Being a regular driver on Old Webster Road, I had noticed, for quite some time, a one-armed but proud tree precariously overhanging the roadway.  It bloomed a little but not much really and I often observed drivers scooting over to the left driving lane to avoid the possibility of that one-armed tree falling onto their vehicle. Old Webster Road is a simple two-lane thoroughfare.

Even though its hazard had been reported to the local authorities, they stated that their inspection revealed the one remaining tree limb was healthy and no further action would be taken. Despite the inspection report, I still drove on the opposite side of the road if no oncoming cars were visible and always noted that most vehicles driving ahead of me also drove over to the opposite side of the road for safety reasons.

I am not the type of person who ever wants to see a perfectly healthy tree cut down. After all, they are our life givers. They take in human carbon dioxide exhalations, among other nutrients of course, and they then expel the life-giving oxygen we humans desperately need for our survival upon this good green earth. Through the process of photosynthesis, they improve our air quality, filter pollutants, and reduce ozone levels. 

I could see that this once strong, sturdy, and gnarly old tree had given up most of its life many, many years ago and that whoever had tended to it had cut most of its other branches from the main trunk leaving only a shadow of the once pleasing foliage with only one long arm remaining. It was surely a survivor of numerous amputations due to injury, disease, or infection. You couldn’t help but to feel sad for the old guy. He had given his all to provide shade for perhaps livestock or landowners for the past 50+ years. 

Recently, however, I noticed that the poor unfortunate one-armed tree was no longer there. It had been cut to ground level. The yard was now open and filled with shiny new riding lawnmowers for sale splashed by the sun. Other nearby trees, however, did provide a nice level of shade. I felt sad that the old guy was gone but he most likely will provide warmth and coziness to someone’s winter fireplace.   When I contacted the local authority to ask if they had removed the tree, they knew nothing about the removal. 

Apparently, the tree’s unusual but beautiful stature notwithstanding, it was an obvious driving safety hazard and had been felled by the owner of the property.  When I contacted the owner to ask about the tree’s demise and to thank him for his activity, he simply stated “The tree was rotted so it was cut down.”  One less driving maneuver for safety and a Big Thank You shout-out to the tree’s owner.

“I think that I shall never see/ A poem lovely as a tree./ Poems are made by fools like me,/But only God can make a tree.”

– “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer.