Wendy Gray: Trees across Auckland & NZ’s chainsaw culture = exotics are bad and natives are good

European trees are being targeted as a part of ‘cancel culture’ - whilst nature takes the hit.

Meanwhile this is all being sidelined by our elected representatives both at a national level as well as locally. The fact that exotic trees are being cut down because they were introduced by early European settlers appears to be part of the ‘cancel-culture’ that can even be conceived as a cultural marxist agenda. That is, to take down the past and eradicate it. The fact that deep ecology is being ignored and that the flora and fauna are under attack, defies common sense - especially when there is an actual program in Auckland to plant 1 million additional trees goes against common wisdom.      

Main Points that Wendy Wishes to Convey

Wendy Gray 'chainsaw politics' tree felling Western Springs & Across Auckland

• Tree blindness is being unable to notice trees in our environment or appreciate their importance for the biosphere and in human affairs.
• Tupuna – the ancestors. Our trees are considered to be our ancestors by indigenous peoples including Māori. They were here first and created the atmosphere for all oxygen breathing organisms like us. We are the Last Born after our relations the birds, insects and smallest organisms. It is our responsibility to protect our ancestors and not destroy them.
• Trees manage our climate both locally, regionally and internationally. They communicate through the soils, the wood-wide web, we know about this from Dr Suzanne Simard. They also communicate through pollen and water. There is even a suggestion that they communicate at night in some way. 
• Trees have ancient knowledge about how to manage the climate of our planet. We do not understand how nature works.
• New science is challenging the current beliefs about conservation and the environment and how nature works. It Is challenging those who make decisions about our environment. We don’t know how nature works; we only think we know.
• Trees are integral to nature’s water cycle: with no trees you have less water. The more treeless Auckland becomes the hotter the urban areas will be. 
• Auckland Council is removing our parks and reserves. It is building apartment buildings boundary-to-boundary without green areas. This habitat loss is devastating Auckland’s biodiversity.
• When you cut down trees you release the carbon. Auckland Council does not account for this. The future Auckland will be hot, subject to droughts and flooding, concrete covered with surveillance cameras everywhere.
• The native trees are good and exotic trees are bad issue is a worldwide political agenda. It is an artificial division. It is about colonial guilt from having treated indigenous peoples poorly. We want to make amends by championing native species. But nature does not work like this; plants and animals are always moving around. Nature is constantly working with whatever resources it has available and changing constantly. 
• Another reason is the creation of prejudice against perceived outsiders – the Americans call this “authoritarian nativism”
• Our Minister of Conservation is reported to be prejudiced against non-native trees and is not likely to support reinstatement of tree protections. Our Minister for the Environment considers that it is “too expensive” to bring back tree protections. He can only say this if he values our trees and our environment at zero! The current NZ government has no agenda to bring back tree protections.
• Western springs Native Forest is the only 98-year old regenerating native forest in Central Auckland. It has the tallest trees that are Monterey pine trees. Known to live to over 150 years old in New Zealand. The forest is also a Significant Ecological Area.
• A forest is a living organism comprised of other living organisms – plants, animals, insects, beetles, funghi, bacteria, as well as trees. It has an overstorey, (the 98-year old pines), an understorey, (a 90-year old closed canopy native forest ) and a functioning forest floor. Western Springs forest has all three components in balance and harmony. 
• The estimated asset value of this forest is conservatively $4 million. The ecosystem services value is estim