Coeur d'Alene resident Zach Taylor walks past the Freedom Tree, center, today. The Norway spruce will be removed during the reconstruction of McEuen Park in downtown Coeur d'Alene. The city is asking residents to share ideas on what to do with the wood. Kathy Plonka, photo
A Norway spruce known as the Freedom Tree will be cut down to make way for a parking structure in McEuen Park in downtown Coeur d’Alene.
The city says it will salvage about 30 feet of the tree’s base in an effort to preserve the history of the tree, which was planted in the 1960s and designated in 1972 to honor Vietnam War service members taken prisoner or missing in action.
“The Freedom Tree represents a very special piece of our history, one that symbolizes the incredible bravery and courage of our veterans,” Coeur d’Alene Parks Director Doug Eastwood said in a news release. “We plan to do everything we can to ensure its legacy lives on for decades to come.” More. Scott Maben, SR
So they're chopping down the tree but want to save some of the wood. Thoughts?
D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.
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