Carnage

Today, this marvelous Elm, along with all the other trees in this hedgerow, were cut down.  This hedgerow measures 2000 feet  or 600 m in length, and features beautiful mature trees such as the elm above, interspersed with maples, ash, birch, beech and aspen, to name but a few.

Today, this is what's left:

Basically, it amounts to a whole big pile of "sweet fuck-all".  At least, that what we call it in french.

The brush that was stripped above will be left here to rot over the next 20 years or so.  No one's coming to clean this up - that would be too easy.

 Note the old cedar fence-post in the above photo.  It gives you an idea of the scale of this tree.

As it is, our white birches have suffered heavily in Quebec.  They're top-heavy trees that split during our ice storm on 1998, in addition to being attacked by leafminer.  There were a lot of healthy specimens in this hedgerow.

This is what remains of the beautiful Elm in the summertime photo above, one of the last standing in this region.  Those that weren't decimated by Dutch Elm disease are now killed by man.  It probably took 30 seconds with a chain saw to cut down this 100-plus year old tree.  The travesty defies logic.

Is this what we call sustainable land-management?

Is this responsible stewardship?

Does this make any sense whatsoever?

Why is the Ministry of Agriculture subsidising us as a MAPAQ-registered farm to plant windbreak trees,  when these mature and healthy trees are being cut down on neighboring MAPAQ fields?

Who makes these decisions and who approves the desecration of these necessary and beautiful trees?

Trees clean our soil through phytoremediation.  That's a fancy word for saying they purify the soil, especially important in areas where fertilizers, pesticides and animal wastes are used, such as the fields above.  Water from these fields leads to run-off that leads to streams that leads to rivers that supplies us with drinking water.  Not to mention the corn, wheat and soy and their by-products that are grown here are found in probably 90% of all processed foods, in some form or another.  You should be worried.  Very worried.

Trees act as a windbreak and a sound-break, especially important considering this hedgerow is a mere 2000 feet or 600 m from THE most heavily-traveled route in North America, the Quebec City - Windsor Corridor.  Again, logic is defied.  We're putting up man-made, hideously disgusting sound barriers that are so unaesthetic people would rather hear the drone of traffic rather than view the concrete monstrosities we're currently putting up.  Let's not even bring the cost, funded by your tax money, into play.

Aren't we supposed to lessen our carbon-footprint?  Aren't we supposed to be concerned about climate change?  Trees act as a carbon sink.  According to stats from the USDA, one acre of trees take in 6 tonnes of carbon dioxide, and put out 4 tonnes of oxygen.  Last time I checked, oxygen was a pretty rudimentary necessity.

The senselessness of this act shocks and dismays me on so many levels.  The utter disregard of nature, logic and common sense can't even be measured.

I am dumbfounded and saddened.  Those who understand the intangible energy and spiritual significance  these trees emanate know where I'm coming from.

And those who don't?  They'll never know just how much they're missing.