Our house is located at the end of a long driveway which winds its way through the woods. The trees there are beautiful. The “other side of the coin” is that they have to be maintained.

Trees, like everything else, have a life cycle that goes from birth to death, new to old. Unlike a car that can wear out in 10-20 years, trees can go on to live for 80 or 100 years or more. Yet, the older they get, the more maintenance (like trimming branches) they require. Eventually, they will need to be replaced when they die.

When I was involved in planning for the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., a lot of time was spent with the landscape architect on what I would call “tree issues.” Much of the discussion dealt with the “Elm Tree Walk” which borders both sides of the reflecting pool and then comes around and embraces both sides of the Memorial and the rebuilt Rainbow Pool. It is one of the busiest park-pedestrian thoroughfares in the country.

That space, that walk from the Lincoln Memorial east toward the Washington Monument and around the National World War II Memorial, wouldn’t amount to fraction of what it is without the elm trees.

In planning for the memorial, we had to have a plan for replacing the trees.

Years before a spade-full of dirt was turned to build the memorial-there was a plan in place to replace the elm trees that were expected to die either from old age, disease or from construction-related issues. We actually purchased young, disease-resistant elm trees at a nursery in New Jersey prior to construction realizing that, down-the-road, they were going to be needed to replace old or damaged trees there on the National Mall.

Maybe it was unavoidable, but, with that in mind, I found it rather sad when all of the trees on West Third Street came down at once. That street was always so beautiful to drive on because of the trees. Now it almost seems like a barren wasteland. Could the trees have been gradually replaced over time, the way the National Park Service does it in Washington?

I don’t want to belabor the point or to point fingers, but I do think that something as important as a tree-lined street needs to be put higher on the priority list when local governments are making decisions, especially when new street construction is involved.

With that in mind, I would hope that there is a “tree plan” for the new Washington Street being constructed between Sixth Street and Fluvanna Avenue. I know that there is a lot of “hardscape”on that stretch of road, but even in places like parking lots, space can be made to plant a tree. Wouldn’t it be great if 20 years from now, people entering the city of Jamestown from the Strunk Road intersection of the expressway traveling to the National Comedy Center downtown could drive along a beautiful tree-lined street?

In order for that to occur, not only do trees need to be planted, but a continuing replacement plan will need to be followed as trees become damaged or diseased-new trees replacing old as the need arises.

If the state DOT doesn’t have such a plan, I hope that the city itself will undertake the effort.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.