A tree that would have inspired Dr. Seuss' Lorax has died

Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) wrote his children's books at the summit of Mount Soledad in San Diego, California. From there, he could see a single Monterey cypress tree that was in Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla, California. It is thought that this tree helped to inspire Lorax.

Now this tree is dead. The felled tree, the last of its kind in this park, was largely removed on Friday, reports the local ABC station. The city plans to commemorate the trunk and plant another one in its place.

Lorax is a heartbreaking story of environmental disaster where greed finally wins. The protagonist is the Lorax, who tries to protect the beautiful truffle trees of those who once lived who want to shoot them for profit. The Lorax, unfortunately, fails in the book – and the real world now seems to reflect this tragic fictional narrative.

The Monterey cypress tree, now deceased, was 80 to 100 years old. According to the Institute of Urban Forest Ecosystems of Cal Poly, these trees can live up to 150 years. According to CNN, the city of San Diego still does not know why it has collapsed. Earther has contacted the San Diego Parks and Recreation Department for more information. We will update this post when we have new news.

While all that remains of the last tree at the end of Lorax was a single seed, there are fortunately still a lot of Monterey cypress trees in the real world. Originally from California's Monterey Peninsula, it is now found throughout the state. The species, however, is considered "vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, threatened by forest fires. Tree seedlings are also very sensitive to livestock, according to the Forest Service.

The death of this famous tree seems to go well considering the state of the world: the Amazon rainforest is experiencing a peak of deforestation while the new president of the far right Brazil facilitates the movement of the industry. Congo's ancient rainforests may not succeed in our lives. A new report says we can no longer plant enough trees to offset our carbon emissions. Hell, even the monkey that, according to some scientists, inspired the creation of Lorax loses its trees in Kenya.

I'm sure Lorax's heart would break with our grave reality. Dr. Seuss summed it up well: "Unless someone like you cares a great deal for nothing, nothing is going to improve. This is not. "