If the Mount Vernon Conservancy thinks it's such a good idea to replace old, mature trees with young ones ("Group fights to stop tree removal at Mount Vernon Place," Nov. 29), why don't we replace all mature, old people with young people! It would save health care costs, and the old people would no longer be able to clog drains and have their roots entangle more important things. Besides, the soil under old people is barren, and has few nutrients!
Seriously though, a tree is a live being. It is as beautiful when it is old and weathered as it is when it first struggles toward the light and air from its underground beginnings. A mature tree teaches quietly about life cycles, about the beauty of maturity, about the strength and grace of old age. Furthermore, there is considerable expert testimony that refutes the so-called "Conservancy" view that the mature trees are unhealthy and need to be removed.
There is also a tremendous amount of information that counters the so-called "Conservancy" plan to plant the new trees in the French style of perfect phalanxes of skinny trees. Read anything about what George Washington thought about planting trees, and you too will be against the secondary and prissy decorator arrangement being proposed.
Linda Franklin, Bolton Hill
-
To respond to this letter, send an email to talkback@baltimoresun.com. Please include your name and contact information.