Tree Preservation a Goal

Dear Editor,
    Gov. Abbott, et al., have made it their mission to revoke tree preservation ordinances in communities throughout Texas [“Greg Abbott, Tree Killer,” News, June 16]. This is a foolish, shortsighted idea that should never have been floated by the "party of small government" and "local control."
    Municipal ordinances have been regulating private property for decades. Why does the governor not decry the "communistic" regulation of electrical contractors? Of zoning regulations? Could he have a personal bias against trees for some reason?
    Trees provide valuable infrastructure services that would have to be provided by taxes through mechanical processes in their absence; further, one 20-inch-diameter tree provides exponentially more benefits than 10 two-inch trees. And trees are the only part of infrastructure that may increase in value over time. Revoking ordinances would be catastrophic to many cities that struggle to meet clean air requirements.
    Over 50 municipalities in Texas, large and small, have decided tree preservation is an important goal that justifies the compromise with property rights. The state should understand that communities have the right to regulate themselves, and that people who don't like one community's rules are welcome to live elsewhere. Please contact your representatives and encourage them not to revoke the right of cities to manage their resources.