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Not all trees worth saving

"Many of these trees were my friends," Treebeard says in shock after seeing the clearcut logging the evil wizard Saruman has done around Isengard to fuel the creation of his army.
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"Many of these trees were my friends," Treebeard says in shock after seeing the clearcut logging the evil wizard Saruman has done around Isengard to fuel the creation of his army.

Pippin and Merry hang their heads in sorrow but they're smiling inside. After Treebeard and the other trees decided to not join the battle for Middle Earth, the two hobbits tricked Treebeard into bringing them home by way of Isengard so he could see for himself that the trees were already in the war, whether they wanted to be or not.

Treebeard and his kin had largely withdrawn from the affairs of the world before that moment but now that they had bark in the game, they decided it was time to get involved.

Prince George has its own Treebeard characters, awake from their winter slumbers and their interest in their own personal affairs to discover that the housing development and parkade project now in full construction mode required the removal of some of the trees in front of city hall.

Like Treebeard's "I knew them from nut and acorn" grief, there's something a little funny about the social media sobbing from some local residents over the fate of a group of trees in front of a government building.

Never mind that some of these trees were either dead, dying or struggling already. Never mind that there are plenty of other trees in plenty of city parks, not to mention the millions of trees that surround Prince George. Never mind that this city's past, present and future prosperity is based on chopping trees down. What is happening in front of city hall is an ALL-CAPS AND EXCLAMATION MARKS TRAVESTY!!!!

Realizing that crying about cutting trees down in Prince George is the equivalent of demanding Okanagan vineyards stop stealing grapes from hungry birds, just to make wine, others decided the development was disrespectful to veterans because of its proximity to the cenotaph.

Never mind that this development has been in the works for a year, went through a public consultation phase, was well-reported by all local news media and veterans never spoke up about their concerns. Never mind that the National Cenotaph in Ottawa is across the street from an office building and a pedestrian mall, as well as kitty-corner to a huge, luxury hotel (or that Remembrance Day isn't even a public holiday in Ontario).

It's noble to care about trees and green space.

Prince George residents have a great record of doing that, from the work done to preserve the Ancient Forest to the dedication of numerous city parks and a concerned citizens uprising to stop a new transit bus facility being built next to the heavily-used green space at the end of Foothills Boulevard.

But taking the ax to a handful of ornamental trees in front of city hall, some of them already in bad shape, to make room for a project that will provide more affordable housing and more parking downtown?

There's a big difference between that and an evil wizard wiping out an entire forest to wage war.

-- Editor-in-chief Neil Godbout