A crude job trimming a heritage tree in Nahcotta has rankled some local residents.

In my column just two weeks ago I wrote about the 100-plus-year-old larch that was planted on the original Stamp Family property at the corner of 267th and Sandridge. It’s a wise old thing that Sojourner Smith, long-time owner of that property, used to sit under holding court with neighbors. When I heard chain sawing one morning last week, I walked over and took a look at the situation. The public utility district was trimming trees away from the electrical lines at that corner. I spoke with one of the flagmen who assured me they had spoken with and gotten permission from the property owner to trim these trees. I expressed concern, and he admitted, “No, we aren’t arborists.”

The next day I strolled by again and nearly dropped to my knees. This grand old tree has been massacred. This kind of “trimming” of our large trees by non-arborists should not be legal. I spoke with Ms. Heather Hall, the current property owner, and her daughter and they both said neither of them had been contacted by PUD. When Ms. Hall got home that night, she said “I was sick to my stomach when I saw what they did.” I wonder if the tree can survive such a disaster.

PUD employees work for us, and they receive ample compensation for their work. I suggest that instead of this kind of unconscionable tree-cutting, they could and should create a modest fund to hire arborists in the rare cases when a very large iconic neighborhood tree must be re-shaped to ensure winds don’t take out a pole line. There are so many reasons our trees — especially old, very large ones — should be protected. Once trees like that are cut, it will take centuries to replace them.

CATE GABLE

Nahcotta