Upon returning to school last Monday morning, many students noticed a rather surprising change to Gables’s landscape. The two trees in front of the Ralph Moore building had been cut down, leaving two sad trunks, a reminder of the trees’ former glory. While the trees may have been overlooked, and even forgotten, their disappearance reminds us to appreciate what we have before it’s gone.

“I was surprised to see the trees gone, even though I sometimes forgot they were even there in the first place,” freshman William Fay said.

The trees in front of the Ralph Moore building gave the courtyard area between the staircase and the pavilion a sense of peace and tranquility; the leaves would softly rustle in the wind, and the branches provided some shade. While these were definite benefits of having the trees, many students did not appreciate them until they were gone as they considered them as just another part of the school’s campus. However, one of the main concerns people had over the trees’ disappearance was from a more environmental standpoint. As global warming becomes a more pressing issue, many were confused as to why the trees were cut down. More efforts should be made to plant new trees, and promote an environmentally conscious lifestyle. Although, it its important to note that the trees were not cut down with malicious intent as an effort to fuel climate change; the trees were cut because of issues with their roots.

“The trees are uprooting the bricks. The trees that were planted had roots that spread, not the type of trees that should’ve been planted there. New trees will be planted there and in other locations,” principal Adolfo Costa said.

The roots stemming from the trees were beginning to raise the bricks in the courtyard, which would have caused a multitude of problems in the future for the school. The trees that were planted there were simply not the ideal trees for that location, and their eventual removal was inevitable. The school plans to possibly replace the trees and plant new ones with root systems that will not put the surrounding area at risk of being damaged.

While the loss of the two trees is certainly unfortunate, it is comforting to know that their removal was not done to purposefully harm the environment. The trees will be missed, but this tragedy helps remind us to appreciate what we have before it’s gone.