By David Topping

Reader Amanda Happé came across this sight yesterday morning: city employees carving up and taking away Trinity-Bellwoods’ much-loved painted blue and white tree trunk (also known as the Universal Love Machine).
Neither felled by nature or protected by nature-lovers, we’ve yet to find out the reason for its removal—though Amanda suggests, and we agree, that it was pretty rotten-looking. Painted tree stumps can only live for so long, ya know. Either way, we’ve sent an e-mail to Friends of Trinity Bellwoods and are hoping they can fill in our blanks. For now, that sculpture of a wolf howling beside it will have to do without its matching tree.
UPDATE (2:00 p.m.): Spacing Wire has some more details about the tree’s removal:

According to Toronto Tree Tours, the reason behind the tree’s felling is that the tree has become unsafe because of decay at the base of the tree, “a process of disintegration caused by fungi and microorganisms that feed on the dead wood. As the wood is broken down the organic matter falls to the ground and is added to the soil to be taken up anew by growing plants.”

If a tree falls in a forest and you’re the only one around, e-mail us at tips@torontoist.com.