What do you think of this?

[tailwagging]

Albemarle Road church fined $100 per branch for excessive tree pruning

Read more: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...#ixzz1O83Wrazu

[Yvonne's hubby]

I find it amazing what people are willing to put up with.

[JJFarmer]

Geez they sure took the term "tree hugger" to a whole nother level didn't they.

[michiganfarmer]

Originally Posted by Yvonne's hubby

I find it amazing what people are willing to put up with.

I agree

[JohnL751]

I don't have any problem with a city that size having an expert to oversee the care of all trees and other plants on city property. They could also give advice, at no cost, to other property owners who ask.

I think that is a good place to stop!

[Danaus29]

Here's the update:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/201...-pay-fine.html

I do have to agree with fining people for topping large trees. The results are beyond ugly, it damages the tree and will result in an early decline and death.

IMO, those crepe myrtles were beyond ugly but I don't think the church should have been cited for them.

When you live in one of the Arbor Day recognized tree cities (and you will know because the city places signs everywhere) there are many restrictions and requirements for pruning and planting. The city doesn't set the requirements, they have to abide by the requirements established by the Arbor Day Foundation.

[Buffy in Dallas]

Improper pruning can create dangerous situations. (and looks atrocious )
I've taken horticultural classes and took one class just on trees. What some people do to trees in the name of pruning should be a crime!
I came home the other day and found that the landlord had hired some illegal alien to trim the tree in front. That poor tree will never recover!
PLEASE! If your going to have your trees trimmed, don't be cheap! Hire a PROFESSIONAL ARBORIST!!!

(can you tell I feel strongly about this?)

[tailwagging]

crepe myrtles are treated like shrubs here. they grow like weeds.
the thing is do you want to be fined for pruning your own shrubs, on your own land?

[Danaus29]

When that 100+ year old oak 30 feet from a road I frequently drive gets topped you better believe I think the idiot who did it should be fined and required to have it removed! This creates a potentially hazardous situation. A homeowner on a corner lot real close to us had a tree next to the road topped about 5 years ago. Needless to say the tree died, but fortunately didn't send out any weak sucker branches to fall across the road. As I said, people who have large old trees topped should be fined. There should be a height limit and shrubs should be excluded from pruning ordinances, no matter how much they are uglified. All fruit trees should be excluded from pruning ordinances.

[tailwagging]

lets see if this works. these are CMs so most likely the shrubs.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Albemarle+Road+Presbyterian+Church,+6740+Albemarle+Rd,+Charlotte,+Mecklenburg,+North+Carolina+28212-3856&aq=&sll=34.567765,-81.897129&sspn=0.008464,0.013797&ie=UTF8&geocode=FRMjGQIdgiww-w&split=0&hq=&hnear=Albemarle+Road+Presbyterian+Church,+6740+Albemarle+Rd,+Charlotte,+North+Carolina+28212-3856&ll=35.202346,-80.729017&spn=0.000529,0.000862&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=35.202355,-80.729145&panoid=UI-CfT4h72VmwZPP1c83cg&cbp=12,186.03,,0,10.22
more just down the road. most likely cut a year or so ago.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Albemarle+Road+Presbyterian+Church,+6740+Albemarle+Rd,+Charlotte,+Mecklenburg,+North+Carolina+28212-3856&aq=&sll=34.567765,-81.897129&sspn=0.008464,0.013797&ie=UTF8&geocode=FRMjGQIdgiww-w&split=0&hq=&hnear=Albemarle+Road+Presbyterian+Church,+6740+Albemarle+Rd,+Charlotte,+North+Carolina+28212-3856&t=h&layer=c&cbll=35.202404,-80.727449&panoid=7v62Cb2rBkwWJ7B_0aN6_g&cbp=12,40.51,,0,-6.3&ll=35.202404,-80.727449&spn=0.000525,0.000862&z=20
if you look from above the church has more trees then most.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Albemarle+Road+Presbyterian+Church,+6740+Albemarle+Rd,+Charlotte,+Mecklenburg,+North+Carolina+28212-3856&aq=&sll=34.567765,-81.897129&sspn=0.008464,0.013797&ie=UTF8&geocode=FRMjGQIdgiww-w&split=0&hq=&hnear=Albemarle+Road+Presbyterian+Church,+6740+Albemarle+Rd,+Charlotte,+North+Carolina+28212-3856&t=h&ll=35.201306,-80.72939&spn=0.002117,0.003449&z=18

[Waiting Falcon]

How do you know there are not codes in your own city, town or county. They would not have asked for your vote!! I suggest you read up on Agenda 21. This same code can and does work on the eye of the beholder, they can condemn your house because it is not painted , broken windows, unmown grass, wild flowers instead of grass, feeding birds crumbs on the lawn etc.etc. It is a way of control,

[Danaus29]

Crepe myrtles can be pruned to a tree form as can many other shrubs. I said I don't think the church should have been fined for the shrub pruning.

Set up in the city, abide by city rules. Sucks but that's the way it is.

[RebelDigger]

I think what a property owner does with his own trees and shrubs and his own property is his business and no one elses, no matter how ugly it looks. Bearing in mind that I am about the cut a couple of 25-30 foot crepe myrtles behind the farmhouse down to about two feet, they were let go and have multitudes of small suckers each of which has grown on its own, each glob is about four feet in diameter. I figured the best thing to do is cut them down low and let them start over so I can then control the suckers. If it kills them, so be it, but right now they are ugly anyway. Here they are, bear in mind they don't look as tall in the photo as they are. Also, the bush to the right of them that they are sapping is a fig.

[insocal]

Originally Posted by Yvonne's hubby

I find it amazing what people are willing to put up with.

People put this rule (and no doubt other rules) in place to protect their city's real estate values. Protecting the value of private property is holy writ to conservatives, or so I thought.

If folks don't like those rules, they are free to come live and do business in Los Angeles, where chainsaw massacres all the way back to stumps are the standard means of "pruning" trees, and our streets are among the UGLIEST in the nation because of it.

[MO_cows]

Note to self....never, ever move back inside city limits.

[Danaus29]

"No tree topping" is part of the stipulation for becoming a "tree city USA" as recognized by the Arbor Day Foundation. All the whining and complaining about private property rights isn't going to change that. And your right to top your tree ends at your property line. If the tree overhangs another property or the road you have no right to endanger people who might be in the vicinity when the tree falls. If you carry homeowners insurance and top a tree that is close to your house you potentially cause my rates to increase.

[bluemoonluck]

I lived in Charlottesville while I got my undergrad degree.... they are VERY image-conscious! I'm not surprised by this at all......

[tailwagging]

and yet right down the road they have used tire shop with no trees to hide it, and across the road dirt.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&q=Albemarle+Road+Presbyterian+Church,+6740+Albemarle+Rd,+Charlotte,+Mecklenburg,+North+Carolina+28212-3856&aq=&sll=34.567765,-81.897129&sspn=0.008464,0.013797&ie=UTF8&geocode=FRMjGQIdgiww-w&split=0&hq=&hnear=Albemarle+Road+Presbyterian+Church,+6740+Albemarle+Rd,+Charlotte,+North+Carolina+28212-3856&t=h&ll=35.202432,-80.727426&spn=0.0021,0.003449&z=18
no going to Carowinds this year. I don't like the thought of supporting a city that steps on a land owners rights.

[Old Vet]

I used to work with many foresters and you can not get them to agree with the proper way to prune anything.I guess a arborist has rules about that but what are them. Some of them want to cut the whole branch off at the bowl other ones will cut them just anywhere. There is a polarding and pruning but the arborists don't talk about that. Topping trees has been done by any power company in the US. And there are ways to top trees without hurting them except the looks. All you need to do is to start topping them as they reach the hight you want.

[NewGround]

Still no "right" to pass laws about what you do with your property...

There right ends at my property line...