Arborist and protesters

[CaveSaw]

I thought folks might find this interesting. Probably not the typical day for an arborist.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/19/BA4BV52CK.DTL&tsp=1

Background--Protesters don't want these oaks cut down to make room for an expansion of athletic facilities next to a stadium in Berkeley. They have been tree-sitting for about a year now. They are nice trees but the oaks in question were planted by the university after the stadium was built. So they're old, but not old growth.

 

[lxt]

Remove 100 trees for an athletic stadium that the tax payers will foot the bill for!!

that is a shame, anything for athletes!!! if it will bring in money they dont care......

I honestly think the Arborists should of been called in to determine if the Trees needing removed is warranted!!! I think their priorities are a little messed up, this is in CA? right, where smog & engine emmissions & other pollutants are the main complaint, I read on here where(CA) wanted to sue the auto makers for emmission pollution.........

Yeah nothing like removing 100 of the only things that can help with that problem!!!!


LXT............

 

[treeseer]

Thanks for posting the update. I was out there in Dec 2006 for the ASCA conference in Napa, and visited the grove. Nice trees, taking up very little room on the edge of a big, barren athletic area.

Glad I was not around when that bucket fell.:spam:

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Glad I was not around when that bucket fell.:spam:

Whoo yeah!

Ironic that it is Berkley where this protest is taking place, I'd'a thunk it'd be hugger's haven.

 

[Festus Haggen]

I'd just ask them where the wood for their platforms came from?


Intimidated and harrassed? Man, they should try that nonsense here. Just loose a pack of rabid coons in the grove, they'll move.

 

[woodchux]

I would just cut out the notch and then start on the backcut....

I bet the hippies would be rappelling down faster than that bucket fell.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

A friend sent me an article about this situation this past summer. For a while they were protesting NAKED. I would imagine it included lots of hairy legs and armpits, not to mention what the hippy men must've looked like.

 

[treeseer]

Disagree with them if you want to, but they are bucking the tide and advocating for tree value, something arborists should be able to relate to.

Speaking of rabid coons, that sounds like the wannabee athletic boosters. You could fit their brains inside a jockstrap, but they feed this mania for bigger facilities with skyboxes so they can drink scotch there and feel like bigshots.

Top of the world, Ma!

The stadiums only get used for a few hours per year, while the trees are functioning for everyone, 24/7/365.

 

[moray]

...For a while they were protesting NAKED. I would imagine it included lots of hairy legs and armpits, not to mention what the hippy men must've looked like.

OTG, I'm going to have to retract the nice comment I made about you a few days ago! Why are you passing judgment on these people, lumping them in a category you probably don't understand, and calling them names? For shame.

UC Berkeley is a huge place with more than 25,000 students, dozens of buildings, many properties, and a generally huge footprint in a city of 100,000. Not surprisingly, projects and policies that suit the University aren't always in line with the interests of the city's residents. While I don't know the merits of the controversy in question, the University's plan to cut down 100 oak trees would obviously provoke a reaction in a place like Berkeley. And being Berkeley, the protest will be colorful and inventive, like people living in trees. This is just normal hardball back there.

 

[clearance]

I am not a police lover, but send them in, clubs swinging, dogs biting. I have had it with mutts who snivel about tree removal, it ain't your tree, so flock off. Been there enough, the same people who cry about you cutting down trees around powerlines are the same ones who cry when some p.o.s. tree they saved rips the line down and they are in the dark.

Maybe these trees shouldn't be cut down, perhaps the stadium shouldn't be built, but the permits are approved, suck it up.

 

[Bermie]

Protest where protest is due...I don't know the situation or what, but can see points for both sides.
Maybe they can plant more trees to offset the ones they remove...I dunno...

BUT protest can be effective, just last year over here the Gummint decided that we are going to need a new hospital by 2012 and that the most cost effective place to build it (but not doing phased rebuild on site) was next door on 10 acres of the BOTANICAL GARDENS!! Bulldozing 100 year old trees, display houses and collections!!!! The Minister of Health told us to 'get over it' and we (the general taxpaying population of Bermuda, rich, poor, black white, locals, expats) REFUSED! There were town hall meetings, activities in the gardens, the talk shows were hopping, people put green banners on their cars...it worked, the Gummint backed down.

But hey, I play hockey on an artificial surface in a stadium (teensy by your standards) that took up some open space to build so...no-one is snow white in every situation.

 

[treeseer]

BUT protest can be effective, ...it worked, the Gummint backed down.

You guys rock, Fiona! Trees cannot talk, so we gotta talk double!

 

[oldirty]

OTG, I'm going to have to retract the nice comment I made about you a few days ago! Why are you passing judgment on these people, lumping them in a category you probably don't understand, and calling them names? For shame.

UC Berkeley is a huge place with more than 25,000 students, dozens of buildings, many properties, and a generally huge footprint in a city of 100,000. Not surprisingly, projects and policies that suit the University aren't always in line with the interests of the city's residents. While I don't know the merits of the controversy in question, the University's plan to cut down 100 oak trees would obviously provoke a reaction in a place like Berkeley. And being Berkeley, the protest will be colorful and inventive, like people living in trees. This is just normal hardball back there.

hey O i think your description of this guys girlfriend really offended him.


serious question for you. do you give a rats ass about his feelings? lol

 

[Themadd1]

I know a lot of people who were tree sitters in the Portland area. I went out there to visit my sister and was walking through an open market when some dirty guy comes up to me. I thought he was a bum but turned out to be an old friend from high school. He was flat broke and living on the street until he could get a ride back out to the old growth forest where they were sitting.

I have to give these people some respect for putting themselves out there for the criticism and hard times they put themselves through to keep something important in their community.

Berkeley has always been a hub of civil disobedience and even after years of abuse people still manage to do what they do. You can knock them but I have to say they do more than most of us in trying to keep our governments in check.

I think most of us got into this line of work for the money but a lot of us got into this line of work because we dont like seeing people destroy our environment and f'up the trees. Even those of you on the government end of the business hate seeing people f' up your trees.

If you dont have respect for what you do then what do you have? Big money=bad ethics in most cases.

maybe they should put some land aside and start planting more trees to compensate for the loss of these oaks? That might help move the process along to lower the animosity of creating a new building in someones neighborhood.

 

[OTG BOSTON]

OTG, I'm going to have to retract the nice comment I made about you a few days ago! Why are you passing judgment on these people, lumping them in a category you probably don't understand, and calling them names? For shame.

I am so ashamed I don't know how I'll ever live with myself:jester:

For the record, I have tons of experience with situations just like this, and have been on both sides of the arguement.

As far as me calling them names, Its my right as an american to express my opinion. Are you trying to supress my civil liberties?

 

[OTG BOSTON]

hey O i think your description of this guys girlfriend really offended him.


serious question for you. do you give a rats ass about his feelings? lol

Maine. 'nuff said

 

[farmer]

I live in a small town. NY state came in and said you need a wider main st. and all these nice old trees have to go. The people said no and the state backed down. Stupid decisions even when approved don't necessarily have to be the last word. I don't reall know details of this case, but neither do the people saying get the h out of the way and bring in the dogs. Have a little broader vision why don't you?

 

[moray]

I have to give these people some respect for putting themselves out there for the criticism and hard times they put themselves through to keep something important in their community.

Nice comments, Themadd1. It's good to see some civil discourse here now and then to counter the roving population of attack dogs on AS. So, to paraphrase you, I give people a lot of respect for exposing themselves to criticism and attack here, but responding in a measured and civil way. It is all too easy (and gratifying, I admit!) to short-circuit the higher brain centers and resort to name-calling and personal attack. It's a lotta fun. But it detracts from the quality of AS that so many people think it's cool to do it here.

 

[tree MDS]

I'm all for the trees and all, however, bustin on those dirty hippies is just too much fun. I'm with Clearance on this, dogs and clubs- after bean bag knocking em out ! And what about the dreads and that friggin petulie oil or whatever ? Hope the poor dogs dont get sick ! I would've loved to be the guy cuttin ropes and kickin that nasty a$$ed :greenchainsaw: crap bucket off ! LOL.

 

[moray]

as I was saying

Woof woof!