When I walked through the cemetery this morning at East 9th and Maxwell (in Ames), I couldn’t help but notice the hundreds of new trees being planted there right now. I confirmed when I got home that spring is the time to plant trees, not late fall. Then I wondered why a cemetery would plant so many trees, as one tree would take out a minimum of 4 potential grave sites? Assuming they realize they’re a cemetery and not a forest. Then I wondered, who authorized the purchase? Does someone in city government have a spouse with a tree farm? Or did the trees come from the State Forest Nursery? The timing and amount of trees seems suspect to me. 

It just reminded me of when the taxpayers built Ada Hayden so Friedrich could sell lakefront homes. I’ll always wonder who’s getting what money from where. (Do you have any idea how much home prices go up when you put “lakefront” in front of it?) Trees don’t grow on – well, you know what I mean. This town exists for the enrichment of housing developers.

Not to mention once you reach a certain point with tree density, grass won’t grow. Further exacerbating the erosion problem they’re already experiencing on the east boundary. Frankly, I think they forgot they’re a cemetery. They’re supposed to plant bodies not trees. By planting the ridiculous number of trees they have, they’ve eliminated hundreds (thousands) of grave sites.

[Young trees can easily cost $200 – $500 (or more) apiece.]