Ruling requires Marin County, CA trees to be removed
Mark Prado, Marin Independent Journal, 04/01/2009 [here]
The owner of 45 blue gum eucalyptus trees in Larkspur will be required to chop down 28 of them because they are a “clear and continuing hazard,” according to a tentative ruling issued Wednesday by a Marin Superior Court judge.
But property owner Dr. Anne Wolff, whose trees are at the center of a neighborhood dispute, vowed she will not take them down, and she said she will appeal the ruling.
“There is no way I’m taking 28 trees down; they are part of a forest,” Wolff said. “This sets a bad precedent. Now anyone can hire an arborist and go onto someone’s property, say the trees are unsafe and get them taken down.”
The grove of massive trees took center stage in a February trial pitting neighbors against each other over the touchy subjects of property rights, safety and civility.
Judge Michael Dufficy, who heard the case without a jury, ruled against Wolff, who lives on Bayview Avenue in the Palm Hill neighborhood of Larkspur.
“From its own observations, the court concludes the defendant’s trees present a substantial and real hazard to both (plaintiffs’) homes,” wrote Dufficy, who visited the tree site during the course of the trial. … [more]
James,
Maybe you could also drive out the judge who agreed with the plaintiffs, and fire the fire marshal, too.
Why is it that folks who seek to improve their neighborhoods and watersheds by reducing egregious fire hazards are routinely slammed by the donkeys of the Ultra Far Left? Is it because the Ultra Far Left desires more and bigger catastrophic holocausts inside and outside of the cities in which they live? What is it about America that inspires the Ultra Far Left to acts of eco-terrorism and malicious arson?
Gee, I wonder why on earth did these two plaintiffs buy houses or land right next door to a mature eucalyptus grove? It’s like buying or building a house next to an existing airport and then complaining about noise from airplanes…
The urban myth about the flammability of eucalyptus trees is not always found to be true. In some massive fires in the San Diego area a couple of years ago, an overhead photograph showed that whole blocks of houses had been burnt to the ground, while the eucalyptus trees were left unscathed.
These busybody bullying complainers should consider selling their properties and moving to a neighborhood without any trees or shrubs.