Comments on: Trees are Green All Year ‘Round

By: treesrock

treesrock — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:17:04 +0000

Interesting idea, especially if the City help sponsored a citywide NeighborWoods program (http://www.treesatlanta.org/NeighborWoods.aspx). Such a program could provide trees for reduced cost and still allow the homeowner be responsible for their health and selection while having trained arborist assist in location and planting. Ultimately the homeowner will also reap most the tree’s benefits while bearing the responsibility for future failure which hopefully encourages the homeowner to take good care of it. It might also be in the City’s interest to contract out a professional to identify trees with high risks of failure on private property. Denial is typically not a good management policy. As the article you site touches upon, the City will directly benefit from a healthy canopy mainly through increase in tax revenues and a reduction in stormwater that would definitely offset costs. Believe it or not, this number can be fairly easily calculated.

By: w poncer

w poncer — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:09:59 +0000

I agree with Davo!

And if the city gets in the middle and tells a homeowner they can’t cut a tree, then said tree falls and kills someone, the city could be liable. Tree work is very expensive, that in itself is enough to make most folks not cut trees these days.

By: Davo

Davo — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:43:29 +0000

I would argue that the city should do nothing as the qualities you wish for already exist. Adding legislation (carrot or stick) would just interfer with a unique symbiosis between the market and environment where both prosper.

If it’s not broke, why fix it?