http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090224/ARTICLES/902240289#
This is quite disturbing news! I understand the need to keep "vegetative debris" away from power lines, especially in a hurricane prone area where wind can bring down large trees and limbs, but cutting down century old trees (or any trees for that matter) seems to me like the wrong move.
Trees, like the ones Mr. Turner planted 12 years ago when he moved to South 10th Street, provide shade in the summer which in turn keeps the area cooler, allow the sun to warm homes in the winter, provide cleaner air by trapping soil and air pollution and are visually attractive. These are just a few things trees (and forests) provide for us.
My husband and I live along a tree lined road. I can't imagine our neighborhood, or our front yard, without the beautiful oaks and crape myrtles. We would lose two large trees from our front yard and two cypress from the median. For me, this would significantly lower the area's charm, curb appeal and my desire to stay in the neighborhood.
One possible solution is to, as a neighborhood, raise half of the money necessary to place the power lines underground. This would eliminate the need to cut down the trees and provide a more visually appealing area. Although there are additional costs associated with underground power lines, I feel the costs outweigh the alternative. Too often trees are haphazardly cut down. It is time we start thinking of alternative ways of doing things instead of taking the easy way out.
The photos posted are of our front yard and median area.
Have a look around your yard, your neighborhood and our city to see how you could be affected.
- Lara Schuhmann
Trees in the median 
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