In The Holiday Spirit

Joe Doakes, or someone claiming to be Joe Doakes (you’ll see what I mean) emails:

I called the City of St. Paul’s Forestry department to ask them to look at my boulevard tree to see it if needed trimming.

They came promptly, trimmed the branches overhanging my house, raked up the twigs and hauled the mess away.  I admit it: I was pleasantly surprised so I wrote to thank them and copied my city council rep.

There’s an awful lot the City does wrong, but when they do something right, they deserve the credit.  Good job, guys.

Joe Doakes

There’s little opportunity for graft, and no political empires to be built, in city forestry – so I suspect that the city’s foresters are top-notch employees who deserve a hearty “kudos”.

3 thoughts on “In The Holiday Spirit

  1. It might be an occupational thing — the forestry folks in New Brighton are really top-notch as well.

  2. I grew up hearing people rip on the forestry department. Plenty of stories of over aggressive trimming while damaging lawns, bushes and other trees.
    More recently, during the emerald ash borer hubbub, people lamented that when the city cut down all the elms during the Dutch elm disease outbreak, the department “reforested” nearly exclusively with ash trees. That’s a mistake they admit to and say they aren’t making again.
    Despite all that, or maybe because of it, you’re right, It’s important to praise them when they do things correct.

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