ORANJESTAD- Many residents on St. Eustatius have reacted with horror to the unceremonious cutting down of an age-old tree in front of the Simon Doncker house. A sad stump is all that remains of the tree that once was. 

An island ordinance clearly stipulates that a felling permit is required, for trees with a diameter of more than 15 centimetres. The tree, which has provided shade for centuries, was also located in an area that is also classified as a ‘protected cityscape’ in the historic core of Oranjestad.

A neighbour reportedly suffered from the roots of the huge tree, which caused problems with his pipes. Various people on the island wondered if the tree was not suffering from a disease of, for example, infested by termites. This however does not seem to have been the case. 

Difficult

It is apparently very difficult for the Island Government to respond to questions posed by The BES-reporter about the situation. Questions dating back from November 9^th, were still not answered on 17 November; more than 9 days after the fact. 

After a reminder, the response on Wednesday was that the Public Entity ‘hoped’ to be able to provide an answer on Friday.