Mourning the loss of community's trees

The 100-year-old and 80-year-old larch trees stood 100 feet, towering over this mountain meadow until my landlady, a recent transplant, had them cut down so her garden could get a little more sunshine. An old growth birch went, too. Other tall larch fell at the forest edge for a view. But now I keep my eyes cast down rather than out my apartment's picture windows. Sadly, I have lost the peace and comfort of living in this place. So much for "property rights."

It does not surprise me that when I share my grief, people recall other awesome trees senselessly killed. The giant willow on Larch Street will never be forgotten for those who used to drive past it.

Perhaps the rope swing cottonwood tree over Sand Creek will soon be history - a loss to the youth of our community. Concrete, cattle trucks and so much noise will replace abundant green growth. Heroic artists are capturing on canvas the remarkable beauty of this sacred place.

Another tree's life hangs in the balance - the giant red maple across the street from the new Panhandle State Bank. Nearly as tall as the building itself, it is the most regal tree in town, turning brilliant in autumn. Turn off Fifth Avenue onto Oak Street and you'll see this tree. Rumors claim it will be cut down to put in another parking lot for the bank. Another admirer of this tree hung a necklace around its girth that reads "Heritage." Let's hope that the bank's leaders know what that word means and the terrible cost of losing it.

JANE FRITZ

Sandpoint