Please save our trees

I AM upset with the unprecedented destruction of iconic trees around the city of Port Moresby.
At night the trees are burnt at the bases and during the day the chainsaws hack away with ruthless disdain.
Is it done in the interest of beautification, crowd control, town planning or some other reason?
The destruction of the casuarinas at Ela Beach to make way for a wider road was an official decision and tragic.
The saplings for those old trees were brought in by the late patrol officer and explorer Jim Taylor with indentured men recruited from the Guglmbuku clan of Yongumugl District of Chimbu.
My grandfather planted those trees that were hewn down just this year.
They were at least 60 years old.
The trees in Boroko, which were a feature of the Police station frontage and the rear of the Post Office, have been laid to waste.
The trees are a feature of any city.
They freshen the air, provide oxygen, trap dust, provide windbreaks and are a refuge where birds live and raise their chicks.
There is now evidence that the root systems provide a sense of community for other trees in the vicinity.
When we cut mature and iconic trees we turn the land arid into a desert. Let us respect trees as a way of saying thank you to God for thoughtfully giving us those magnificent rain trees.
You only need to sit under its shade and look up to see their massive branches and foliage to realise that you have a peaceful retreat right there in the heat of Port Moresby.

Esther Wugum James
NCD