To the Editor:

As a frequent user — almost daily, all seasons — of the Town Common trails off Harpswell Road and continuing on to Middlebay Road, I must say this is one of the most pleasant and interesting areas for someone who has an interest in nature or just being outdoors. It offers an excellent daily walk of approximately 2.5 miles for me and my best (four-legged) friend, Riley.

What prompts me to write is a situation on the Chestnut Trail. It is now obvious that the chestnut tree highlighted on the sign, at the trailhead, is infected with the chestnut blight and finally has been lost to the disease.

While this has been a valuable lesson for the users of the trail of how devastating this blight has been to chestnut trees in America, I feel there is an opportunity for the town to ensure future users of the trail will be able to continue to see these stately trees and perhaps study the trees’ “fight” with this blight.

I would like to suggest that the town or a citizen volunteer with the proper training and tools consider taking the time to carefully remove the diseased tree. There are five or six, 25- to 35-foot chestnut trees and numerous seedlings in the area of the Chestnut Trail that could and probably will be affected by the blight. By removing the diseased tree, we could possibly prolong the lives of these trees and continue to allow future generations to see what has almost been completely lost.

Also, it has been shown that plants can adapt, so there might be a chance that some immunity might be realized by the “new” seedlings over the years. But for this to happen, exposure to the infectious hosts needs to be removed.

The town has shown it is concerned about the environment, and that it appreciates having areas that are preserved and maintained for the use of its citizens. I feel this would be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate its continued commitment to the environment and natural habitats.

Gary Suley
Brunswick