"John Bachman" wrote in message
...


Your town has an ordinance that requires a homeowner to get a permit
to cut down a tree on his own property? Yikes!


Not a totally bad idea, for two reasons:

1) People sometimes think they can cut down huge trees without the help of a
professional. But, there's a certain order in which to do these things, to
assure that falling branches don't cause problems. To use the analogy of a
building permit, which most people accept, why not have a permit process for
removing trees? Let's face it: A significant portion of the population is
just plain stupid. Sounds like a good idea to have someone knowledgable stop
by, interview the budding lumberjack, and make sure they have a proper plan
in place for 1000 lb chunks of falling wood. I also think it would be wise
if the permit required the lumberjack to pay every single penny of a
neighbor's property damage. Override their deductible, in other words. Most
decent people would offer this, but some people aren't decent.

2) A library is a place where OTHER people go to read about trees and
plants. So, we have people who MIGHT want to take down a tree for the wrong
reasons, after doing absolutely zero research. Example: When I moved to my
new house last September, the old lady across the street came over and said
EXACTLY this: "Hi...my name is Helen. Let me tell you about that stupid tree
of mine, before it upsets you". Her "problem" is an ancient sycamore which
has the nerve to drop bark on her lawn all the time. At certain times of
year, it blows across the street to my property. I don't mind. That's what
sycamores do, like lobsters moulting. But, she is convinced that the tree is
diseased, and that 3 tree services and a guy from the township are
withholding information from her. She's probably telling other people that
*I* am in error, too, by telling her that the tree is normal.

So, why not have someone from the town stop by, find out her reasons for
removing the tree, and if the problem is "mess" or "maintenance", see if the
neighbors like the tree enough to pitch in now and then? If not, give her
the permit. My crazy neighbor has a lawn guy who handles leaves & bark, but
if she didn't, I'd be happy to wander over there and rake up the bark. Tree
saved, problem solved.

Why should this matter to you? A big shade tree is worth however many tons
of air conditioning. The number doesn't matter, but it's large. Got any idea
how much heat is radiated by an unshaded blacktop driveway? Which magical,
easily replaceable and 100% clean source to you get electricity from?