Letter to the editor: Sweetgum trees have no good purpose. KC, get rid of them

Not so sweet

I believe the sweetgum trees along our city streets should be cut down. I realize this is a first world problem, but because I pay higher taxes to live on a boulevard on a corner lot, and because I am fined if I do not keep snow cleared from my sidewalks, I feel justified to have my complaints heard.

Please let me state that I am a “tree-hugger” and have been since my youth. In fact, when we bought our home, I was attracted to its beautiful treed lot. But I dislike sweetgums and I hate their prickly little seed pod balls.

The pods are a nuisance and are quite hazardous for the multitudes of pedestrians, joggers and track teams that frequently use Ward Parkway. This thoroughfare is home to numerous charitable runs because it is a beautiful, tree-lined boulevard. Therefore, in addition to keeping the snow cleared from our walks, I feel compelled to remove sweetgum balls. Countless joggers have thanked me for removing them, telling me about their falls and injuries from slipping on the pods under their feet.

The pesky balls clog snowblowers, gutters, drains and sewers. Those clogged drains and sewers cause flash flooding in our streets. The pods are inedible for wildlife. They are impossible to rake, cannot be used as mulch, and produce unwanted seedling trees in our yards.

Sweetgums do not provide enough colorful foliage or shade to make up for their inconvenience.

- Mitzi Foster, Kansas City