Trees

This is a short post, in response to one seen on Next Door lamenting the "butchering" of trees.

I wholeheartedly agree. Please don't butcher your trees.

My house has two (formerly) beautiful trees in the front yard: a gum tree and a maple tree. They were both topped, and they now look ridiculous. Across the street, and throughout the Meadowood Park neighborhood, there are numerous other trees that have been topped. Not only do topped trees look ridiculous, the topping of the tree is a cruel act to the tree itself, as it essentially forces the tree to grow brand new branches, at awkward angles, contributing to the likelihood that those branches damage the essential structure of the tree and kill it.

By way of contrast, trees that reach a certain age and are not topped are absolutely beautiful. There is a gum tree just east of Meadowood Park that is simply glorious.

So, to my neighbors, I beseech you to please stop topping their trees.

I fully recognize that my neighbors are entitled to trim their trees in any manner they see fit, including topping them. After all, their property is their property and anyone who has read this blog knows my predilections regarding property rights. Nonetheless, one of the first great legal lessons I learned is that "can" does not mean "should."