Cotton misery

EVERY YEAR, it “snows” in 2nd Avenue, Greens, St George.
But in the rural district the problem is not those tiny ice crystals but the huge mass of cottony fibres being released by a silk cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra).
The fibres are pouring out of the pods of the tree, which is more than 25 feet tall.
The fibres of such trees are said by experts to be almost pure cellulose, buoyant and impervious to water but they do not lend themselves to conversion to yarn.
But residents of Greens told the DAILY NATION they had had enough of the tree and its bothersome output and wanted it removed, even though it was under the protection of the Barbados National Trust.
Some residents said while there were claims made by the Trust that the tree was more than 400 years old, they knew when it was very young. (CA)