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Willie plant maple trees? Yep, been there, done that
By Kendal Bates
MENDON -- Paul Willie has always had a love for trees, and when several mature maple trees were removed from 100 West so a parking lot could be built, he was not going to idly stand by. Willie visited the Mendon City Council meeting in November with a prepared slide show on why trees are important to communities, and specifically to Mendon. He displayed several pictures of trees on Mendon's streets and parks and said trees create a meeting place for family and community. He showed before-and-after pictures where the maples were removed, and petitioned the city to support his wish to replace the fallen trees. Once support was expressed, Willie didn't waste any time rectifying the situation. Willie said the church where the parking lot construction took place agreed to purchase nine mature maple trees from Zollingers Tree Farm. He said that he wanted mature trees, because maples are a hardwood tree that grows slowly. Some of the trees that were removed were more than 20 years old. On Dec. 2, Willie took a backhoe and transplanted the large trees along the lane. When asked why he would go to all the trouble to replace these trees, Willie simply replied, "Trees make a community." Willie said the transplanted trees went into the ground well, but
that he wouldn't know until spring whether his efforts would be successful. |
Archived Months:
September
1998 |
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