It looks like they may be in the way of the power line. KUB left me a note that they are taking down a line of trees on my property that touch the line.

Trust me, it has nothing to do with the power lines. This is clear cutting on a massive scale.

n/t

Just gonna say it sounds like a developer "cleaning up" his property for market. They must not have heard the news report that WUOT news aired this week (which I can't find online) where trees were assessed for their economic value to this region and it was a considerable sum.

Here ya go (excerpts):

...[U]rban forests provide an estimated $204 million per year in pollution removal and $66 million per year in energy savings. The study is the first of its kind in Tennessee.

“This report, for the first time, puts a face on the urban forest resource and what it means to the state in terms of economic and environmental value, ” said Steven Scott, Tennessee State Forester and head of the Tennessee Division of Forestry, which collected the data for the report. “Perhaps the most significant finding is the immediate impact of urban trees on the use of energy, the savings we get as a result of shade near homes, businesses and industrial areas.”

“Urban forests make our cities healthier, more vibrant places to live,” said Nowak. “They provide healthy outdoor spaces for our kids, they clean our air and water, and – as this study shows – they provide tremendous economic benefits. We must continue our work to protect these critical natural resources.”

There are more than 100 million acres of urban forest across the U.S., but a recent study shows that many are in decline.

Somewhere out there is a study that demonstrated that shoppers pend more money in a shopping area with trees. Now it could be that more affluent buyers are drawn to these areas but it could be that the trees put the shoppers in a relaxed state of mind.

When I was out canvassing Colonial Village I noticed the Democrats clustered on blocks with shade trees and the Republican yards tended to be tree-free. Except for perhaps a well tended small ornamental tree.

A well-tended, small ornamental tree that's non-native and will die early like a weak Bradford Pear.

I was thinking of weeping cherries with their artificially contorted, top - down growth habit.