Dear Editor,

More than a billion birds are killed each year by feral cats and collisions with “towers” — high-rise buildings and cell towers, etc. The songbird population has diminished significantly in this decade.

Also related, trees that are homes to birds and other wildlife are continually being destroyed. Locally, where we have no tree ordinance (such as Mobile, Fairhope and Orange Beach have), Pine Street, which is located in my neighborhood, cannot be called Pine Street any longer — at least not technically — because there are no old growth pines left. The last was “clear cut” on the corner of Pine and Pensacola Avenue. These were perfectly healthy trees, almost a century old.

We know the value of trees. They put more oxygen in the air, they absorb carbon dioxide, they help prevent floods (which we have recently experienced) and, last but not least, they provide a home for birds, especially woodpeckers and food.

So many other positive results are attributed to trees, too numerous to name. So let us salute this valuable part of our natural world. And yes, even “hug a tree.”

 

Robert Mays

Atmore