A few Sunday ago, workers from the M&CC trimmed the historical Silk Cotton Tree at the Archer’s Senior Citizens’ Home on D’Urban Street. This Silk Cotton Tree is approximately 150 years old and provided shade to the residents of the Home.
What should have been a simple tree trimming exercise turned out to be a catastrophe. Three
rows from the top of the tree should have taken down and balancing the tree all around by trimming off the outer branches. Instead, what is left of the tree is an ugly, large ridiculous stump. The Benab on the ground and a section of the front fence are also no more.
I was flabbergasted at what I saw, as concerned citizens and I had been assured by the City Engineer’s Department that they had secured the services of an experienced contractor to do the job.
In other countries, there are laws to protect trees and in most cases the National Trust and environmentalists overlook the trees and protective areas. Persons are held accountable for any destruction that occurs. The wanton and brutal destruction of the Silk Cotton Tree brings home the fact that all tree trimmers and city contractors need to be trained now as their knowledge and vision are limited. For months now I have been imploring the M&CC and the relevant stakeholders to see how necessary it is to provide training, to no avail. Although at a meeting held on January18, a decision was taken by Mayor Hamilton Greene for the City Engineer’s Department to access the first training session this never materialized. Look around Georgetown and see how badly our trees have been butchered; some of the branches are so hollow that you can push your hand in.
Main Street and Vlissengen Road are two main thoroughfares where important government buildings are and just look at the condition of the trees. Once again, I am calling on the relevant authorities to save our trees. Generations to come will thank you.
Until next week, Happy Gardening.
