Dead gum trees

I always like to believe in the illusion that New Zealand is clean and green. Unfortunately, we are not, and the proof comes out on a regular basis.

Driving along State Highway 32 the other day I was confronted by these dead gums trees. Sprayed to death for miles in each direction...

Dead gum trees - State Highway 32, Waikato - 27 Feb 2011

In this case, this land is to be converted for dairy farms (based on the limited information I can find on the matter). I guess there is just too much money to be made from milk at the moment.

The last time I saw trees killed on this scale was when the Kyoto protocol first came into effect - kill off young forests before the protocol came in, then replant and claim carbon credits for planting new forest.

I don't believe in destorying what's already on land in order to make the latest buck. We all know that dairy will sooner or later go the way of kiwifruit or apples - a glut with no money to be made.