Thanks for saving the next trees

There are few things in life as final as the cutting of a tree. Once it’s done, there is no going back. The only way to have the benefit of the presence of a tree in the same location is to plant one and wait years for it to come up to the size of the original one.

That fact has never been clearer in this region, maybe since so many of the Cathedral Pines in Cornwall succumbed to tornado activity in 1989, as when about 100 oak and pine trees were removed by the state of Connecticut at the end of 2021 and the beginning of this year in Cornwall’s Housatonic Meadows State Park. (See the story last week by Editor John Coston, and multiple other stories in previous coverage.)

Thanks go to all those who stepped up to make the state accountable for its actions, which resulted in too many healthy trees being taken from an area that is a beloved destination for local nature lovers as well as visitors from outside the region. The local people who came out to protest the actions of the state DEEP have produced results. The legislation proposed by state Sen. Craig Miner (R-30) described by Coston last week will make a difference for future trees at risk if it makes it through the legislature and is signed by the governor. Miner believes it has full bipartisan support.

The group Housatonic Meadows Preservation Action made their voices heard in a way that got the attention of Miner as well as state Rep. Maria Horn (D-64). Because of this, the legislation has teeth and will make a real difference to the environmental oversight in the state’s natural habitats and recreational areas. Thanks to all those who raised their voices for bringing their wide expertise in environmentalism to bear to keep the state honest in future proposed cuttings.

At a time when climate change is wreaking enough havoc on our surroundings, there is no excuse for any governmental agency being careless its stewardship of any part of the natural world. While the legislation is not in time to save those trees taken in Cornwall, at least it will protect others, and it will, with the help of the Housatonic Meadows Preservation Action group, provide support for restoration in the park.

It is enough to give Connecticut hope that there will be more responsibility and accountability in any remediation of wooded areas throughout the state moving forward.

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