Will these age-old trees survive the road widening?

(Acacia Lane: Part 2)

I heaved a sigh of relief reading the sign on the jeepney stop that said the ancient acacia trees on Acacia Lane would not be cut or moved in the widening of the road. They would not be earth balled and transferred anywhere, but will remain where they have stood for many decades, silent and stately, generously sharing their shade and magnificence with pedestrians and commuters.  Thank you, Mayor Abalos.

I had written in my column last week that with the road widening and sidewalk renovation, we would lose those trees and Acacia Lane would be just another hot and dusty street in an otherwise dingy and overpopulated part of Mandaluyong City.  So I was delighted to read the sign, belatedly put up by City Hall, indicating that the mayor does care about the environment.

The trees won! Or did they?

However, a closer look at the makeover of Acacia Lane raises some questions. The road has been widened, yes, by about a foot on each side.  So, why was this necessary?  What will two feet or more of space do to ease traffic on what was the only picturesque road in this part of Mandaluyong?

What was supposed to be a sidewalk improvement project did not really affect the sidewalk. It remains as spacious and inviting as before to strollers, joggers and dog walkers.  It could have used a regular clean-up, but it’s been generally a pleasant place to walk in to and from the bustle of Shaw Boulevard.

What have been affected are the trees that grow closest to the road.  Whatever machines the workers used to remove the old pavement cut right through their base and the roots, leaving them splayed and  exposed.  As City Hall promised, the trees have not been removed, why do they look so hurt, wounded, their existence threatened, their majesty defiled?  Will they survive this heartless attack?

I am not an expert on trees, but I know that their nourishment comes from the earth, through their roots.  When the roots of a living tree are hacked, does it not kill the tree? Seeing the lacerated roots of the acacia trees, I feel as if my own skin has been slashed, my bones and muscles exposed.

It makes me wonder if City Hall had originally planned to really widen Acacia Lane by reducing the sidewalk and earth balling the trees, but changed its mind when residents balked at the loss of the magnificent acacias.  Is it even feasible to move age-old trees with very large crowns and shallow but wide-spread roots? How large a truck would it need to transfer them to a new site? Besides, isn’t it supposed to be a bureaucratic nightmare getting a permit to move or cut down even a single tree?

Hence, the terse and belated announcement that the trees would stay in place.  The road widening that is happening is really negligible. And, hooray, the sidewalk is being spruced up.  But I don’t know about preserving the trees. 

I really pray that the trees survive the punishment they have received. I hope they are hardy enough to fight for their lives and continue to flourish for the enjoyment of present and future generations who pass through Acacia Lane. May they never end up as firewood, or bowls or giant spoons, or wall paneling in some heartless politician’s mansion. HEART & MIND by Paulynn P. Sicam