Trees should, of course, be prized and protected for their aesthetic value. But let’s not sell them short. They are far more important to us than that.
They are important for our life on this planet. For our future. They are part of a cycle that is largely invisible. But without that cycle, there would be no Earth as we know it, and no US.
Trees are a critical component of an environmental air and water cycle that is indispensable to life on Earth. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the air and release oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. Trees also help to prevent stormwater run-off by absorbing rainwater through their root systems which helps nourish their leaves that absorb the carbon dioxide.
Without trees, rainwater would run unimpeded into our waterways. This matters because our waterways will continue to be impacted by sea level rise which will result in more nuisance floods as well as serious storm flooding. These natural processes are all connected; these connections are fragile and they are all under siege.
[I had just finished a draft of this post for eastportdefined when I read a piece in the Capital on a judge’s dismissal of a forest conservation case to stop tree clearing in the Parkside Preserve project. There’s a lot of Code blah blah blah and Developer blah blah blah, and bottom line is that our environment appears to be in for another blow. Why am I reminded of the quote about Nero fiddling while Rome burned? The sad fact is that while Rome was able to be rebuilt, the environment may not be able to be repaired.]
All right, back to trees and the environment and US. While refraining from pointing fingers, let’s accept the fact that developers have the money and resources to influence planning, zoning and the results of the special studies used to inform these P&Z materials and processes.
It’s time to stop the chatter, and begin to change the laws and regulations needed to protect and preserve the environment. Annapolis has to do its part but the fact is that if Annapolis doesn’t do the right thing, and then the next town and the next city and so on follow suit, the future will be dim for us, our children and their children. Pretty grim!
So how about this? Let the developers destroy all the trees they want. But let’s also make this self-indulgent irresponsibility on their part come at a price to their profit margins. I propose:
- Have the developer pay a price for each tree destroyed, based on the economic value of a tree.
- Pay a percentage of new proposed project costs, where trees are being destroyed, into a fund to purchase sites for replanting of trees.
- Pay to replant 2, or 3, or 5 (or more) trees for each tree destroyed at the site identified in #2.
- Pay an additional percentage of the economic value of a tree, for each tree destroyed, into a fund to manage the sites where replanting is taking place, and to fund research on environmental remediation opportunities.
- Annually publish the names of the individuals who are principals or owners of companies whose projects destroy trees, along with the names of their consultants, lawyers, bankers, judges and the politicians who support them. This will help inform the public (us) and give us information to assist us in making decisions about who we wish to purchase services from.
Now you’re asking if I’m serious.
This is serious. I am serious. The developers are serious. Their supports are serious. If we are ever to level the playing field, the public has to take this seriously!
The environment needs a voice.
If not us, then who? If not now, when?
eastport defined 