If a man kills a tree, it is not news. If a tree kills a man, it is news.
This was the opening line of an article published by the The Fiji Times on October 29, 1983 discussing many concerns regarding the number of trees being cut down to build more homes and roads.
The article read: “Our towns and cities are fortunate to have so many trees interspersed between buildings to keep the place looking natural. But with the increasing development, trees are being ruthlessly chopped down and the skyline is being taken over by the sky-scrappers.
” It was noted that the town and city councils had orders disallowing killing trees that have matured or those that had been protected through declaration because of their historical significance, age, variety and soon. The article stated that palms and other trees with more than a metre or two of girth, which is how the distance around the trunks are measured, were protected by these guidelines. When this article was published, the only ones allowed to cut trees were workers from the Fiji Electricity Authority who were in charge of clearing trees and branches that obstruct power lines.
“A problem in the urban areas is that a lot of young saplings are chopped down before they can grow into the tall beautiful perennial plants that decorate our compounds and towns,” the article stated.
“With the rapid development of urban areas, we must be careful with our environment or we could face a day when our increasing canine population will have nary a tree to raise a leg at.”
According to the piece, natural disasters had also destroyed many of the old trees around towns and cities. It added that the then Post and Telegraph Department also chopped trees, but with permission from the municipal councils concerned.
