Death to the trees

A few days ago I noticed a piece of paper on a tree in the neighboring small street. I didn't read it, but I saw there was a date on it. Then yesterday on our way back from a long stroll we saw that the whole street was full of these notes. Basically each and every tree was decorated with them. Of course, this has raised our curiosity enough to check out what was it all about. 

It was meant for the car owners, asking them not to park their vehicles there, under the trees. The reason was some maintenance works to be carried out in the alley the next day. Or was it specifically alley maintenance? It was a bit difficult to get it right because of the way they had put it. But it definitely sounded like they wanted to get the trees trimmed. Though that should be done by the end of the autumn, and not of the winter - as these are not fruit trees -, or so I heard.

We could find out about it all this morning. They started to work early in the morning with the big electric jigsaws that echoed all around in the vicinity. They stood on top of the mobile cranes to reach up all the way to the highest branches. I'm talking about roughly fifteen trees, all of them taller than the five-story buildings on the other side of the little street.

These trees have stood there for many generations of the people who enjoyed their shades during the summer heat, and lived in all those appartments protected from the strong wind by them. They made the air breathable by refreshing it, and gave nest to so many birds. We could go on with the list about why trees are useful - basically, necessary for us -, but it's too late now, anyhow. 

These giants were not simply trimmed. They were completely removed, down to their trunks, leveled with the very earth they once grew out from. Though they were still alive, growing full canopy, and plenty of new sprouts, twigs and sprigs each year. They could not even be torn down by the huge storm last summer, that took off the roof of the post office nearby.

Did those who have ordered to have them cut down, think it was an activity to mark the leap day this year? A strange interval of time that is there one year, then it's gone for a few others. So these trees were still there in the morning, and gone without a sign by midday.
Maybe that was the idea. I'm not sure. Though it's hard to believe it. Any of it.