Appreciating and Encouraging Urban Trees

People love trees, according to this article, but sometimes don't do enough to prevent them from being cut down.

"Perhaps instead of stricter bylaws, what is needed is a raised level of awareness, a heightened sensitivity to the value of trees and the crucial contribution they make to the overall esthetic of the urban landscape, particularly their ability to bring scale, proportion and enduring beauty to a neighbourhood.

In parts of Europe, the colour of houses is strictly controlled by the community. It is not a gross, liberty-restricting authoritarianism, but something the whole community agrees to. Why? Because no one wants to live with ugly colour schemes and everyone would sooner live in a beautiful painting.

The same case could be made for a community consciousness that guarantees that the fundamental esthetic of the urban forest is preserved and protected."