TREE STRIKES AND YER OUT

I live in an up-and-coming West Side neighborhood. Two weeks ago a guy who has been rehabbing rental properties on my block cut down three trees in front of his houses, arguing that they were obstructing the view onto the front porches, which were therefore being used by junkies and other ne’er-do-wells. He’d have cut down more if a neighbor hadn’t run out and stopped him, but just the loss of those three makes the streetscape look toothless. The trees were planted by our block club 20 years ago on city property, between the curb and the sidewalk, and complaints from neighbors have brought heat down on this guy from City Hall: He’s facing fines and even jail time. This has a couple neighbors upset, because they say this guy has done more good than harm to the neighborhood. They want to give him a pass.

What punishment fits the crime? And do we take it easy on a guy who’s invested lots of money into this neighborhood?

—Little House on the Prairie

The Bright Side: I don’t understand. Why are you upset with this fellow? Think of how many less leaves you’ll have to rake up in the fall. This man is saving you work!

Consider the warmer summer you’ll enjoy as the carbons accumulate. His lucky tenants will enjoy a nice front lawn and with no shade at all; they might even lay out in lawn chairs and tan. Grab your binoculars.

I’m sure his properties look better with open sight lines and bare lawns—that’s how all the new suburban neighborhoods look.

Have you thought of the auditory advantages: The sound from your house will have no buffer on the way to his properties. No more late night parties for you; you should be getting more sleep anyhow.

Are there kids in your neighborhood? They’re going to love the fact that the trees are gone. Now when it rains there will be a lot less drainage, so the little kiddies can all jump in the puddles. I’m sure you’ll enjoy hearing the laughter.

Why would you even give a second thought to the enormous investment of energy, water, light, nutrients, and time the natural world has spent over 20 years growing those trees? The world’s eco-system is limitless.

The guy has been investing in your ghetto neighborhood, and making it better? Crown him! Find him a sceptor! Send him a thank you note!

The Straight Skinny: The city enforces laws like this only when they are confident it will win them public approval. It’s not the about the trees so much as it is what their constituents think of the trees. This guy is easily painted as a villain, so they can come down hard and create the appearance that they actually give a damn.

It’s all a question of property. Although the city relies on citizens to plant and water young trees in the public right of way areas, relieving the city of that responsibility, residents should make no mistake that they are doing that as a favor to the city. Once the tree is planted, it becomes a city resource.

When the city shirks its responsibility to care for the tree over time by letting it grow wild, residents don’t have the right to use a ladder to reach high branches, nor can they hire a licensed arborist to trim the tree. Many argue that the damage suffered by thousands of city trees during the October 2006 storm could have been minimized had long, overhanging branches been cut back and managed properly in the years leading up to the event.

The law in this case is a double-edged chainsaw. Cut down a city tree and they’ll fine you and threaten you with jail time. But be aware that the same punishment applies to you if you climb up a ladder to care for a right of way tree when it is neglected by the city. And the city will not give you permission to pay a professional to care for such a tree, either.

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