Judge Trims City's Tough Tree Ordinance

A home owner in Falls Church, VA, faced jail time for cutting down two trees in his own yard. He fought back against the city's ordinance.

1 minute read

May 26, 2001, 8:00 AM PDT

By Abhijeet Chavan @http://twitter.com/legalaidtech

"[Dennis] Tolliver, a 48-year-old systems analyst, isn't done yet. 'I'm not against trees. I love trees,' he said.'But the city literally threatened to put me in jail for cutting down trees in my own yard.' Now he wants to trim the power of the city arborist, who, in consultation with the city's tree commission, decides the fate of every tree on every site being developed or improved within the 2.2-square-mile city. If a developer or a homeowner doing renovations wants to cut down a tree that the arborist says must be protected, the city can demand new plantings elsewhere on the property."

Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan

FULL STORY: Trimmed Tree Law May Still Face Ax In Falls Church

Thursday, May 24, 2001 in The Washington Post

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