Stupid rules are made by ignorant people that are under pressure to make a rule by other ignorant people. You may quote me on that.
The trees don't matter. The rule does. But things are not hopeless. In the 17 years I have been working in Denver, there have been scads of improvements in the way trees are cared for. Educated, ethical arborists are finding their way into government positions and are changing the rules to favor the trees. The professional arborists are all out educating every day and are delivering a consistant message, just as the hacks are out every day operating on tribal knowledge and myths, at best. And I think that's the way it will always be. Put one hack out of business and another pops up to fill the void. There are homeowners that are horrified to discover that a correct prune on their tree is going to cost them MONEY, so they call the hack. Everyone is happy but the tree.
High ethical standards, self education, public education and persistance will keep the hacks and stupid rules to a minimum. |