• "I think that I shall never see, A poem lovely as a tree." Albert Joyce Kilmer wrote these well known words in 1913 in his poem "Trees." The poem ends with the words "Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree."
• Unfortunately, we are loosing our trees faster than we can replace them. You may have noticed that many of the trees in Groton have started sporting large orange Xs on them. The City of Groton has standing ordinances that states that all dead and dying trees must be removed. This is done to stop the spread of any disease the trees may be carrying and to prevent any safety hazards that may result from dead trees or limbs falling onto property or people.
• Al McKiver is the designated Forester for the City and checks all the trees within city limits.
• "So far this year I've been out twice to check and mark trees," McKiver said. "And have had to mark trees both times."
• McKiver received his training in Forestry work from the Aberdeen City Forestry Department several years ago and uses a variety of different techniques to test the trees.
• "I received my training about 12-15 years ago," McKiver said. "I check the bark, leaves and overall tree health for any signs of disease."

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