Tree laws not worth time in special session

We thought that we would never see,

A special session to debate a tree.

If Gov. Greg Abbott has his way, trees — more specifically, what landowners are allowed to do with them — will be part of the special legislative session that begins July 18 in Austin.

Among the 20 items the governor has asked lawmakers to tackle is “preventing cities from regulating what property owners do with trees on private land.”

Before becoming governor, Abbott decried an Austin tree ordinance that required him to replant trees on his property after the installation of a pool damaged the root system of a protected “heritage” pecan.

He called the ordinance “socialistic” during an interview on a morning news program earlier this month.

The regulation, which protects trees of 10 fairly common species larger than 24 inches around and measuring 4 1/2 feet above natural grade, does raise legitimate concerns about property rights.

Abbott isn’t wrong that the rule goes too far. But he is wrong to seek a remedy through the Legislature.

The state should regulate issues where it possesses expertise or where a patchwork of local regulations will cause confusion or harm.

Tree regulations are a local issue better handled by cities and municipalities.

Abbott should take his concerns to the Austin City Council and leave the Legislature to tackle more pressing concerns.

This story was originally published June 20, 2017 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Tree laws not worth time in special session."