Columbus, Ohio USA
Return to Homepage www.shortnorth.com

The Great Tree-pocalypse
By Dawn McCombs
May/June 2019 Issue

See Also: Feature Article Mar/Apr 2015
Return to Homepage or Return to McCombs Page

Piles of dead trees along West Fifth Avenue after being cleared for development project . PHOTO | Dawn McCombs

 

I have been a Short North resident for the past 24 years, having moved here from New York City. I can clearly remember my first impression: this was an urban neighborhood with lots of mature green trees. As my neighborhood has undergone seismic changes, in particular during the past two years, I have been accused of being among those who don’t embrace change. Anyone who knows me will say that, actually, I am the Queen of Change; I just like changes that are for the better. In my mind, change should improve our quality of life. And that “life” doesn’t include only human life; it also takes into consideration the life of trees and the little creatures who live with us as well. We are all a part of the Web of Life – the interdependence within an ecosystem. To put it plainly: We need all of nature in order to survive.

Friday morning, as I drove down West Fifth Avenue just east of the Olentangy River, I witnessed what I considered to be “The Great Tree-pocalypse.” An entire lot of mature trees were cut down to make way for the latest development project, Founders Park, being built by Wagenbrenner Development. I couldn’t tally all the trees, because some of the stumps had already been ground down and covered in dirt, but I was able to count 266 trees that had been removed, many of the oldest and largest ones cut down from the perimeter or tree lawn areas of the development project.

I don’t want to single out Wagenbrenner Development. Other developments are removing trees as well, and during my daily walks around the neighborhood, I have seen lots of fresh large stumps wreathed in sawdust. I do believe that Founders Park, creating a senior center with housing instead of what was formerly a surface parking lot for Battelle, adds value to the neighborhood. However, I would like to challenge all developers to consider preserving as many mature trees as possible in their site plans.

Let’s take a moment to consider the benefits of all these trees that are getting hacked down throughout the neighborhood, most of which likely lived here longer than the Short North’s current human residents.

These trees reminded us of the changing of the seasons. Without them, we have only the temperatures to let us know; and let’s be honest, lately those have been changing wildly and have become a less reliable indicator.

Those trees were also home to the little creatures that I mentioned previously. Everyone loves it when they see a white squirrel, and some of us even enjoy seeing the brown ones too. The tree across the street from my house has long been home to a family of raccoons. It is a delight in springtime to watch the babies climb cautiously down the tree after mama raccoon, sometimes tumbling down a bit before catching their fall on a branch.

Trees provide shelter from the sun, cool buildings around them, and their shade helps reduce the heat-island effect in our urban communities. They also help reduce air pollution. According to a study by U.S. Forest Service scientists, a single tree absorbs 10 pounds of air pollutants per year.

For those who maintain that they don’t care much about the change of seasons, furry critters, cooling effects, or reduced air pollution, those razed trees also happened to have provided a very life-sustaining element – oxygen – which humans and animal life rely on to live.

Right now, some may be thinking that I am one of those tree-hugger sorts. I have never hugged a tree. I prefer to admire them from afar and not impose my physical affections on them in that way. However, I do have a mature tree that I love a lot. It extends its gorgeous canopy over my back yard. The owner of the property where it is firmly rooted once asked me to split the cost to have it removed.

After recovering from the shock that he would even consider cutting down this tree, I asked, “Why?” He explained that this specimen was considered a “junk tree,” and he was pretty sure it had even planted itself long ago without the help of a human. As we were having this conversation, I kept looking up at the tree’s vibrant green leaves and the strong branches and wondered how it could be considered “less than” because it had planted itself. In fact, I saw this as a resilient act of bravery and sophisticated survival.

I ended up convincing my neighbor that the tree should stay. That was years ago, and I have come to believe that this tree and I are in love. Every night in seasonable weather, I lie on my hammock looking up at the clouds and this marvelous tree. When my hammock sways gently in the wind, this tree also sways in rhythm with me. We are in a symbiotic relationship. The tree gives me oxygen and shade, and I admire it from below and continue to be a guardian of its survival.

Which brings me back to the tree massacre that I witnessed this morning on Fifth Avenue. Change seems inevitable. At this point in time, we are inarguably at the mercy of developers and our city officials who need to consider the environment as they alter it. No one is advocating for these trees – or, if they did, they obviously lost the fight. Often, you find the stumps before you even knew what hit them.

This is why we need developers and our city leaders to think beyond concrete and profits and consider the quality of life of Columbus’ residents, as well as the wellness of our planet in years to come. Money can buy a lot of material things, but it can’t buy oxygen or quality of life, nor can it revive a vibrant neighborhood decimated by overdevelopment.


Dawn McCombs lives, and is the owner of Glean, in the Short North. She likes swashbuckling around the neighborhood, planting Ohio prairie gardens in urban landscapes, and reducing her carbon footprint by cycling and recycling.

mccombs66@sbcglobal.net

© 2019 Short North Gazette, Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved.

Return to Homepage www.shortnorth.com