Well, I missed it. I wish I could have been at Tunnel View today to photograph the historic moment, but I wasn’t. They cut three large ponderosa pines down that have been blocking the view for many years.
All that is left are the stumps, and for now, the lingering scent of pine sap.
Those old behemoths were handsome in their own way, yes, but my gods, the view now is stunning. I made a point of taking a picture from each block along the low wall.
According to one bystander there tonight, an “environmentalist was p*ssed off* about the felling of the trees.
There is now much more elbow room at the wall.
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For some reason comments aren’t working and I’m getting a ton of them emailed to me on this article so I’ll post a few here until they’re back up and running. If you have a comment please send it to me: loyd@yosemiteblog.com and I’ll get it up as soon as possible.
Bodieangels wrote in: “Well, I am happy that you think this is progress
I personally side with John Muir and think that the (old behemoth) trees should have been Regally left to live and grow!
Photographically, the branches of the tree were wonderful to frame an image and give perspective.
But, let’s not stop the powers that be destroy that which they are charged with preserving….
a “very sad day” indeed….
Stay tuned, more of your forest to be destroyed soon….
on purpose by man……
God knows……Yosemite was made a National Parkfor it’s Elbow Room….and Stumps!!!”
Loyd comments: “Personally I think if you’re a photographer and you cut down a tree just so you can take a photo then you need to put the camera down and do something else. There are plenty of other places that can and do yield much more interesting (and less copied) photographs within 1/2 mile. It just take a little more effort than walking 10 feet from your car.”
John Kirby: “Cathedral Rocks are blocking my view of Half Dome. Please remove them.”
Edie replied: “I tried to present a balanced view of the tree removal at Tunnel View. I’m not keen that they were removed without any public discourse on them. With the exception of one, they were healthy trees, handsome in their own right.
Tunnel view is very accessible, a perfect place for a stunning view for those who aren’t able to climb the 1.3 miles up to Artist’s Point. But there are no curb-cuts for wheelchair access. That REALLY bothers me. Yes, there are the busloads of power-tourist, folks who drive hundreds of miles, get out and take pictures, and then get back on the bus to head to the next vista, several hours away. That really bothers me. However, I can’t regulate other’s behavior, any more that I want to be told to get out of the way because I’ve had my allotted amount of time at the wall.
This was done by fiat. I would love to know who decided it needed to be done, and who authorized it. Historic, my ass. Yosemite changes on a daily basis. Are they going to try to put the recent rockfall back up on the wall because it historically belongs up there?
With the arrival of the white folks, things changed dramatically. The valley became overgrown with brush, marshes were drained to make way for cattle and to reduce mosquitos. Trees sprung up in ancient meadows.
The Miwok people used to burn the valley floor every few years to reduce brush in order to hunt deer better. They too changed the valley. This isn’t a white vs. native debate. This is a human vs. nature debate. We’ve all changed the valley.
I do know this: When trees grow too close, disease risk increases. Fires are much worse when the brush is thick beneath canopy. They’ve let this forest go too long, and when they set fires the damage is much greater than they can control. The likelihood of a conflagration is higher now because of the partially burned woods along southside drive.
Culling trees by hand may be the only way to restore the forest health. I’m not sure about that, though; wood cutting has an enormous impact on the soil.
As for putting the wood to good use, the best use for the fallen trees is to let them return to the earth that nurtured them. Removing them from the valley for commercial use robs this ecosystem of the nutrients that went into the growth of the tree. I’d rather that the log be chipped and spread on the floor.”