If environmentalist groups are going to get upset about the chopping down of a few trees, they’d better have good reason.

Last year, Earth First, an environmental group, mourned some willows that were cut down.

People were upset because the trees were cut down and they thought it was unnecessary. The NIU Grounds Department, however, said the trees already were dead and that’s why they had to chop them down.

This time Grounds has gone about removing the trees the right way to make sure that people know what is being removed and why.

NIU Landscape Architect James Murphy said the department prepares a tree removal map every fall.

The map is available to the public. The fact that students and faculty can view the trees before they are cut down shows the grounds department isn’t trying to do anything shady, they’re just trying to get rid of dead or dying trees before they become a hazard to the university.

Murphy was correct in saying that “the campus is not a forest preserve. They primarily are responsible for safety and not nature protection.

A representative from the Student Environmental Action Committee (SEAC), said they did not know about the plan to remove the trees. Although the group didn’t know, the grounds department has made it obvious that they are not trying to cover anything up.

Environmental groups have the right idea to protect nature, but no funeral should be scheduled this year.