I went home over last weekend to finish up the work to my car ... emissions and registration and all the annoying paperwork. It was the first time I had been back to my moms house since the township officials decided to remove one of her trees.

This tree had been there for a long, long time. It was (I'm not a tree person, if there is such a person) but I would guess middle aged. It was large and provided shade not only for her house but also for the neighbors. It was great to park your car under on a hot, summer day. It also provided a lot of color in the fall when its leaves would start to change. And now it's just a stump waiting to be removed.

My mom's house isn't in a development and sits on a bit of land. Developments are encroaching and it's because of those developments that the tree was removed. The tree sat on the road, right at the corner of the driveway.

The township, to support growth, is widening her road. So, in the name of progress a tree was destroyed. I'm not one to protect every tree ... far from it. And I try to due my part for the environment, but I'm no environmentalist. But for somewhat selfish reasons. Studies show global warming could limit snowfall and I love to snowboard. I don't want to be in my thirties going to the indoor snow resort of the Pa. turnpike.

I'm just annoyed that the neighborhood lost a cool tree because people a 1/2 mile away needed a wider road. Again, a selfish reason. But maybe we all need to be a little more selfish when it comes to preservation.