Save trees before it’s too late

I am writing this letter to you with the hopes that Sussex County Council will begin making different decisions for the residents of Sussex County before it is too late. I, along with many others, am very concerned about the rate at which we are destroying local forests. As I see it, for a financial gain to developers, we are slowly and surely losing something that we and future generations can never get back. 

When we kill trees, the consequences can be severe and far-reaching. Trees are a critical part of the ecosystem and play an essential role in our planet's life-giving cycles. Without them, humans and wildlife suffer. From the empathetic point of view, killing trees is ultimately destroying habitats and causing a great deal of pain not only for the millions of species that rely on them, but also for future generations who will miss out on their beauty and the simple pleasure of natural shade. In addition to impacting us and the environment in many tangible ways, killing trees has many collateral effects on our climate, water cycle, air quality and ocean currents. That's why it's so important to consciously plant more trees and care for those already established in our ecosystems. 

As someone who lives on a forested parcel of land, I can’t imagine someone coming in and destroying it for financial gain. On a daily basis, I have the luxury of observing many varieties of birds as well as hearing their chorus every morning. We have returning pairs of bald eagles and great-horned owls that come year after year to raise their young. That is all in addition to the foxes, deer, raccoons, squirrels, opossums and about anything else you can imagine. The thought of what would happen to all of the displaced creatures hurts my heart in a way I cannot describe.