Trees - Who Needs 'Em?

I'm talking about trees - you know, those obnoxious tall things that send out roots under your driveway, drop leaves and needles into your gutters, block your view.  Who needs 'em?  Let's get rid of them.

That seems to be the way Worcester County thinks about trees.  Oh sure, county Planning Commission members will talk a good story - "trees are necessary to take up nutrients out of the groundwater, trees keep our parking lots cool and reduce radient heating, trees are important environmental features and must be protected.  Especially large, established trees."

But sit at a few Planning Commission meetings and you soon learn they could care less.  At the September 17 Planning Commission meeting, a new restaurant that will be built on Rt. 116 in West Ocean City was on the agenda.  The PC had almost completed its review of the project, everyone had contributed their two cents worth and approval was eminent.   Then suddenly an almost offhand comment by one of the Planning Commission members brought the two large, mature maple trees into the discussion.  Now you have to realize, the property owner/business owner and his attorney had said nothing about these trees.  These folks were just sitting there ready for the Commission to approve the project.

And with a flip of her hand, one Commissioner said "oh, its ok if you want to cut them down."  That was it - the Planning Commission said go ahead and get rid of these two, mature - HEALTHY - trees if it will make it easier for the business owner to design the layout of the parking spaces!

I could not believe my ears.  I could not speak up or object.  They were just...gone.

So keep an eye out for it, folks.  Across Rt. 611 from the Green Turtle, there's a small white house sitting back off the road on a wooded lot.  When the construction begins, say goodby to those two large maples.

Oh, but don't worry - that particular Commissioner thought the whole design of the diner style restaurant was 'cute', so who needs the trees?

We can now drive down Rt. 611 just south of Sunset Ave. and where we had the opportunity to keep two more trees in this rapidly developing commercial zone, trees which will help to control stormwater, lower the ambient temperature in the area, and just do their simple job of providing oxygen - kiss 'em goodby.

Even more sad, when I spoke to this Commissioner on the street a week later, she didn't even realize she was the one who had done this!