Letter: Plant trees today for pedestrians tomorrow
Tree-lined streets are visions that dreams are made of. Established neighborhoods can boast of the beauty that mature shade trees provide. Beautiful Davison Avenue, Barth Avenue, Cottonwood Drive and North George Washington Way in Richland have mature shade trees lining block after shaded block.
Sure, they need tons of water until they develop a deep root structure accessing ground water. Sure, there are leaves to be raked. Why go through all the trouble when your house is air conditioned? So that your kids and neighbors can walk down a cool shaded street on a hot summer day.
If we want to be a heart-healthy, pedestrian-friendly community, we need shade trees lining our streets. That does not mean everyone else’s yards — that means our yards.
Celebrate Arbor Day and plant medium or large shade trees in your front yards. Selecting the same varieties as neighbors is pleasing to the eye. Many trees have the added bonus of flowers and beautiful fall foliage. If your imagination needs some inspiration, Google “oak alley” or “tree tunnels.”
Having mature trees in our yards, streets, and parks is a privilege provided by someone before us. Thank them by planting new trees.
Laila Ghan, Richland
This story was originally published May 2, 2016 at 6:27 PM with the headline "Letter: Plant trees today for pedestrians tomorrow."