[CANUFNET] Nuisance Tree Request

[Naomi Zurcher]

Hi everyone:

What we seem to see in all the responses to this extremely important posting is that there is a real inadequacy of an educated and informed public. 

Will we always have those who hate trees - yes. Are they in the minority - yes. Are there people who don’t fully understand the value of trees, not just to themselves but to their entire community and beyond - yes.

We, as professionals, need to create a Corps of Tree Advocates. That can only happen as a result of a broad campaign of disseminating tree facts consisting of how trees grow, what they need to actually grow well into maturity and why that growth is so critical to our own well-being. 

Just speaking amongst ourselves is not enough and this lack of conveyance of digestible knowledge is not exclusive to Canada - it’s a global issue and resolving that issue might undermine, not only those who promote the “nuisance” tree story, but the mega planting greenwashing extravaganzas that are so wasteful of the invaluable tree resource while allowing polluters to continue polluting through all those faulty carbon offset initiatives.

Kind regards
Naomi

Naomi Zurcher
arbor aegis
urban forester / consulting arborist / i-tree team affiliate member
luzern switzerland

> On Oct 23, 2023, at 8:57 AM, JPM TREE SERVICE tree via CANUFNET <canufnet at list.web.net> wrote:
> 
> Hi All,
> 
> Unusual tree removal, rationale requests are everywhere all the time. I find them tiring, exhausting,
> fascinating and curious. When people call asking for a tree report, I’ll aptly state: What’s your rationale
> for removal ? (I like to use “rationale” versus simply “reason”, as they tend to pause and have to
> think about for a bit and give some sort of framework for their thinking). Often it's, “This tree’s dangerous.”
> Sometimes it’s simple: It’s dead - or just about dead. I tend to encourage wildlife habitat tree creation if
> the tree’s a decent size, maybe two feet DBH or more.
> 
> And then there is the  “alternative rationale”, as one BC Lower Mainland municipality puts it. I like to send this 
> little blurb to my current and potential customers. Gives them some time to think outside the box of
> parameters of their city’s bylaw. I hope this is useful for others to consider. Also, in terms of nuisance,
> I remind all my business relationships that a tree, as one Toronto colleague put it, is a "shedding organism."
> And no, if walnuts are dropping onto the tin roof of your garage for a few weeks, then that is not a reason
> to cut the tree down. The best one I’ve heard is that a raccoon was sitting in the crotch of a streamside habitat tree
> watching a homeowner eat her breakfast. She found this quite disconcerting and wanted the tree cut down
> (no, she didn’t get a permit).
> 
> Alternative Rationale for Tree Removal (if it is not a high risk or interferes significantly with a building development):
> 	-Critical Views of (?) are impeded
> 	-Undue Shade is caused
> 	-Fire Threat (that cannot be remedied by other means e.g.  pruning)
> 	-Unreasonable Maintenance Costs (please show your receipts)
> 	-Dire Aesthetics...
> 	-Ill-suited to the Site Conditions e.g.  Giant Sequoia is a ‘postage stamp-sized’ backyard	 
> 	-Financial Hardship (provided documentation e.g.  income tax return)
> 	-Significant Debris
> 	-Poisonous Components (somebody has been hospitalized e.g.  child, pet)
> 	-Animal or Bird Attractant, etc., etc., etc.
> 	-Unwanted Sounds,
> -you may wish to prove that any or all of the above are an ongoing
>  excessive, severe or intolerable inconvenience or nuisance associated with your tree (s)
> 
> Some food for thought.
> 
> Best,
> 
> John Martyn, ISA Certified Arborist (PNW-0610A)
> JPM Tree Service
> Since 1996
> Abbotsford, BC
> 604.789.4045
> www.jpmtree.com <http://www.jpmtree.com/>
> 
>   
> 

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