Commentary: Tree Crime

Somewhere along the years in Del Mar trees got a bad rap. Trees, one of Del Mar’s main attractions, along with the beach, bluffs, lagoons, are under siege. The rare Torrey Pines, native to only our area and Santa Rosa Island, the Monterey Cypresses, along with most any trees rooted in buildable soil are now liable to be branded nuisances. Trees are becoming bitter issues between neighbors, the subjects of law suits and even arboricide. Crimes against trees, whether by sneak attack poison or chain saw are on the rise across the East to the West Coast. Why? Views. The New York Times recently reported an incident of tree poisoning in a town in Maine where Alexander Peacock, director of the Board of Pesticides Control, said neighborly arboricide “was something that nobody ever called us about. Now we see the news all over the country.” Let’s rethink our trees essential importance. How can we beneficially coexist before our city loses more of the essential shade, canopy, beauty—and sequestering of carbon dioxide which helps mitigate climate change—our trees provide?