Letters: Do riding mowers do more damage to tree roots than cars?

I have a few questions regarding the Sea Cruise car show.

One, if cars parking at Beachfront Park one day a year are killing the trees by parking too close, what is the impact of the industrial-strength riding lawn mowers that mow right up to the tree trunk itself, numerous times per year? How much does one of those lawn mowers weigh? How many times per year are those lawn mowers used? Is it possible that the lawn mowers should share the blame for the dying trees?

Two, I don't know any "car guy" who would risk a paint job that costs $2,000-$20,000 parking under a pine tree that would be dripping sap all over the car. Trust me, that stuff is hard to get off, and harmful to today's paints. Anyone that has ever paid for (or done it themselves) a high-caliber paint job knows what is entailed. Does anyone really think the car owner is going to risk the time, money, and energy invested, parking under a pine tree dripping sap?

Three, I don't know any previously mentioned "car guy" that would even want to drive through mud and water, to park his or her car at a car show. If you have ever looked at the undercarriages of a lot of the cars that attend the Sea Cruise, you would see shiny paint, polished aluminum, and chrome ... something that would take the car owner all day (and a lot of work) to clean off. Does anyone really think the car owner is going to want to do that?

Dave Cormack

Crescent City