Sensitivity/ Common Sense Lost

   This past week my daughter Jen came home from work only to be greeted with a view of her beautiful Noble Fir tree decimated by IPEC, the local power company. Without warning or an opportunity to be on site when the cutting was happening, and without any input, she was totally caught off guard. She was both devastated and angry when she saw the destruction. The Noble Fir, which was totally on her property, was the only one in town. In a place where Sitka Spruce, Hemlock and Alder trees are as common as rocks on a beach, this tree stood out as a thing of beauty. Noble is an apt name for these firs, although as you can see from these pictures, it's anything but  now. She isn't the only one angry or disappointed in the short sided decision to eliminate one whole side of branches. The previous owner of the house had received the tree from her now deceased father and it was a lasting reminder of him whenever she passed by. I understand the need to trim branches from trees for the safety of the public and to insure that the power isn't compromised during a storm because of tree branches, but to start at the base of the tree and work well above where the power lines are shows a lack of common sense and sensitivity to the property owner and the property. It might have been easier to cut them all, but it isn't a good practice. If we see the power company anywhere near our Spruce out front, you can be sure that we will be there ready to ensure that only the offending branches are trimmed and no more. Frankly, my first inclination when I saw my daughter's tree was to go drop a few power poles so that those responsible would get an inkling of what they've done. However, even though such an action would appeal to my baser nature, it's not the right thing to do. I'm sure that the fellows who were doing the cutting felt like they were just doing their job, but that one action has started an avalanche of bad feelings and distrust. In these days when everyone is on edge, it would seem to be wisdom to act in ways that are sensitive to our neighbors. Actions have consequences and we have no idea what those consequences might be- just look at the chaos and grief that the death of George Floyd has brought about. I don't know what Jen is going to do with the tree. The branches will never grow back, and even if they did, the process would take many years. It's a shame that in a few minutes a tree that has stood for over forty years can be ruined by the careless actions of a trigger happy fellow with a chain saw. The worse part is that if an eagle had been living in the tree, it wouldn't have been touched. The bottom line is that if we all lived by the golden rule, treat others as you would like to be treated, the world would be such a wonderful place to live.