Seventeen 80-year-old trees were cut down in Lake View Hill Conservancy County Park in ten hours of one day, Sept 3, 2015….VIDEO 1 [0:33]…and ground up on the spot…. VIDEO 2 [1:43]
WHY? According to Dane County Parks Director Darren Marsh, the trees needed to be “removed” primarily to “improve the viewshed” for people or because they had “poor form”—like this perfectly healthy giant tree, which you see killed in the first video.
Here’s what the new improved “viewshed” looks like: VIDEO 3 [1:38] Was it worth it?
Last year, beginning on Earth Day, and in months afterwards, many more trees were cut to improve the views—see our previous story. We estimate that in 2014 and 2015, well over 30 trees were cut down in one area of Lake View Hill Park (in addition to the numerous trees–20+?– killed to make way for the new water tower).
How can people wantonly destroy such beautiful trees for no good reason?
Why is such pointless killing of trees approved as part of “conservation” by Dane County Parks?
This killing of trees was funded by public money–in other words, your money. The trees were on public land; it belongs to all of us. Dane County citizens who questioned this pointless destruction of 80 year old trees were dismissed, ridiculed, or just ignored by county officials and parks staff.
Please let your county supervisors, Dane County Parks Commissioners, and Executive Joe Parisi know how you feel about this:
County Executive– parisi@countyofdane.com
Supervisors– county_board_recipients@countyofdane.com
Park Commissioners– park-commission@countyofdane.com
This is awful.