Folks,
There are trees and there are trees. If you're talking about Southern Pines in SC, they're a dime a dozen. Poplar trees in VA are relatively short lived, grow fast, and constitute a cash crop situation. Personally, I try not to kill any living thing. but I also try not to take that to extremes. If I'm protecting my country, family, friends and self, I have no problem taking a life, be it that of a poisonous snake close by, a rabid animal or dangerous biped (I'll let you figure that last one out). If I'm trying to protect a house, promote growth or prevent an accident, I use a chainsaw with no hesitation. By the same token, I recognize that culling deer and varmints is generally good for the species, but I have a problem with the killing of disappearing species. Many of my friends are hunters and use the meat for food. That's fine, but as for cutting down a tree for ornamental purposes, such as turning a bowl etc., I let nature or urban renewal do the work . Wind, lightening, insects and old age provide me with more than enough to turn. Rare trees from the rain forests, I think, should not be cut down for any reason. Their disappearance will harm us all. My two cents.