WAS THE FOUNDERS TREE IMPORTANT?

On the morning of August 5th 2023, the Founders Tree in downtown Kerrville was cut down, its stump ground out.  By afternoon only the sawdust scent of Live Oak remained. The Founders Tree was healthy and well-maintained, it did not pose a threat to life or property.  It was removed for convenience.

Many felt sad.  Many felt anger toward the tree contractor, the landowner, and a future developer.  Some felt disappointment in their town.


We all failed the Founders Tree.  We did not know that it needed our protection, so we did not defend it.  We didn't know if it was important, so we didn't celebrate it.  And now a living part of our community heritage has been erased.


While killing the Founders Tree, the landowners exercised their right to violate the rights of their neighbors.  The landowners do not own the story of that tree, the life it protected and fed, the air that it cleaned, the beauty it provided - yet the power to destroy it was still within their right.


When else do we allow so much authority without also requiring an equal part responsibility?  


To those who are sad, angry and disappointed - now what? The Founders Tree is not the first heritage tree that has been destroyed without consequence and it will not be the last.  


A collection of shared values is what makes a community. Property rights are a value many of us share.  So too are safety, freedom, worship, heritage - and the right to protect them all.  The real challenge comes when those values are in conflict with each other.

Do we take on the challenge of adding trees to that list of shared values?  Is it important enough to us?

It's not an easy ask.  Even the most carefully worded ordinances fall short, and are hardly the perfect solution.  Laws help provide a guide, but they do not create culture.  People do.

People can choose to plant more trees, and protect the trees they have control over.  We can be more holistic in our design.  We can become better stewards of the land.  

We can support local businesses whose actions support our values.  We avoid those who don't.  

We can document the stories and the characters that make our town special.  We can make art or support those who do. We can go on more walks.  

We can define the qualities that make Kerrville special.  Protect them. Celebrate them. And gradually, maybe, we create a culture where unthinkable acts don't happen, and where obvious laws aren't required to protect what's important to us. 

But not in our lifetime.  The insanity that led to the killing of the Founders Tree will not be cured with emotion or by gradual shifts in cultural currents, and the damage will not be repaired within two or even three generations. 

Against whatever psychosis led to the killing of the Founders Tree, we need stronger protections.

The first version of a tree ordinance will not be perfect.  Through democracy and public discourse, we improve the laws that guide us. Through defining, protecting, and celebrating our values, we improve the culture we create.  

We use the process we have built to deal with hard things.  Or we continue to allow our story to be erased - one character at a time.