Getting to the root of the tree problem

Re “A chainsaw runs through it,� editorial, March 2

It takes many years for a dropped acorn to sprout into a tree with a trunk diameter greater than four inches. If the person hasn’t yanked the seedling out before then, then they’re just plain lazy and deserve to suffer the inconvenience of getting a permit to remove it.

Most acorn seedlings don’t make it nearly that far because they drop too close to the tree to get adequate sunshine and soil. An acorn dropped under a hedge is not going to grow into a tree with a four-inch trunk diameter. The hedge will most likely choke it to death long before it gets that far.

So your editorial was mainly a lot of drama over nothing.

Have you ever gardened before? It doesn’t sound like it.

PATRICIA SCHWARZ

Pasadena

*

As if Eric Garcetti and the L.A. City Council didn’t have bigger problems at hand, they feel compelled to intrude on the lives of thousands of citizens in a wholly unnecessary way. Everyone knows that a well-placed and cared-for tree is an asset to a property, and no landowner would ever cut one down without good reason.

However, many native trees reach very large size at maturity and outgrow the typical postage stamp-size Southern California lot. If planted in the wrong place by a previous homeowner or casually by a squirrel, some native trees grow surprisingly quickly, to the point of needing pruning and, possibly, removal.

The City Council has decided to get deeply involved in matters that should legitimately be left to the landowner. Get on with doing the city’s business.

JEF KURFESS

Westlake Village