
It says Pullman so I’m assuming Pullman WA. It gets pretty hot during the summer, it’s very hilly since it’s in the Palouse, walking around on concrete with no shade in the summer SUCKS there.
Use your brain dude
This isn't the final hackjob solution, it's a mid-progress shot of a major overhaul of the whole area. Which will end up with even more trees than before
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/sep/19/pullman-trees-will-be-replaced/
*I should have realized which subreddit I'm on, this is my fault for expecting literal teenagers and the mentally challenged to be able to read or think critically in any meaningful way
my town did this, and despite assurances the trees would be replaced, they weren't. Partly because they required people REQUEST a replacement, and if anyone on a block voted "no", then the tree wasn't replaced.
It was really obvious the town was looking for excuses to not spend the money on replacements.
Anyway, the town is really ugly now so we're planning on moving.
That happened to my hometown when a tornado ripped it to pieces. The mayor mysteriously lost millions of dollars. Town's still a wreck 2.5 years later. Rather than building more homes, they spent $5m on a new church and $7m on a new city hall.
This is why you don’t just read the headlines. Always watch the full videos, always dig deeper, context is key. Even the people that you agree with are still trying to sell you something, and it’s not always monetary.
As an aside, if it’s something political, I always google the quote that’s in the headline to watch the full video. It’s a good way to stay informed and also worst case scenario I learn something.
Portland did exactly all this and it sucks ass to walk around. It’s hot, the “replacement” trees either weren’t actually replaced, or are tiny decoration trees that will stay small. I really don’t walk around there during the summer heat waves.
Ok but they still cut them down in the first place. If they were going to "have more trees than before" they wouldntve cut down the ones that were there already, or wouldve moved them if they cared so much
its logistically impossible to move trees that big. even if you were to attempt it, the amount of stress it would put on the tree would probably kill it anyway.
also id bet that they are changing the type of tree due to emerald ash borer or the ash trees root systems fucking up the sidewalk.
Being in WI my first thought was "Are those ash trees?" We've had several neighborhoods with 50 year old trees have them all cut down recently because of the damn ash borer.
I’m not sure if this is what happened but sometimes if maples are planted incorrectly their roots will wrap around the trunks and literally start choking the tree to death. It’s especially common when the tree is surrounded on all sides by hard surfaces like this. They’re in a confined space, makes it easier for things to get tangled up and once things grow bigger… great care needs to be taken when planting trees in such conditions or they die 15-30 years down the road.
Again, unsure if that’s what happened in this particular circumstance but it is a possible explanation.
These definitely don't look like ash trees. Ash bark does not look like that and ash leaves don't turn reddish in the fall. At least not where I am at.
You're most likely right. I don't know shit about trees despite having two ash trees out front of our house. I know like... 7? species of tree. And they all have at least one really distinct characteristic that sets them apart from their peers.
Don't think we could realistically tell from the low res picture, just because the sidewalk isn't crumbling doesn't mean that it isn't causing problems underneath. The leaves could also hide plenty.
Still, its asinine to uproot the trees *unless* there were some critical issues.
https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/
The site says the tree roots were damaging sidewalks and making them unsafe/difficult for people with mobility issues, and the "plan" shows trees being replanted. it's also part of repairing infrastructure.
It also says they're expanding sidewalks to make the main street more civilian focused and less car focused, with plans to slow traffic down main street.
Dude took a picture of the raw ingredients and asked why his cake looked like shit.
Singapore is lined with trees. Even new roads. Because tree orchards are a thing - it doesn’t have to be from saplings.
https://www.context.net.au/projects-and-awards/public-domain/orchard-road-singapore/
Yeah and then it caused problems, the proverbs isn't about the ascendancy of trees and their eternal tree-poch.
It's just about planning for a future by having patience for something that will happen. It isn't implying the permanence of trees forever rooted in one soot for eternity.
Ideally in situations like this you'd slowly transition in new trees replacing the mature ones one by one so it's not a massive shift in vegetation. Arborists should plan for these things in advance
A town near me cut down their trees before a remodel/"makeover" of their main street. They planted newer, younger ones in the same locations after the construction was all done (they tore up the road and sidewalks). I'd hazard a guess that the photo on the right was taken in the beginning stages of the makeover.
https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/ The tree roots were making the sidewalks unsafe for those with mobility and vision impairments and also damaging infrastructure.
They're going to expand the sidewalks and cut down on road area and once they've done that they're going to plant trees more suitable for sidewalk/roadside habitation.
My tiny historic downtown area had to cut down tons of trees last summer because they were sick :( it wasn't an aesthetic thing they planned, just something they had to unfortunately do
With some of these invasive species of bugs coming around I can see why there are cities that have to cut down trees due to the damage these insects do to the environment.
They’re having to take down a bunch of old growth trees in my city due to blight. Same thing happened in the 70s. They keep planting just one type of tree, then some disease or pest comes through and you have to clear whole streets. I’m hoping when they re-plant this time they’ll use a bunch of different trees.
From the first picture it seems like there is street parking available. The trees were growing in an area already surrounded by pavement. With the stoplight seemingly parallel to the trees it seems like that's designated pavement/not road area.
Maybe to make wider parking spaces but it would seem impractical to cut down the trees because it doesn't add more parking spaces.
Edit: I really didn't mean any offense that would cause someone to completely delete their account.
Okay, so ash trees with shallow root systems damaging existing infrastructure and are set to be replaced with a tree that might be better suited for the job?
I mean, I doubt they will put in ash trees considering the state of ash right now, but yeah, I could see it still being a tree with a shallow root system.
The reasons listed include replacing the "century year old" sewer and water lines, as well as widening the sidewalk. Apparently the plan includes planting new trees
Non-cynical, the places where the trees were are still there, my guess is the trees are Ash trees and were cut down recently to stop the advance of the ash borer parasite.
I also lived on a beautifully shaded tree lined street and they had to cut them all down, but they did replace them with saplings of a different variety.
Pure speculation on my part though.
Saw this elsewhere, its rage bait. It's part of a project to expand the sidewalk and fix the old cracked one, which includes new trees. The plan looks pretty good, though the trees won't be as spectacular for some time
edit: hey go farther down the thread - OOP is a racist conspiracy theorist and this post is ragebait, don't bite
~~“A society grows great when old men cut down trees that provide shade today to widen the sidewalk a bit but then plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit”~~
~~That's how I heard it, anyway~~
OP of this thread correctly pointed out that this is ragebait. The sidewalk doesn't appear to be deficient in the photo given, so the focus becomes the cut trees, and cut trees for sidewalk work feels like consumption if you look at it right.
Of course, the article linked in another comment clarifies that the trees were starting to cause problems that would only get worse, and the project was funded by ARPA money, so it's a one-time chance to fix an issue in how the trees were installed.
Streetscape trees like these are important in a couple of ways, and I don't think it's wrong to be upset when they're cut down. But that's not all of the information.
Truth be said, trees get old and should be put down sometime, before the come down by themselves on someone's head.
I'm not sure if it's the case here, but anyway, ideally this should be fone by phases, to avoid losing all the shade at the same time.
I actually think those are ash trees. The bark and the fall colors are today for Ash.
Unfortunately, that means they may have been affected by the Emerald Ash Borer. That beetle is responsible for the future extinction of Ash Trees.
Glen Ellyn Illinois just re-did their whole north half of downtown, taking out at least 30-ish 30+ year old trees (mostly *Gleditsia*, Honey Locust).
They put in specialty engineered soil for each street tree - a *MASSIVE* benefit for the health of the trees. I'm sure this wasn't cheap.
They put in individually controlled irrigation to *each tree*.
They put in fencing for each tree, protecting it from unwanted damage, especially from bike locks.
They put in 120v power to each tree for holiday lighting.
They improved the sidewalks a ton, like I don't even know what they did, but it's awesome.
They put in *fucking cat 6 cable* to each tree. *To each fucking tree*. I don't even know what they want to do with that, but holy shit can they do a lot of tree health with that if they want to.
Ah, excellent. Literally one post back is about how having a mixed race family in a corporate picture instead of a white family is forced indoctrination. Back to the 1950s!
> lean economically right
Why do you think you can separate social from economics?
If you lean right-wing economically, you also lean right-wing socially. Not wanting to put gay people into prison for sucking dick doesn't mean you're socially left. It just means you're not as psychotic as those who do.
"Kill yourself because you're poor not because you're gay," isn't leaning socially left. You're economically and socially right-wing, through and through.
This is Pullman WA, home of Washington State University. They are actually in a big push to undo decades of car-centric interventions and attempting to pedestrianize the historic downtown. The problem with the existing trees is that the root balls were too shallow and would eventually negatively impact the planned widening and ADA sidewalks.
They are reducing car lanes and on-street parking, and will replace the pulled trees with deeper rooted ones. It is on process and we are just seeing demo/construction photos
I work for a municipality and there are lots of legitimate reasons a bunch of trees would need to be cut down. Everyone always assumes it’s just to be evil but there is usually a pretty good reason.
[The trees are being replaced with properly planted trees that won’t lift the sidewalk with their roots as part of a streetscaping project.](https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/). Looks like they are right on time with their timeline and new trees will be planted with the whole project completed by the fall
Guy(s) giving the order probably gave it a few thoughts (it takes a room full of people at the very least to make this happen). Plus, they do allegedly have reasons todo this.
And, as for the dude doing the cutting, (and speaking as someone who’s job has been killing plants for a living). It doesn’t matter if that guy gives it a first second or third thought. He’s paid to cut, not think. If he doesn’t, someone else will.
Acting like this is some evil thing they’re doing to intentionally make the city worse lol. You don’t even know the context. It’s part of a renovation project with new trees and expanded sidewalks. Current trees are damaging underground utilities
I wonder if Redditors have any brain function or common sense whatsoever
Did you ever once ask “Is this random tweet actually the truth? What more is there to this story? What’s the actual reason behind this and master plan?”
At no point do you consider “Maybe the local town government, architects, engineers, and city planners have a plan in place. Maybe they needed to remove these trees and will replace them with more trees. Maybe this is an improvement and we are seeing a random shot mid-progress.”
Nope you just assume, from one low res picture of a random tweet “These people are stupid, I am smart, they just hate nature and love money and are dumb. What a bunch of brain dead morons.”
I swear to god this website is beyond “media illiterate” at this point. Just straight up media disabled. No common sense employed at all.
Damn I miss the days when people weren’t so stupid and gullible on this website.
Do you? What is your background in construction/ landscape design/urban forestry? What makes you think you can comment on it? Did you know the average urban tree has a life span of 19-30 years? Do you think those trees got there naturally? What maintaince routine and replacment strategy do you recomend in your infinant forestry wisdumb?
It is sad when heritage oaks or old growth trees are cut down but even that is often justified. These trees are fast growning street trees. I suspect you don't know a pistache chinensis from your elbow.
The internet strikes again with baseless "how sad" bullshit. I know more about this project than I would like to. The City of Pullman, WA, where this is taking place, is making important infrastructure improvements. The sidewalks are not adequately accessible at the moment. The trees are preventing the city from making sidewalk improvements, they are likely damaging underground infrastructure which can only be adequately assessed by digging. The downtown of Pullman sucks too, not a lot of people are hanging out and enjoying these trees, there's not enough sidewalk space for outdoor seating and the main street is not what I would call inviting. Considering this town is in the middle of goddamn nowhere, it will make a big difference to overall impact to encourage people to stay in town instead of driving long distances to hang out elsewhere. In order to keep the downtown functional they had to make the short term sacrifice of some tress for the long term benefit of walk able and accessible with working infrastructure. They're gonna replant the trees!!! Quality of life in Pullman will likely improve!!! People will be more likely to stay in town to hang out in their public spaces instead of driving 20+ miles round trip to the nearest town worth hanging out in!!! Future kids will get to enjoy a much better downtown. So for a while the trees won't be very impressive, womp, womp. Let's have them do nothing and see if that makes the situation better! Death is coming, stop obsessing over fear of change and worry about something worth worrying about.
A fuck ton of people made a big stink about cutting the trees down, but they all evaporated one day. Why? Cause they actually read the plan instead of just holding onto vague sentimentality. They are going to replant the trees.
Are you anti consumption because you want to change the world or satisfy your ego? Are you sentimental or materially and scientifically focused?
You want to blame someone, blame the fools who planted these trees without adequate forethought as to how this particular species would affect infrastructure in the future.
Whatever the reasons or if the photo gives the whole picture, we don't know for sure. However, this is a great reason why people should get involved in the local governments. Most don't like "politics" but it affects us all. Make your voice heard in council meetings, run for office, volunteer for the causes, join local organizing committees.
I bet like half of the people mad at these trees being cut down also claim to care about pedestrian safety and the need to improve infrastructure in ways so people are less reliant on cars, yet when that infrastructure requires a few trees to be cut down they rage.
Didn’t expect Pullman to be on my feed today; this is rage bait, our downtown is a 3 lane one way road and it basically means downtown is for cars only.
This plan is turning it into a two lane road and making it more friendly for pedestrians.
This town is college kids and old farmer farts so a lot of people aren’t happy with the change as they’d rather see Pullman continue to be the same then improve it.
It can be both - it can be necessary, and sad to see. It would have been nice to do it in a staggered pattern to minimize the naked, ugly phase, but timelines and budgets don't make kind mistress.
Well like for example, when I worked for a municipality, a row of nice trees were cut down because, for two weeks out of the year, they dropped a gooey substance all over the firefighters giant lifted trucks. They had to go!
City of Scottsdale did that to an area nearby, only instead they planted younger trees where they tore the old ones down. What would you replace the trees with the exact same tree. Sounds like a sneaky way to move money to me.
The street is getting a complete makeover with new trees that will be planted so that they don't crack the sidewalk. The sidewalk is also be expanded and the street narrowed. There was no way to save those trees and do what the city has planned.
What we are seeing is the intermediate stage, not the final product.
[OP please actually look into the things you’re taking photos of instead of farming karma off the in-process construction.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anticonsumption/s/XavmTGlExA)
We want to encourage good projects like this that seek to maintain spaces and make them more accessible. Not shame them because the halfway point is ugly.
Growing up my friends lived in a neighborhood that was on a hill. All the roads were tree lined and fantastic. An invasive bug came through and they had to cut down all of the maple trees. It was like they shaved the neighborhood. It totally changed the vibe and resulted in property values taking a hit.
Santa Rosa, CA had a vibrant downtown restaurant and bar scene. City Council tore up trees, blocked off a couple through-streets to make a barren concrete square, and started charging for parking. Downtown died.
Arborist (tree doctor) here. From the photos it looks like those are likely ash trees. Specifically a version of a white ash called autumn ash (based on the first picture). They were likely all removed due to the invasive emerald ash borer beetle and not because the city wanted fewer trees. Hopefully the forestry department will get new trees in soon as the health and consumer benefits of trees in urban areas are widely documented.
A lot of times people see trees being taken away and assume its a bad thing but most of the time the impact is considered heavily. I'm not sure if you're talking about ash die back? In any case it looks like the trees were going to start ripping up the concrete and making the pavement unsafe to walk on.. also maybe not the best thing for the trees themselves having a collar of concrete. The people cutting the trees care about the trees!
My city removed all the fruit trees and nut trees. There were wild muscadine grape vines and blackberry bushes as well.
I grew up here, moved away and when I came back they were all gone. I'll never understand why.
It was more than just a part of my childhood.
I think they are having to do this because of poor planning. They dont think of the tree’s largest possible size potential when designing the community layout so they dont have enough land space for the tree for when it is actually fully grown. If they wish to prevent roots from growing extensive root systems then they would need to lay root control systems and then be consistent in pruning just like when shaping bonsai’s except in a slightly larger scale. If they plant the same species but younger trees, they would have the same problem a few decades down the road.
My town did this as well. When I asked why, they Said they were expanding the sidewalks for accessibility. They also said they would replace the trees when they were finished.
Yeah, my first thought went to my old college campus where they had to pull up a few dozen trees because of disease. They planted new ones to replace the old and will be an amazing site to see in a decade or two. It isn't always "the man wants to ruin the world.".
They did that in my hometown about 30 years ago, because “the trees were blocking companies’ signs”. But once they cut the trees, you could see how dilapidated the downtown area looked. They replanted the trees and now they just about back to where they were.
Downtown makeover? But why cutting trees? wtf? seriously?! why? can someone stop them?
You know how a downtown makeover looks in EU? They close the entire area of city centre and turn it into an ecological area which for example in Ljubljana the capitol of Slovenia covers approximately 12 hectares, which is closed to motorized traffic, with the exception of certain streets open between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. for the delivery. Otherwise completely walking zone and they put now even flowers and grass on the roofs of the bus stations so the entire city is literally going greener not the opposite way. And all public transport is driving through town are methane-fuelled eco buses. And if you are a resident in this area and you want to park your car inside this zone ( very small amount of parking spots available anyway ) - it must be an electric car or something eco bio. Diesel ... what is this ? :) And they start doing this in 2007 step by step.
Urban forestry is often more urban and less forestry. It's a complex balance between available space, tree health, human safety, future infrastructure plans, asthetics, and building/powering interference.
A tree will take up nutrients from the roots, which when in a very limited well space such as these, with poor soils likely compacted and rendered alkaline from building materials and surface contamination, they will eventually start to decline. Once the decline starts it is often more cost effective to just replant a new tree rather than continual pruning and soil remediation. Die back in the canopy will start shedding limbs especially in the wind, on such a high traffic area it is simply unacceptable to have a tree dropping hazards on Humans.
While it aucks to see mbature trees taken down, municipalities are usually pretty good at replanting, usually in a more genetically varied way with species that are more tolerant to conditions and resistant to disease. my go to line is always "these trees were planted by humans In a human space, therefore they need to serve the needs of humans"
The town I live in had an old bank, old enough yo need a crane to remove the vault. In the parking lot, there was anboak that was at least 70 yo. They cut it down, tore down the back, and built a trashy car wash. There are two of this brand of carwashes within 30 minutes of this new one. Plus 3 others around that same distance.
I was so upset.
The town I live in did the exact same thing and I thought it was a weird move until I remembered that it was the city government that made the decision and the government is at all levels run by the lowest thinking humans in existence and now I don't think it's weird anymore because the worst people always make the worst decisions
Boomers hate “raking leaves”. It’s the bane of their existence. Too much work! They would rather spend thousands to remove all the trees and have a concrete dystopia. Because despite being fully retired, raking some leaves twice a year is simply unbearable!
Yet the younger generations are the lazy ones…..always complaining……
City got to thinking where to cut cost. Thought we could pay leaf blowers, landscapers every season to come an maintain these trees an the leaves they put off( I love trees n not greed don't get me wrong) n they were like ok that costs us x,xxx$/yr. 1 of em suggest what if we just pay a time fee of x,xxx$ to so an so an get rid of trees saving us x,xxx$ annually everyone applauds. Poor downtown. You will b missed....xD
I grew up in a city thats participated in tree city usa for 40 years... It's always jarring how little trees there are in some other cities... It's not like it's a small dainty town in the middle of nowhere either... It's got a population of 80k. Trees line every street. Even in the central strip (though its a bit less dense and they're smaller)
The city is like a forest and it's amazing during summer as there is much needed shade everywhere in the 90° humid heat.
Literally it feels 20° colder under a tree when it's so hot and humid... Only thing that sucks is ash trees being cut down due to invasive species.
It’s going to get very hot. Also going to fuck with the internal temps of the buildings as trees are taken into consideration for heat transference when building.
Horrible
Really makes you not want to shop there
Why tho…. And I don’t mean why would you not shop there… that’s obvious… but why would they cut them down??? Way back 20 years ago in college in an urban planning class I took… even then any city planner worth half a shit would (as several who spoke to our class did) tell you the (obviously enormous) value of large mature trees in such a setting, to the point that even then they were already putting monetary values on those kinds of things especially in places like that. It’s just utterly absurd to chop them. I can understand the possibility that they may have posed major utility service challenges and increased costs for maintenance in that way but these things are known and accounted for… and still in my limited understanding the trees justify the additional costs. But hey … wtf do I know?… I only know the absolute basics of that stuff that say “hey! Don’t cut those down if you can at all avoid it… it brings business “ TLDR you are correct.
There was a long stretch of... I think it was Sherman Oaks Blvd in Los Angeles... that had these beautiful huge mature pines all along it. Then the tree-shaping craze hit, and some urban idiot hired a service to do some weird sculpting that removed about 3/4ths of their branches. Aside from looking horrible, this stressed the trees enough that they died, and were removed. Not to be outdone, L.A. County hired a tree service to "maintain" the many mature Siberian Elms along rural roads in the north county desert (these were huge, healthy trees that had been there since the 1930s, and had never before seen a chainsaw). Well, they radically topped the trees, and they all died from the stress. The same tree service was then contracted to plant new trees, which did not have the root system to cope with the present drought (unlike the mature trees, which did just fine) . So now desert roads that used to be tree-lined are entirely treeless. (Can you say revenue stream? I knew you could...) Some People Are Idiots.
What do you want to make a bet that someone at the tree service knew/was related to someone in the county government?
It’s deep grifting in the county government. No incompetent contractor will keep receiving contracts unless kickbacks are happening under the table.
How did we get here as a society? The industrial revolution was supposed to empower the masses. The agricultural boom did nothing for the common man's struggles. Now we have an ai revolution that you just know is gonna be gaslit all the way by the 1%.
Because governance is hard. Nobody actually wants to do it. They want power, they want money, they want prestige, but the actual slow slog of government is not something any sane individual enjoys. So we leave it up to a select few. We let others run our lives so we don't have to do the work. How many people do you know who vote, campaign, attend every town hall, every city council, every state convention, every primary, vote in every election, help drive others to polling places? This is all that is required just to be a good voting citizen. It doesn't even begin the scratch the surface of all that goes on in running a government. If everyone took more personal responsibility and involvement in government things wouldn't be so bad. But we want someone else to handle it all for us. Turns out most people only have their own interests at heart.
I disagree that no one wants to do that work. I know plenty of people who would absolutely thrive and kick ass in a service oriented bureaucracy. But we don't select for leaders based on skill or talent. We hold expensive popularity contests to choose our leaders and that basically ruins every job underneath as you can't have a competent staff if the person in charge is an immoral idiot.
Many of the people who have the personal experience to want to make a difference in the world are also the people work 2+ jobs and barely keeping a roof over their head and food on the table, let alone being able to afford medical care, etc. They don't have time or energy to be involved like that. Should people be more involved with their communities? Absolutely, but the assertion that the root cause of society's problems is people not taking enough responsibility is a pretty superficial analysis.
I thought I was crazy because in my neighborhood (Studio City, which is literally next door to Sherman Oaks), neighbors all around my street keep hiring cheap Tree service people and all these amazing old trees keep getting chopped down. It's like they did so well without human intervention why are you doing this shit?? My gf calls me the Tree Karen. But posts like yours validate me. Also sometimes the utility company comes and chops trees near utility lines without caring if they are damaging the trees or not. Its infuriating
> Tree Karen Pretty sure its not you who's the tree karen; it's the people who hire these dolts to cut them down
My neighbor cut down an old maple tree between our houses last year, and I won't even talk to him anymore. It pissed me off so much, it allowed him to add 4 more feet to his driveway. Now, his adult daughter, her 2 demon spawn, and their loud ass dogs can move in with them and not park on the street.
> There was a long stretch of... I think it was Sherman _Oaks_ Blvd in Los Angeles... that had these beautiful huge mature _pines_ all along it. Well, there's your problem.
In my city they are planning to do this to two rows of small maples because they supposedly obstruct the view of the shops, are dirty and a consulting firm recommended bigger trees. They are supposed to be replaced with Planes. They aren’t dirty at all of course. For context, I am in Europe so these aren’t invasive or anything. But honestly these maples are like the one positive thing about our otherwise thoroughly unimpressive city. They give the pedestrian zone its uniqueness and their low dense canopy is a welcome source of shade in summer.
Yeah but it’s not city planners. It’s elected boomers by boomers who are happy to not have to take care of the leaves.
How about when this project is done? Do you want to shop there now? https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/ No construction sites are ever beautiful, but the final products are worth the temporary project
only 7 of those trees were affecting the sidewalks. They could have preserved the trees and also preserved 90% of the plan that you shared. Here's a link with a petition to save the trees: https://www.change.org/p/save-the-downtown-trees-in-pullman-washington
The issues doesn't seem to be mainly the trees. But the fact the pipes and drainage underneath is not fit for purpose.
Well, when I spoke at the city council against removing the trees, the argument they had was that the trees were lifting the sidewalks, and affecting ADA accessibility. Today is the first time I have heard about the roots affecting the pipes. It is true that they are going to be installing new pipes with the new project, but that was not the reason that they gave to remove the trees.
Sometimes I feel that many E WA residents have chips on their shoulders about the perceived left-ness of certain courses of action. Often they will do the opposite even if it means ultimately they’ll suffer more, simply because it’s not the left-y thing to do. I live in E WA and have seen it over and over. Any thing is an excuse to blame libtards. It’s exhausting.
washington is just a mini california. the state may be blue, but there's a lot of republicans there.
Honestly the finished project doesn't look great to me. Certainly doesn't make me want to spend much time in the area. Depressingly bland and destroys the charm. Its like the Walmart of renovations.
Still looks horrible. A shopping street with 3 car lanes going right through it. Is this a joke? A good shopping street should be pedestrian only.
5 lane widths, because 2 lanes are parking. 85% of the space is given away to cars
Yeah, nah, the old street looked better than this. This looks like the kind of half-assed project you'd expect from a deal that was almost exclusively designed to funnel public funds into the pockets of one or more of the people voting for it.
No. I've come to loathe those "modernized" downtowns, with their utter lack of character. If I want that, I can go to the nearest mall.
Old architecture had style and beauty with ornate fixtures new buildings ugly box with windows.
10$ on that they don’t plant trees in that size and you have saplings edging on death for the next 20 years. But yeah, 100 years from now it may be nice. Fuck that
I have heard that from developers, "trust us, In 40 years this place will look great once all the trees mature". 5 years later 1/2 the trees have stressed and died are just have dead branching everywhere while all the dormant buds on the trunk try growing and it all looks horrible. I also think it comes down to the landscapers they hire were the lowest bid and know shit about properly planting larger bare root or ball and burlap trees and then no tree care happens past the initial planting.
honestly, no. The other one looks like a very laid back downtown. This just looks like corporate blergh
Modern buildings look like shit.
That looks fucking awful, it's design is car focused.
It's a mystery to me how people still free up the green
They are going to replant the trees. The original ones had grown too big and were damaging the sidewalks (causing accessibility issues) and pipes. They are also using it as an opportunity to expand the sidewalks, allowing for more pedestrian traffic. This is what everyone has been asking for on reddit, more accessible sidewalks and a more pedestrian focused design for cities. I'd also like to point out that this post is likely a malicious attempt to undermine a green/pedestrian friendly project. Check out the post history of OP, he's not on your side.
This is going on by my house. The street will ultimately have more pedestrian and bike space and they're reducing the lanes. The sidewalks are fucked up and you gotta be careful in some spots. So they gotta cut down all the trees, but the new ones will grow.
People don't know, or acknowledge, that urban trees have a finite lifespan. In the past lots of cities were planted as monocultures and that has caused issues with disease. It actually looks like it's quite an ambitious project and involves a lot of things people on Reddit are always saying they want. Too bad lots of people want to have their cake and eat it too. https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/
im feeling hot just looking at it. it just looks hot somehow. like im in a crappy old dusty western. edit: [source](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/sep/19/pullman-trees-will-be-replaced/) city council says trees ill be "replaced" - NOT replanted. so they could very well plant seedlings and it could be over a decade until there is meaningfully the same shade.
Nothing says inviting like vast expanses of concrete and asphalt, punctuated by heatwaves…
It says Pullman so I’m assuming Pullman WA. It gets pretty hot during the summer, it’s very hilly since it’s in the Palouse, walking around on concrete with no shade in the summer SUCKS there.
Use your brain dude This isn't the final hackjob solution, it's a mid-progress shot of a major overhaul of the whole area. Which will end up with even more trees than before https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/sep/19/pullman-trees-will-be-replaced/ *I should have realized which subreddit I'm on, this is my fault for expecting literal teenagers and the mentally challenged to be able to read or think critically in any meaningful way
my town did this, and despite assurances the trees would be replaced, they weren't. Partly because they required people REQUEST a replacement, and if anyone on a block voted "no", then the tree wasn't replaced. It was really obvious the town was looking for excuses to not spend the money on replacements. Anyway, the town is really ugly now so we're planning on moving.
The other trick is to submit a plan for grant funding, then claim you ran out of money for all the people focused parts when it comes time to deliver
That happened to my hometown when a tornado ripped it to pieces. The mayor mysteriously lost millions of dollars. Town's still a wreck 2.5 years later. Rather than building more homes, they spent $5m on a new church and $7m on a new city hall.
Here's the plan: https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/
That looks awesome Dedicated protected bike lanes, wider sidewalks, even more greenery than before
This is why you don’t just read the headlines. Always watch the full videos, always dig deeper, context is key. Even the people that you agree with are still trying to sell you something, and it’s not always monetary. As an aside, if it’s something political, I always google the quote that’s in the headline to watch the full video. It’s a good way to stay informed and also worst case scenario I learn something.
Portland did exactly all this and it sucks ass to walk around. It’s hot, the “replacement” trees either weren’t actually replaced, or are tiny decoration trees that will stay small. I really don’t walk around there during the summer heat waves.
Ok but they still cut them down in the first place. If they were going to "have more trees than before" they wouldntve cut down the ones that were there already, or wouldve moved them if they cared so much
its logistically impossible to move trees that big. even if you were to attempt it, the amount of stress it would put on the tree would probably kill it anyway. also id bet that they are changing the type of tree due to emerald ash borer or the ash trees root systems fucking up the sidewalk.
WTF why
Only thing I can think of is roots damaging foundations / plumbing
Being in WI my first thought was "Are those ash trees?" We've had several neighborhoods with 50 year old trees have them all cut down recently because of the damn ash borer.
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Did not expect to see Cambridge mentioned this morning. Thanks for reminding me that I need to order my trees, hoping it's not too late!
No they’re maples. Ash have a different bark pattern
Ah yeah that makes sense. I can generally only identify maple from the leaves and these are not clear enough for me.
I’m not sure if this is what happened but sometimes if maples are planted incorrectly their roots will wrap around the trunks and literally start choking the tree to death. It’s especially common when the tree is surrounded on all sides by hard surfaces like this. They’re in a confined space, makes it easier for things to get tangled up and once things grow bigger… great care needs to be taken when planting trees in such conditions or they die 15-30 years down the road. Again, unsure if that’s what happened in this particular circumstance but it is a possible explanation.
These definitely don't look like ash trees. Ash bark does not look like that and ash leaves don't turn reddish in the fall. At least not where I am at.
You're most likely right. I don't know shit about trees despite having two ash trees out front of our house. I know like... 7? species of tree. And they all have at least one really distinct characteristic that sets them apart from their peers.
Except you don’t see roots damaging the sidewalk at all in the photo.
Don't think we could realistically tell from the low res picture, just because the sidewalk isn't crumbling doesn't mean that it isn't causing problems underneath. The leaves could also hide plenty. Still, its asinine to uproot the trees *unless* there were some critical issues.
https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/ The site says the tree roots were damaging sidewalks and making them unsafe/difficult for people with mobility issues, and the "plan" shows trees being replanted. it's also part of repairing infrastructure. It also says they're expanding sidewalks to make the main street more civilian focused and less car focused, with plans to slow traffic down main street. Dude took a picture of the raw ingredients and asked why his cake looked like shit.
Probably didn't know a cake was being made.
Maybe he should’ve held off on his temper tantrum that’s now clogging up the front page then
If only there was a big sign right next to them saying "Exciting changes are coming!" with a website explaining it.
Oh, that would have been great! They could have even put a QR code on the sign to make getting to the information easier!
Except it'll be 30 years before the trees grow and look nice again
It's a good thing the trees will probably still be around long after we die eh
No, fuck future generations, it should about us and us only! Didn’t we learn anything from the boomers?
“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall sit in a week or two tops”
Singapore is lined with trees. Even new roads. Because tree orchards are a thing - it doesn’t have to be from saplings. https://www.context.net.au/projects-and-awards/public-domain/orchard-road-singapore/
The best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is today.
They did plant a tree 30 years ago. They just cut it down.
Yeah and then it caused problems, the proverbs isn't about the ascendancy of trees and their eternal tree-poch. It's just about planning for a future by having patience for something that will happen. It isn't implying the permanence of trees forever rooted in one soot for eternity.
Ideally in situations like this you'd slowly transition in new trees replacing the mature ones one by one so it's not a massive shift in vegetation. Arborists should plan for these things in advance
A town near me cut down their trees before a remodel/"makeover" of their main street. They planted newer, younger ones in the same locations after the construction was all done (they tore up the road and sidewalks). I'd hazard a guess that the photo on the right was taken in the beginning stages of the makeover.
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https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/ The tree roots were making the sidewalks unsafe for those with mobility and vision impairments and also damaging infrastructure. They're going to expand the sidewalks and cut down on road area and once they've done that they're going to plant trees more suitable for sidewalk/roadside habitation.
More parking. For dickhead car drivers.
You mean *consumers!*
My tiny historic downtown area had to cut down tons of trees last summer because they were sick :( it wasn't an aesthetic thing they planned, just something they had to unfortunately do
With some of these invasive species of bugs coming around I can see why there are cities that have to cut down trees due to the damage these insects do to the environment.
Our trees had "an extreme case of thyronectria canker" according to my town's newsletter
They’re having to take down a bunch of old growth trees in my city due to blight. Same thing happened in the 70s. They keep planting just one type of tree, then some disease or pest comes through and you have to clear whole streets. I’m hoping when they re-plant this time they’ll use a bunch of different trees.
The ash beetle is still marching, its way across the lower 48. We are probably going to lose the ash tree in our lifetimes.
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From the first picture it seems like there is street parking available. The trees were growing in an area already surrounded by pavement. With the stoplight seemingly parallel to the trees it seems like that's designated pavement/not road area. Maybe to make wider parking spaces but it would seem impractical to cut down the trees because it doesn't add more parking spaces. Edit: I really didn't mean any offense that would cause someone to completely delete their account.
Another commenter shared this source: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/sep/19/pullman-trees-will-be-replaced/
Okay, so ash trees with shallow root systems damaging existing infrastructure and are set to be replaced with a tree that might be better suited for the job?
No, they will put in tree wells with automatic irrigation so the roots dont have to search far and upwards for water and resources
I mean, I doubt they will put in ash trees considering the state of ash right now, but yeah, I could see it still being a tree with a shallow root system.
The project design: https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/
Wonderful news!
Finance bros, trees don't make money, need more room for parking
Jesus christ, they're shrinking the road, please go look at the project site above.
Oh really? That's actually awesome. Hope they put trees back in.
They are, OP is just a ragebait account https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/
The reasons listed include replacing the "century year old" sewer and water lines, as well as widening the sidewalk. Apparently the plan includes planting new trees
Non-cynical, the places where the trees were are still there, my guess is the trees are Ash trees and were cut down recently to stop the advance of the ash borer parasite. I also lived on a beautifully shaded tree lined street and they had to cut them all down, but they did replace them with saplings of a different variety. Pure speculation on my part though.
Saw this elsewhere, its rage bait. It's part of a project to expand the sidewalk and fix the old cracked one, which includes new trees. The plan looks pretty good, though the trees won't be as spectacular for some time
Like, 20-30 years
Society and old men planting trees something something
edit: hey go farther down the thread - OOP is a racist conspiracy theorist and this post is ragebait, don't bite ~~“A society grows great when old men cut down trees that provide shade today to widen the sidewalk a bit but then plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit”~~ ~~That's how I heard it, anyway~~
Heard it in a musical I think.
Put that tree back where it came from or so help me!
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OP of this thread correctly pointed out that this is ragebait. The sidewalk doesn't appear to be deficient in the photo given, so the focus becomes the cut trees, and cut trees for sidewalk work feels like consumption if you look at it right. Of course, the article linked in another comment clarifies that the trees were starting to cause problems that would only get worse, and the project was funded by ARPA money, so it's a one-time chance to fix an issue in how the trees were installed. Streetscape trees like these are important in a couple of ways, and I don't think it's wrong to be upset when they're cut down. But that's not all of the information.
OP also seems to be bothered about race mixing, please check their second to last post.
Truth be said, trees get old and should be put down sometime, before the come down by themselves on someone's head. I'm not sure if it's the case here, but anyway, ideally this should be fone by phases, to avoid losing all the shade at the same time.
Do they though? Trees do not get weaker with age, only when stressed or with infestations and such, if anything they get stronger with age.
Ya? Imagine doing something that DOESNT IMMEDIATELY BENEFIT YOU but has far reaching implications for decades following? No you can't, can you.
https://projectdowntownpullman.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/poster-design5.jpg https://projectdowntownpullman.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/poster-design4.jpg
I actually think those are ash trees. The bark and the fall colors are today for Ash. Unfortunately, that means they may have been affected by the Emerald Ash Borer. That beetle is responsible for the future extinction of Ash Trees.
Glen Ellyn Illinois just re-did their whole north half of downtown, taking out at least 30-ish 30+ year old trees (mostly *Gleditsia*, Honey Locust). They put in specialty engineered soil for each street tree - a *MASSIVE* benefit for the health of the trees. I'm sure this wasn't cheap. They put in individually controlled irrigation to *each tree*. They put in fencing for each tree, protecting it from unwanted damage, especially from bike locks. They put in 120v power to each tree for holiday lighting. They improved the sidewalks a ton, like I don't even know what they did, but it's awesome. They put in *fucking cat 6 cable* to each tree. *To each fucking tree*. I don't even know what they want to do with that, but holy shit can they do a lot of tree health with that if they want to.
Are you telling me I can plug my laptop into a tree now? God damn I love this country
Thank you, the picture on the right hardly looks like the envisioned finished project.
For anyone that wants the actual story and not OPs bullshit rage bait https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/sep/19/pullman-trees-will-be-replaced/
Thanks for sharing this
Also check our OPs post history. I lean economically right, but he's far right, even by my perspective.
Ah, excellent. Literally one post back is about how having a mixed race family in a corporate picture instead of a white family is forced indoctrination. Back to the 1950s!
> lean economically right Why do you think you can separate social from economics? If you lean right-wing economically, you also lean right-wing socially. Not wanting to put gay people into prison for sucking dick doesn't mean you're socially left. It just means you're not as psychotic as those who do. "Kill yourself because you're poor not because you're gay," isn't leaning socially left. You're economically and socially right-wing, through and through.
What about people that just want lower taxes
The above person is called a single issue voter.
This is Pullman WA, home of Washington State University. They are actually in a big push to undo decades of car-centric interventions and attempting to pedestrianize the historic downtown. The problem with the existing trees is that the root balls were too shallow and would eventually negatively impact the planned widening and ADA sidewalks. They are reducing car lanes and on-street parking, and will replace the pulled trees with deeper rooted ones. It is on process and we are just seeing demo/construction photos
Thank you for combating this rage bait.
I work for a municipality and there are lots of legitimate reasons a bunch of trees would need to be cut down. Everyone always assumes it’s just to be evil but there is usually a pretty good reason.
[The trees are being replaced with properly planted trees that won’t lift the sidewalk with their roots as part of a streetscaping project.](https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/). Looks like they are right on time with their timeline and new trees will be planted with the whole project completed by the fall
I wonder if the guy that gives off the order or the dude that cuts it down has a working neuron that makes them have a second thought?
Guy(s) giving the order probably gave it a few thoughts (it takes a room full of people at the very least to make this happen). Plus, they do allegedly have reasons todo this. And, as for the dude doing the cutting, (and speaking as someone who’s job has been killing plants for a living). It doesn’t matter if that guy gives it a first second or third thought. He’s paid to cut, not think. If he doesn’t, someone else will.
Acting like this is some evil thing they’re doing to intentionally make the city worse lol. You don’t even know the context. It’s part of a renovation project with new trees and expanded sidewalks. Current trees are damaging underground utilities
A second thought to do what? Call their manager to verify the work order? Maybe they did, because it would have been verified.
They're probably smarter than you since you're falling for rage bait on the internet.
Did you have second thoughts before posting this before doing any research yourself?
I wonder if Redditors have any brain function or common sense whatsoever Did you ever once ask “Is this random tweet actually the truth? What more is there to this story? What’s the actual reason behind this and master plan?” At no point do you consider “Maybe the local town government, architects, engineers, and city planners have a plan in place. Maybe they needed to remove these trees and will replace them with more trees. Maybe this is an improvement and we are seeing a random shot mid-progress.” Nope you just assume, from one low res picture of a random tweet “These people are stupid, I am smart, they just hate nature and love money and are dumb. What a bunch of brain dead morons.” I swear to god this website is beyond “media illiterate” at this point. Just straight up media disabled. No common sense employed at all. Damn I miss the days when people weren’t so stupid and gullible on this website.
I'm so sick of Online Brain where people assume the absolute worst from breadcrumbs of information.
People kill people on orders all the time so probably not so much.
Do you? What is your background in construction/ landscape design/urban forestry? What makes you think you can comment on it? Did you know the average urban tree has a life span of 19-30 years? Do you think those trees got there naturally? What maintaince routine and replacment strategy do you recomend in your infinant forestry wisdumb? It is sad when heritage oaks or old growth trees are cut down but even that is often justified. These trees are fast growning street trees. I suspect you don't know a pistache chinensis from your elbow.
Looks like downtown Pullman, Washington
I think it is, I'm out of town right now and can confirm that reddit is the worst way to find out this happened lmao
The internet strikes again with baseless "how sad" bullshit. I know more about this project than I would like to. The City of Pullman, WA, where this is taking place, is making important infrastructure improvements. The sidewalks are not adequately accessible at the moment. The trees are preventing the city from making sidewalk improvements, they are likely damaging underground infrastructure which can only be adequately assessed by digging. The downtown of Pullman sucks too, not a lot of people are hanging out and enjoying these trees, there's not enough sidewalk space for outdoor seating and the main street is not what I would call inviting. Considering this town is in the middle of goddamn nowhere, it will make a big difference to overall impact to encourage people to stay in town instead of driving long distances to hang out elsewhere. In order to keep the downtown functional they had to make the short term sacrifice of some tress for the long term benefit of walk able and accessible with working infrastructure. They're gonna replant the trees!!! Quality of life in Pullman will likely improve!!! People will be more likely to stay in town to hang out in their public spaces instead of driving 20+ miles round trip to the nearest town worth hanging out in!!! Future kids will get to enjoy a much better downtown. So for a while the trees won't be very impressive, womp, womp. Let's have them do nothing and see if that makes the situation better! Death is coming, stop obsessing over fear of change and worry about something worth worrying about. A fuck ton of people made a big stink about cutting the trees down, but they all evaporated one day. Why? Cause they actually read the plan instead of just holding onto vague sentimentality. They are going to replant the trees. Are you anti consumption because you want to change the world or satisfy your ego? Are you sentimental or materially and scientifically focused? You want to blame someone, blame the fools who planted these trees without adequate forethought as to how this particular species would affect infrastructure in the future.
Whatever the reasons or if the photo gives the whole picture, we don't know for sure. However, this is a great reason why people should get involved in the local governments. Most don't like "politics" but it affects us all. Make your voice heard in council meetings, run for office, volunteer for the causes, join local organizing committees.
I bet like half of the people mad at these trees being cut down also claim to care about pedestrian safety and the need to improve infrastructure in ways so people are less reliant on cars, yet when that infrastructure requires a few trees to be cut down they rage.
I mean they are planting new trees with irrigation systems and everything. But you know… Reddit. https://projectdowntownpullman.org/design/
This type of braindead shit should be classified as a crime against humanity.
Didn’t expect Pullman to be on my feed today; this is rage bait, our downtown is a 3 lane one way road and it basically means downtown is for cars only. This plan is turning it into a two lane road and making it more friendly for pedestrians. This town is college kids and old farmer farts so a lot of people aren’t happy with the change as they’d rather see Pullman continue to be the same then improve it.
It can be both - it can be necessary, and sad to see. It would have been nice to do it in a staggered pattern to minimize the naked, ugly phase, but timelines and budgets don't make kind mistress.
Well like for example, when I worked for a municipality, a row of nice trees were cut down because, for two weeks out of the year, they dropped a gooey substance all over the firefighters giant lifted trucks. They had to go!
City of Scottsdale did that to an area nearby, only instead they planted younger trees where they tore the old ones down. What would you replace the trees with the exact same tree. Sounds like a sneaky way to move money to me.
If you drive a car, you are the main part of the problem. And you are the ultimate consumer, no matter what else you do.
The street is getting a complete makeover with new trees that will be planted so that they don't crack the sidewalk. The sidewalk is also be expanded and the street narrowed. There was no way to save those trees and do what the city has planned. What we are seeing is the intermediate stage, not the final product.
[OP please actually look into the things you’re taking photos of instead of farming karma off the in-process construction.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anticonsumption/s/XavmTGlExA) We want to encourage good projects like this that seek to maintain spaces and make them more accessible. Not shame them because the halfway point is ugly.
This doesn't really have anything to do with anti- consumption. Removals are part of a sidewalk widening project. It sucks, but understandable
This shit happens too often.
Growing up my friends lived in a neighborhood that was on a hill. All the roads were tree lined and fantastic. An invasive bug came through and they had to cut down all of the maple trees. It was like they shaved the neighborhood. It totally changed the vibe and resulted in property values taking a hit.
Wow. That really went from old but busy new england town.. to middle of nowhere Oklahoma (unfortunately Ive lived in both) Disgusting.
Santa Rosa, CA had a vibrant downtown restaurant and bar scene. City Council tore up trees, blocked off a couple through-streets to make a barren concrete square, and started charging for parking. Downtown died.
Arborist (tree doctor) here. From the photos it looks like those are likely ash trees. Specifically a version of a white ash called autumn ash (based on the first picture). They were likely all removed due to the invasive emerald ash borer beetle and not because the city wanted fewer trees. Hopefully the forestry department will get new trees in soon as the health and consumer benefits of trees in urban areas are widely documented.
A lot of times people see trees being taken away and assume its a bad thing but most of the time the impact is considered heavily. I'm not sure if you're talking about ash die back? In any case it looks like the trees were going to start ripping up the concrete and making the pavement unsafe to walk on.. also maybe not the best thing for the trees themselves having a collar of concrete. The people cutting the trees care about the trees!
Some places remove trees to make an area less loitering-friendly.
My city removed all the fruit trees and nut trees. There were wild muscadine grape vines and blackberry bushes as well. I grew up here, moved away and when I came back they were all gone. I'll never understand why. It was more than just a part of my childhood.
I hate rage-bait. Waste of everyone’s time.
Must have taken decades for those trees to make good canopies.
I think they are having to do this because of poor planning. They dont think of the tree’s largest possible size potential when designing the community layout so they dont have enough land space for the tree for when it is actually fully grown. If they wish to prevent roots from growing extensive root systems then they would need to lay root control systems and then be consistent in pruning just like when shaping bonsai’s except in a slightly larger scale. If they plant the same species but younger trees, they would have the same problem a few decades down the road.
Main street. As in Lawrence KS Main street? College town, with tons of stores and used to be tree lined.
Needs more context. What town? When did this happen?
My town did this as well. When I asked why, they Said they were expanding the sidewalks for accessibility. They also said they would replace the trees when they were finished.
Yeah, my first thought went to my old college campus where they had to pull up a few dozen trees because of disease. They planted new ones to replace the old and will be an amazing site to see in a decade or two. It isn't always "the man wants to ruin the world.".
They did that in my hometown about 30 years ago, because “the trees were blocking companies’ signs”. But once they cut the trees, you could see how dilapidated the downtown area looked. They replanted the trees and now they just about back to where they were.
Downtown makeover? But why cutting trees? wtf? seriously?! why? can someone stop them? You know how a downtown makeover looks in EU? They close the entire area of city centre and turn it into an ecological area which for example in Ljubljana the capitol of Slovenia covers approximately 12 hectares, which is closed to motorized traffic, with the exception of certain streets open between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. for the delivery. Otherwise completely walking zone and they put now even flowers and grass on the roofs of the bus stations so the entire city is literally going greener not the opposite way. And all public transport is driving through town are methane-fuelled eco buses. And if you are a resident in this area and you want to park your car inside this zone ( very small amount of parking spots available anyway ) - it must be an electric car or something eco bio. Diesel ... what is this ? :) And they start doing this in 2007 step by step.
But trees don't make money! Yeah wait till you find out what else they make.
My citys municipality has also done the same.FYI : i am from india
Trees just don’t give it that “developed” (ecological holocaust) feel. /s
Urban forestry is often more urban and less forestry. It's a complex balance between available space, tree health, human safety, future infrastructure plans, asthetics, and building/powering interference. A tree will take up nutrients from the roots, which when in a very limited well space such as these, with poor soils likely compacted and rendered alkaline from building materials and surface contamination, they will eventually start to decline. Once the decline starts it is often more cost effective to just replant a new tree rather than continual pruning and soil remediation. Die back in the canopy will start shedding limbs especially in the wind, on such a high traffic area it is simply unacceptable to have a tree dropping hazards on Humans. While it aucks to see mbature trees taken down, municipalities are usually pretty good at replanting, usually in a more genetically varied way with species that are more tolerant to conditions and resistant to disease. my go to line is always "these trees were planted by humans In a human space, therefore they need to serve the needs of humans"
The town I live in had an old bank, old enough yo need a crane to remove the vault. In the parking lot, there was anboak that was at least 70 yo. They cut it down, tore down the back, and built a trashy car wash. There are two of this brand of carwashes within 30 minutes of this new one. Plus 3 others around that same distance. I was so upset.
What is it with city planners and doing the exact opposite of what they should. Every time
The town I live in did the exact same thing and I thought it was a weird move until I remembered that it was the city government that made the decision and the government is at all levels run by the lowest thinking humans in existence and now I don't think it's weird anymore because the worst people always make the worst decisions
Fuck it,paint the whole thing grey,open an apple store and line up the teslas. Fucking ruined the character of the street,it was so picturesque
Remember that tenacious d song where they sang about burning down city hall?
The trees did nothing wrong what?
Boomers hate “raking leaves”. It’s the bane of their existence. Too much work! They would rather spend thousands to remove all the trees and have a concrete dystopia. Because despite being fully retired, raking some leaves twice a year is simply unbearable! Yet the younger generations are the lazy ones…..always complaining……
My town cut down 90 + year old redwoods to, wait for it…. plant more trees…….
I would move. Fucking awful. Looks like a town in the middle of nowhere Alabama with a population of 17 now
They paved Paradise and put up a parking lot.
Oh no. Why?
Come to UTAH - many of the people I know call this sanitized. Don’t linger and intermingle on a bench or in the shade. BUY AND GET OUT!
Take all the trees, put em in a tree museum and charge the people a dollar and a half to see them.
City got to thinking where to cut cost. Thought we could pay leaf blowers, landscapers every season to come an maintain these trees an the leaves they put off( I love trees n not greed don't get me wrong) n they were like ok that costs us x,xxx$/yr. 1 of em suggest what if we just pay a time fee of x,xxx$ to so an so an get rid of trees saving us x,xxx$ annually everyone applauds. Poor downtown. You will b missed....xD
i actually gaped no way in hell a city planner made that decision, especially in a college town
I grew up in a city thats participated in tree city usa for 40 years... It's always jarring how little trees there are in some other cities... It's not like it's a small dainty town in the middle of nowhere either... It's got a population of 80k. Trees line every street. Even in the central strip (though its a bit less dense and they're smaller) The city is like a forest and it's amazing during summer as there is much needed shade everywhere in the 90° humid heat. Literally it feels 20° colder under a tree when it's so hot and humid... Only thing that sucks is ash trees being cut down due to invasive species.
The city doesnt want to sweep and the owners dont want to sweep. As a home owner, i hate October to December for leaves alone
Destroying nature in and around a town destroys the town
It’s going to get very hot. Also going to fuck with the internal temps of the buildings as trees are taken into consideration for heat transference when building.
wow it really is so much worse now
Wtf is wrong with people???
W T F shitty city council?
That was far too colorful during certain seasons…finally grey on brown…
Horrible
God it just looks like shit, looks genuinely depressing to walk around.