Herbicides more dangerous than drought

An Arlington Heights letter writer is right to be concerned about the wilting of trees in her neighborhood. But while the drought we are experiencing is partly to blame, the lack of water only exacerbates the damage caused by the real cause of leaf wilt and tree and plant damage - the widespread use of herbicides on lawns.

These chemicals, especially dicamba and 2,4-D, are spread by homeowners and commercial lawn "care" companies to suppress weed growth and produce that "luscious" green, weed-free lawn, but in reality these chemicals are volatile and will become airborne, landing on trees, gardens and any plant, causing damage. Cumulative exposure will eventually kill the plant.

There is nothing beautiful about a weed-free lawn that results from the use of these toxic chemicals. If we care about our trees and about nature, we will all abandon the use of herbicides.

There are amazing online resources from the Wild Ones, a non-profit organization that promotes environmentally friendly landscaping, that can guide homeowners to converting their lawns from a toxic wasteland to natural beauty.

Ronald Hirsch

Elgin