Out With The Old Trees, In With The New Trees In Missoula

It's times like this when we should all take a step back and listen to "The Trees," by Rush. Of course, in that song the trees are a metaphor for class struggles and revolution in human history, and in the story we're talking about today, we're just talking about actual trees.

Missoula is working to bring a ton of new trees into the city - and in the process, replace many of the old ones. Many of the older trees in Missoula have been dying out and don't necessarily fit in well with the Missoula ecosystem - so Missoula plans to grow many younger trees and use them for a wide range of projects. They say that in three to five years, it's possible that some Missoulians could even have their own tree.

Many different species of trees have been proposed for the project, and nothing is confirmed quite yet, but it includes western larch, subalpine larch, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and Kentucky coffee trees. The project is made possible through a grant by the federal government.

Officials emphasize that the presence of trees is a major boost to the community - it reduces energy costs, absorbs stormwater, and increases housing values.

With hundreds - to possibly even more than a thousand - new trees coming to Missoula in the next few years, it seems likely that the landscape of the city will be looking pretty different in a pretty short amount of time. But at least the maples and the oaks won't be at war with each other, and that's in everybody's best interest.