I admit immediately that I would not be writing this letter if we were about to have a heavy snow or an ice storm; however, as those are not imminent in the forecast I am bold to make a comment on the tree work currently being untaken in Chestertown.
Beautiful and often old trees are being desecrated — cut down, beheaded or made lopsided in order to remove their branches so the ugly if currently -no pun intended – needed wires are left clear. Accepting that this is probably a necessary condition, please look up and “see” the number of wires that scar the sky above streets of our otherwise lovely town.
Is there no possibility — over time, perhaps even years — to have these wires put underground. There is a cost for most everything, I known, but what a cost we pay in the ugliness done to our Tree City.
Edward E. Maxcy
Chestertown, Maryland
Carol Mylander says
Let’s put those lines underground!
jenifer emley says
YES!!!
Margaret Fallaw says
I agree with Ed, first as to the unnecessary mutilation/butchering/desecration (or any other applicable word) of some trees, and second about the visual blight of overhead wires in many parts of Chestertown.
About a week ago I watched the sickening sight of a large, once-beautiful tree (on E. Campus Ave., just east of Washington Ave.) as it was practically denuded on one side, far more extensively and far higher than necessary to prevent problems with the wires during storms. Do Delmarva Power’s contract workers (from Asplundh) not know how to create adequately sized spaces for the wires to pass through? Or maybe they more they cut, the more they’re paid?
As to overhead wires in general, I recall the many adverse comments from visitors back when I offered a tour day in town to day-tripping bus groups. Some commented on the ugly wires and poles in the historic district during the walking-tour part of the day, and some commented on them as we drove up or down Washington Ave., between downtown and the college. The wires and poles, especially on Washington Ave. and Maple Ave., seemed to be the first thing they noticed when traversing those streets. Perhaps we who have been here awhile simply don’t notice the ugliness any longer but have just come to visually screen them out.
Linda Parry says
There don’t have to be above-ground wires for trees to be hazardous. In the tree business, they’re called “widow-makers,” and if you’ve never seen a heavy branch or a tree come down on a roadway, you can’t imagine how deadly they can be. We saw it happen in our hometown on a bright, sunny, wind-less afternoon – and the lady behind the wheel of the car never had a chance. She was dead in seconds after the branch crashed onto the car. And the street was wireless. Yes, beautiful old trees are lovely, but not so the funeral corteges that pass beneath them.
Celeste says
I agree. Did the desecration have to be so radical?
Deirdre LaMotte says
Driving into town from Quaker Neck and seeing beautiful old beech and oak trees cut down (not even close to power lines) has our family enraged.
Today we stopped to talk to the tree destroyers …..seems Delmarva Power spayed blue dots on trees to be removed by this group. It makes no sense.
The tree that had been stripped and was being cut down was in the front yard 20 feet from power lines. We’ve seen over a dozen 25 inch diameter
trees cut down along Quaker Neck Road.
What can our community do to stop this abuse?