Temporary Tree Hastily Planted To Replace Chopped Broome County Courthouse Tree

The opinions here are strictly my own and are not those of 99.1 the Whale or our parent company.

I thought chopping down the pine tree, that for years stood in front of the Broome County Courthouse, was a boneheaded move. But what happened next takes the cake.

So, it turns out, the old tree was indeed dying. It was in no danger of falling and could have been removed in the Spring. The powers that be decided to chop it down now, however. "Yep, let's chop it down in the season that it plays an important role! No one will notice." That's how I imagine the decision maker giving the order.

It gets better. The uproar from residents in County Executive Debra Preston's ear was quite loud, so she issued an apology. And an order to quickly put a temporary tree in place. So, a blue spruce from one of the County parks is now standing where the iconic tree once did. Preston bought decorations to be placed on the new tree. Admirable.

What no one has thought about is the poor replacement tree. You see, it is temporary. That means, the tree was uprooted and replanted and will again be uprooted and replanted after the new permanent tree is brought in. The poor replacement will most like die or be seriously traumatized by the multiple uprootings.

Personally, I think the lack of common sense and communication are to blame. Unless the old tree was an immediate danger to its surroundings, no one should have cut it down until the Spring. Period.

There will be no happy ending with this tale.