Caught red-handed by red-faced forester
Members of local government tree boards from around the state met recently at the Holiday Inn North in Lexington to hear experts extol the benefits of planting trees along city streets, in parking lots and in other urban locations.
After the conference, the local government’s forester, Tim Queary, was leaving the hotel on Newtown Pike at Interstate 75-64 when he saw something he didn’t want to believe.
“We had spent all day long with various tree board members from across the state and they were all taking back the message to their communities about the benefits of trees and how we need more trees and I come out (of the Holiday Inn) and here’s a company cutting down trees in the public right of way,” Queary said.
“I just couldn’t believe it.”
A tree removal service had taken down four big trees along Newtown beside the hotel and in front of other businesses, apparently because the trees were preventing passing motorists from seeing the businesses.
Trouble is, the trees were on public property and had been planted in the 1980s with taxpayers’ money, Queary said.
He reported the cutting to the state Department of Transportation, which is investigating.
“We have that problem a lot with business owners because they don’t like to hide behind the trees,” said Dr. David Stevens, who reported the cutting to the Urban County Council on Tuesday. “It’s a continual source of aggravation.”
Especially if you’re the tree.
