Opinion

Development and Trees

By DOUGLAS LUMMIS

We were awakened by a symphony of ugly sounds: the screech of a chain saw, the crack-crash of falling trees, the whine of a winch pulling logs. By the end of the day a fine row of trees had disappeared. I counted at least 35 bleeding stumps.

We live in a small valley at the edge of Tokorozawa City, near Tama Reservoir. The western slope of the valley is built up with houses; the eastern slope is a forest. Until two years ago the bottom of the valley was a grassy meadow, separated from the forest by a little stream. Cats, dogs and children often played there, adults too. It was sometimes the scene of softball games. In August it became a festival ground for Bon-odori.

But two years ago we ("we" means the jichikai or self-governing organization of the valley residents) received notice that a construction company had gotten a permit to build houses where the meadow was. This seemed strange, because there is supposed to be a Tokorozawa ordinance preventing further destruction of nature for development within the city. But somehow they had gotten the permit.

A meeting was held at which a representative of the company explained the project. We gathered in the meadow and heard him explain how many houses would be built and how long it would take. Many questions were asked. I asked one: "What trees do you plan to cut down?"

"Just to the edge of the meadow," the man answered. Looking directly at me, he said, "We will not cut down any trees on the other side of the stream."

Construction is still going on. Drab, shapeless houses are going up one after another. They are so ugly it makes one wonder: Were these houses actually designed by a person with a degree in that beautiful art called architecture? When I see houses like these going up I always feel sorry for the carpenters, who do the work but have no control over the design. How sad it must be to expend all that skill and labor to achieve such a tawdry result!

And then ― not surprisingly ― the promise made by the company representative at the meeting in the meadow turned out to be a lie. All the trees cut down the other day were on the far side of the stream. I talked to the man in charge of the work and told him, "You know, the company promised not to cut down any of these trees."

"Some of the trees were touching the houses," was his reply. In fact, they weren't, but even if they had been, that would only mean that the houses were built so as to touch the trees. The trees, after all, were there first.

But this, I suppose, is the way developers think: "A row of trees? They're not part of our plan. Cut them down."

Here is something to think about: When the developers finally get the whole world developed, what will "the world" be?

Shukan ST: March 6, 1998

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