There was once a tradition at UCSC that lasted for years and years. At some point in their college careers, students were expected to climb Tree 9, the 105-foot Douglas-fir, whose branches made an easy step ladder to a magnificent view of Monterey Bay. Along the way up, they would leave little notes, or even knit branch warmers for the protruding limbs.
That all ended this summer, when campus authorities decided to prune the tree, and remove the climbable branches along the first 25 feet of tree. Campus spokesman Jim Burns explained why: “Our arborists indicated Tree 9 has been impacted by years of people climbing it. The organic soil at the base of the tree has been effectively removed by foot traffic, impacting the tree’s root system. And bark has been worn away on many of the tree’s limbs by climbers, swings and ropes.”
Students, however, are not convinced that this is a valid reason to break with a long-established tradition. The tree, they say, was a symbol of the “vibe on campus,” and now they feel like they’ve been “stabbed in the back.”
They are not the only ones to complain. The tree is part of the UCSC Natural Reserves department, and that group’s Administrative Director, Gage Dayton, says that he was also left out of the decision to prune the landmark tree. While he understands the reasons that the university acted, he feels that his group, which is responsible for the tree, should have been consulted. “The outcome may have been the same,” he says. “However, having that kind of consultation ensures that our land management decisions within the Campus Natural Reserve are as considered as they can be.”
For now the students are up in arms. There is even http://www.facebook.com/places/#!/group.php?gid=110126912376542&ref=search
a Facebook page with over 1,000 members protesting the decision. As it states:
“You raise the tuition,
you shorten the dining hall hours,
you worsen our education,
and now you take away tree 9 from us?”
While many people are clearly upset, for others the decision just heightens their resolve to reach the top anyways, arborically as well as academically. As one student posted on the wall. “Now it’s gonna be that much harder to climb.”
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