Limlingan: Trees' tales

WHILE a number of acacia trees have already died as they were cut down to give way to the Department of Public Works and Highway's road widening project, their tales seem to refuse to wither.

In one of my features in this page, I have tackled on the chicken and egg question of what is to be considered between two choices, development and environment.

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The never ending saga of the trees has caused arguments and debates. The issue is simply whether to cut or not.

The subject acacia trees lined-up along the Mac Arthur Highway, City of San Fernando are older than me. Their trunks need a few hands holding each to get their circumference. Their branches and leaves cover up the skies and blocks sunlight during midday. They are excellent natural umbrellas so to speak. Aside from the aesthetic appearance as they are lined-up neatly parallel to the highway stretch, they give the area with a relaxing color green.

No doubt, the acacias, just like any other trees are good natural reservoirs that suck in water during the rainy season. They are natural flood suckers and sources of ground water during summer. I have learned these things in my biology class when I was still at school.

Phineas Barnum an American showman, businessman, entertainer, author, publisher, and philanthropist once said that suckers are born every minute. Acacias are not.

Acacias are also good suckers of carbon monoxide and other harmful gases from smoke emissions of vehicles. They capture these toxic fumes as leaves of trees are good arresters of such. They suck smoke as they are good air cleaning agents.

Environmentalists know all these.

On the other hand, acacias are natural born killers too, particularly the ones I am referring to along the side of the road. They have claimed lives of a number of motorists. Police investigators looking into vehicles rammed on tree trunks are sights during night or early mornings.

The trees were planted very close to the road. Little did those who planted them knew that this day shall come when motorized vehicles would be of these volume.

The Spaniards thought of the same, constructing narrow roads without the thought that Filipinos would be able to improve their lives and their transportation modes.

Aside from being road blockers, acacias at the fast-laned highway fall their branches off to any unlucky motorists passing by. The trees are old and have multiples of dried branches. A friend was a victim of a cracked windshield when a branch fell off directly to his car during a windy afternoon.

Just recently during the occurrence of some minor weather disturbances, a tree branch, less than the size of a human torso victimized a hapless passenger jeepney. The unfortunate owner of the vehicle cannot even sue the tree for the damage he reaped from the tree part.

What if the jeepney was a top down car, for sure the passengers would have died instantly. Death toll would have increased since the trees reached their old age.

The things I've said about what's good about trees are true, but only to the extent when they are still young or they haven't reached yet the threshold of their ideal productive ages.

We cannot blame the so-called "self-proclaimed environmentalists" if they continue to advocate for these killers, the issue itself refused to be killed. They oppose to the cutting of these trees, armed with reasons anchored on what these trees do for the environment.

Meanwhile, those who are for the cutting of the trees have nagging questions for the "environmentalists". How many of them have planted how many trees in their pro-environment stand? Have these "environmentalists" realized that those who are for the cutting of the trees are like them, environmentalists too?

The trees are nuisances. They are the right things in wrong places. Why not cut them and plant hundreds or even thousands of them in conducive places where they pose no danger to lives and properties? Why not the "environmentalists" instead of sowing statements, just sow plants and trees to places suitable for their environmental advocacies?

I, among those for the cutting of the trees am not against these trees per se. What we are against at is their location and the imminent danger they at any time may cause to lives. There would be no problem if they are stuck at any other places on earth, but not at the busy Mac Arthur Highway. We are all environmentalists, but we are all likewise for the lives and properties of all.