Tree activism

I think I may have mentioned before my campaign for the trees on my street. I call it a constructive alternative to pencil sharpening. After losing four of the magnificent gum trees on the northern side of the street last year I have been on the case to ensure they are replaced with equivalents by the local council. I recently found out that they are planning on only replacing two trees and with ornamental pistachios. Now ornamental pistachios are really not suitable trees for this street. They are small, have very little shade and are not native so don't attract native wild life. They are deciduous which creates a mess of leaves which block the drains. Unfortunately, verbal communication to the council is a futile and babelesque experience and so I have resorted to my tried and tested method of writing a letter. I have also decided to go full hog and get a petition up from other residents in the street. I seem to have recruited one of my neighbours to the cause. He is a landscape architect and has printed out colour copies of four native shade-bearing trees that would be a suitable replacement for the gums. Someone has to fight for the trees...