Thursday, November 20, 2014

Thursday Arch Series

Gateway Arch 2014-11-18 1

Bare trees and hard contrast as the cold weather settles in. Even the leafless tree branches will soon be gone. As part of the vast project to renovate the Arch grounds and some of the adjacent city, all of the beautiful ash trees that were planted in the 1960s are being torn out.  They say that an insect called the emerald ash borer is heading this way and that it will kill all these trees.

So, the ashes will replaced with London plane trees. However, they are at risk from a spreading fungus. And the National Park Service is only planting plane trees. Now there are a variety of species around the edge of the grounds. Every arborist the NPS consulted said that such a monoculture has a great risk of failure. The NPS ignored them

The trees have already been cut down south of the Arch. I wanted to photograph that area but it's surrounded by chain link fence taller than me. This shot was taken from the north.  I can see it from my office window so maybe I'll get some documentation.

As they used to say on government construction signs, your tax dollars at work.                         

12 comments:

  1. Unusual do cut down the trees before an attack. Back in the 1970s we had a Elm conflict in Stockholm.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elm_Conflict

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  2. Its everywhere the same but cutting down trees in Almere against the will of the inhabitants with a very vague story from the gouvernement meant in the end that they got money for the wood pulp made out of them. Something that wasn't told in public and now is a riot in the city council.

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  3. ... another example of Mother Nature's wicked sister at work.
    I like the bleakness of this image.

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  4. This is a beautiful black and white shot. That really is a shame about the trees. I hate to see things like that happen.

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  5. You'd think the NPS of all agencies would know better.

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  6. Perfect b7w image Bob.. they're cutting the trees down in anticipation of an attack? How weird! Mind you the London Plane trees are beautiful AND hardy, will have to see this scene again in about 10/15 years :)

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  7. Hate to hear about trees dying or being cut down for whatever reason. I like the arch here, and the all-over image.

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  8. I just don't know how in this day and age trees can be pulled down and just replaced. It always makes me shudder.

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  9. I hate it when trees are killed any time....

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  10. Shooting straight on and turning the arch into a line offers a pretty stark look.

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  11. Gosh, this makes me so sad to read, Bob. Thank you for this fabulous photo.

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  12. Mmmmh, are you invited to discuss the correct use of your tax dollars? It appears not. Looking at the fate of our plane trees here in the south of France, which are all dying or predicted to die from another fungus (the coloured chancre), I tend to agree with specialists that monoculture isn't a good idea.

    Do keep taking photos of these trees while they're there !

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