I am here today to tell you a story of death, new life and revenge. On this day three years ago, the Redondo Beach, Calif., City Council ordered the culling of a 30-year-old pepper tree.
Its roots are starting to penetrate the sidewalk in front of my house. The city noticed and issued a death warrant for my tree. In addition, they forced me to pay compensation for the damage to the sidewalk and the removal of the tree.
I loved Clyde. I was starting to age and transplanting something that I knew would live well beyond my age was something very special. I took good care of him, dried his soil, gave him a crutch to lean on when he was a little boy, and watched him grow. Just as Clyde grew into a healthy individual, developed his root system, grew a canopy, and carved out his own way of life, the mayor took it upon himself to uproot my beautiful baby.
Mayor Steve Aspel. You killed my child.
For this you will pay. Two years and seven months ago, I secretly planted 45 California Sequoias and 82 Giant Sequoias in various parks, yards, and state properties around your city.
Today, each of their root systems will be at least 30 feet in diameter, deeply rooted in the ground.
You may have noticed trees growing in front of City Hall or new trees appearing in your yard. It’s a giant sequoia, and its growth will begin to accelerate rapidly in the coming months.
In case anyone is wondering how a giant sequoia looks like:
