Where and when there's a will, common sense and creative solutions, preservation is possible. The carbon storage of one mature tree lasts its lifetime. That storage continues even after its deliberate removal. It takes many years for a stump and roots to decompose. "The goal of preservation is to protect the environment from the harmful effects of human activity."

Halifax's character with its heritage buildings and magnificent tree canopied streets is what constitutes its attractiveness. Striving to build a more urban and contemporary city with its own complex problems, we risk losing that which encourages people to visit and move here. We must not aim so high that what makes us unique vanishes in the desire for bigger and better.