Dear Editor,

Since the Herald has given Mark Schletty and his tree trauma story front page coverage and made him sound like a hero, let's hear from the other side.

My husband and I own a large parcel in the Admiral District. We have gardened here for nearly 25 years and our trees, about 50 total, are maturing and getting bigger.

Some have already grown to six inches in diameter and I have removed several of them, rather than subject myself to city constraints about what I can do with my trees. Let's be clear - these are MY trees. I selected them, I paid for them, I dug the planting holes, I fertilize, prune, water and tend to them. If I don't like the way they perform or their location, I get rid of them, just as I do the furniture in my house.

Cedars are terribly overrated anyway. So are big leaf maples. They are gloomy and dark, cast way too much shade, and don't belong in the city, except in large areas such as Lincoln Park and the Arboretum. If you are going to have conifers, plant something more attractive. Firs at least have the advantage of upturning branches and can be thinned to allow more light penetration.

The city is on our case to plant more trees, to improve the urban canopy, etc, to help with global warming, carbon footprint, all the buzz words. Frankly, it is so dark and gray here in the winter, more big shade trees are the last thing I want.

Let's hear it for choice smaller growing ornamental trees, watered green lawns in the summer, which contribute to oxygen in the atmosphere, and getting bureaucrats off our backs on our own private property.

Kathy Schwartz
Admiral District