Tree Hugging

So, most of the time I would consider myself an environmentalist, not an activist but an environmentalist and there is definitely a difference.  In my mind activists are the folks that lay down in front of bull dozers and chain themselves to trees.  Not really my style, but today, for a brief second I considered hugging a tree.  It wasn't a special tree, I just felt bad.  The road that I work on is lined with trees, well it was until today.  Apparently the trees are damaging the sidewalk, so they have decided to cut them all down.  I walk that sidewalk almost everyday, it doesn't seem to be in bad shape, its not really cracked or anything, so I have to question why are they really cutting down the trees? Firewood?