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For the Love of Trees
Commentary
On January 31, Diana Herman of the Amelia Tree Conservancy spoke at a program as part of a panel of environmental experts at the Festival of Stories & Songs.
As a kid, as a tomboy. I climbed trees a lot. I judged a tree by its climbing ability.
I’m a New Yorker, so no live oaks — apple trees were the most accessible, but not too many of those. Chestnuts, elms, maples they were the standard.
Kids “lived” outdoors back then, and the trees were part of our play, our friends — some kids were lucky enough to have actual tree houses, some of us just watched Tarzan movies and wished we could live like that. Those vines — who didn’t want to swing on them.
The tree provided a place away. A comfort, a calm, peace. And a different perspective — I could look out from a high point and be distanced. Same perspective as the birds. I needed that. We all do.
The trees made me feel, made me see. In the summer we would relax under the trees, the leaves providing shade keeping us cool. I could feel the coolness on my skin. Look up and see and feel the wind blowing through the trees. Then the glorious colors would appear in fall, and finally, in winter the bare tree looking cold, lonely.
Activism can take all our efforts to affect change. Thirteen years ago, my tree activism was re-ignited on Amelia Island. In the middle of the night, on a holiday weekend, several live oaks were cut down — this was at the southern end of our island, in front of Harris Teeter, where the gas station stands now.
Many of us were outraged at the loss and destruction, and that is when we formed the Amelia Tree Conservancy. Some of us still boycott that gas station.
It has been a challenge to fight the rapid development on the island. We have attempted to raise awareness in our community on the importance and the value of our trees. We have spoken up at both city and county meetings, created and distributed a video on the maritime forest.
It has been shown at many different venues — even at Story & Song every year. We’ve written countless articles for the local newspaper, and started the Tree Trolley Tour, which highlights our most magnificent trees, many of them Heritage Trees.
The Heritage Tree Program that we have strengthened along with the city, is where homeowners who have large live oaks on their property can have their trees designated as a heritage tree, and these trees will be saved in perpetuity.
We spent years trying to get the city and county to form a tree commission, create a tree ordinance, hire arborists, and we are happy to say this has all been accomplished and so much more.
We are still committed to our mission statement, which is to preserve our maritime forest. Lately we have seen a huge community response against paid parking. I wish we had this kind of activism against the irresponsible development on the island. If we had, we probably would not have had the need for paid parking.
Lately, I have read that trees talk to each other. It made sense. Was that a surprise for any of us climbers, huggers? They were already speaking to us, why wouldn’t they speak to each other?
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In his last weeks of life, Robert Redford recorded a message for his great-grandchildren. In it, he said, “The world can overwhelm. But if you slow down, and sit under a tree long enough it will tell you everything.”
For more information - Amelia Tree Conservancy
Comments
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wilmalallen1
Your beautiful comments were very moving at the Festival and just as good in the Observer. Thank you.
Sunday, February 8 Report this
Mark Tomes
Save and protect trees and you protect ecosystems and ourselves! Thanks to Diana and all the activists helping to save Amelia Island and Nassau County. Remember, it all comes down to who you vote for! Find and support progressive candidates, and we just might be able to save our trees, and ourselves.
Sunday, February 8 Report this
BobAllison
Diana, why is no one outraged by the recent destruction of the most spectacular canopy oak forest on Amelia Island? This forest previously existed on Crane Island. Where was the Tree Commission while this was happening? Why was the tree ordinance not enforced? The development of Crane Island proves you can't destroy a tree's root system and expect it to live. Drive through Crane and you will discover hundreds of canopy oak trees taking their last gasp in life. Most will be completely dead within two years leaving behind in their place a hot baren shadeless desert.
In 1986 I was the first developer on Amelia Island in the County to use tree surveys for planning residential land developments. I developed a simple set of procedures for saving specimen trees and keeping forests healthy and intact. Drive through Egans Bluff on the south side of Simmons Road and form your own opinion of the results. I used these same procedures to save hundreds of acres of virgin canopy oak forests all over Nassau County. Why commissions, ordnances and public concern have failed to stop the carnage is a sad outcome.
Bob Allison
Sunday, February 8 Report this
Robert W
Bob Allison… Many of us were outraged when it counted. Julie Ferreira, Eric Titcomb and I fought a years long battle against the development of Crane Island with a law suit against the county. We raised $60,000 for the legal battle with thousands of locals donating. We won in district court but were stopped by a 2-1 vote in the appellate court. Out of money we couldn’t continue. We tried to influence state government— e.g. through Bean — with no effect. Tree protection has to come through the ballot box.
Sunday, February 8 Report this
PaulaM
“Only God can make a tree” …remember those words next time some developer wants to do some clear cutting….
Monday, February 9 Report this
BobAllison
Robert, I personally know many of the people who consider themselves developers. What we all need to understand is that their focus is all about money. Trees and the preservation of Nassau County's virgin forests are not even on their radar screen. What might change this is effective enforcement of the County's current tree ordinance. There is a sentence in the ordinance that reads "The damage of a healthy specimen tree which kills or will more likely than not cause the tree to die shall warrant the assessment of a penalty of up to $15,000." If this provision was ever enforced and any developer was ever assessed for hundreds of thousands of dollars for their careless land clearing procedures, the word would spread fast among all of the others. The only thing that will ever change their irresponsible conduct is when it costs them serious money.
When the developers of Crane Island watched as their heavy equipment ripped from the ground the root systems of the island's healthy trees, they had to have known the trees would not survive.
Bob Allison
Tuesday, February 10 Report this
drrmulberg
Dear, passionate, Diana,
Yes, words DO matter and your here (as always) are wise and beautiful!
Tuesday, February 10 Report this