Old Maples of Old Mission
Update
By Bob Russell
The trunks are still bleeding tree blood weeks after they were cut. The edge of Center Road is strewn with the carcasses of the old maples we marked for cutting last fall. I knew the old trees would be cut down sometime, but driving past their old trunks is still difficult. They were dying; we knew that when we sprayed them with the orange dots of death. The old maples were so big the Michigan State Highway department has left the main trunks lying where they fell, waiting for heavy equipment to remove them.
New maples are being planted further back from the road to protect them from the stresses of living next to a highway. Perhaps the environment will actually improve during their lifetime. Maybe humans will learn to live more sustainably, with fewer high-speed fossil fuel units whizzing by them, and no large fossil fuel burners spreading toxic salts to keep the roadway safe for their human occupants.
Do trees suffer? How would most humans, so disconnected from nature, know.
I remain hopeful, but not optimistic.