While everyone may not be a tree hugger, who really could have aproblem with the outdoor fixtures?

After all, depending on the species, trees provide shade forhumans in the summer, hiding places for playful children and homesfor any number of woodland creatures. Some kinds of trees have evenbeen known to beautify a landscape or two.

Yet the topic of trees sparked a bit of a heated discussionduring last week’s city board meeting when the possibility ofseeking grants to plant more trees around Brookhaven was raised.Sparks and trees and the heat the two can provide is anotherbenefit of trees, but that’s a topic for another time.

Granted, there is that whole planting in the dirt and waitingfor them to grow thing. But we don’t think McComb, Oxford and othercommunities that have undertaken those endeavors are minding nowthat trees are beautifying their areas and making their cityentrances more appealing.

And trees have been an integral part of downtown Brookhaven’srevitalization efforts in recent years. The sasanquas, which areflowering now, have added an inviting touch to an area that issetting Homeseekers Paradise apart from communities that arestruggling to keep their downtowns vibrant or have lost themalready.

Elsewhere in the downtown area, trees planted – with the help ofgrant, by the way – on the Whitworth College campus are exposingMississippi School of the Arts students and campus visitors toeducational opportunities through the different varieties andspecies.

And let’s not forget Brookway Boulevard. There, trees plantedwith the assistance of some forestry grants are continuing to growand increase the attractiveness of an area that otherwise wouldbear little difference to any number of other asphalt alleys andconcrete corridors in the state.

While we’re on the boulevard, we think trees would furtherenhance the area if they were planted along a median were one to beplaced in the thoroughfare.

During road work in the last few years, Ridgeland planted smalltrees in its median along County Line Road. The measure improvedthat high-traffic area’s appearance and reduced “crash lane’possibilities from vehicles traveling in opposite directions.

A median could help Brookway Boulevard in a similar fashion, andtrees would be an interesting embellishment for the project.

Everyone may not love trees, but anyone should be able to findsomething about them to like.