Tree protection and care control: fuss about regulation

Created: 05/04/2022, 09:30 am

By: Kathrin Böhmer

Greens wanted to protect trees by regulation.

© sample photo

The Greens and the ÖDP have submitted an application to protect trees in the Olchinger city area with their own ordinance.

Plus: to control tree care in the gardens.

Olching - That brought a lot of headwind from the CSU in advance: not even in the GDR were citizens so tamed.

The arguments of the advocates of tree protection were on the table: a tree produces 1200 liters of vital oxygen per hour, absorbs around 2.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide, filters fine dust and intercepts wind.

Other keywords: cooling of the microclimate, habitat for birds and insects and beautification of the townscape.

To replace a single old tree, around 200 new plantings are necessary, depending on the tree species.

"Here, not only the tree is in the foreground, but the people and climate protection," Green leader Ingrid Jaschke is convinced.

An ordinance could protect trees and also prevent unprofessional cutting.

As an example, the Greens and the ÖDP cited a set of rules from Freising.

The administration should also draw up a model cost statute in the event of violations.

Plus: provide regular information about the benefits of trees.

Tree protection as a bureaucracy monster?

The discussion in the urban development committee, which was actually only about examining the application, so nothing had happened yet, was biased.

Because CSU city councilor Martina Drechsler had already expressed her displeasure with the initiative in a text in the newsletter.

Not even in the GDR did the authorities have the authority to dictate to the citizens how the trees should be cared for in their gardens.

In large parts of Olching, the trees would grow higher than the roofs, and without any regulations.

Drechsler also mentioned that the bureaucracy surrounding this ordinance would lead to a further burden on the administration - including long waiting times and expensive reports.

Green leader Ingrid Jaschke nevertheless asked the committee to engage in a discussion.

"Above all, I ask the CSU parliamentary group to jump over their shadow." However, that was not successful.

In the end there was a stalemate with 5:5 votes, whereby the motion was rejected.

(By the way: everything from the region is now also available in our regular FFB newsletter.)

CSU City Councilor Maria Hartl explained clearly: "The Tree Protection Ordinance patronizes citizens." They would be restricted from making their own decisions on their property.

You would not have made this decision lightly and are thinking about other alternatives for climate protection.

Hartl also says: In the past, applications would have been checked, at least out of politeness.

But before anyone falls victim to this: The Greens have already broken this rule.

Hartl's parliamentary colleague Josef Neumaier pointed out that "really great" trees are protected by the development plan anyway.

Josef Gigl emphasized for the Freie Wahler Olching: "We don't want to take away the citizens' freedom."

Violent choice of words on the part of the ÖDP

ÖDP city councilor Ulrike Girtner (“Trees are falling en masse because of construction projects”) appealed for a different tone with regard to Drechsler’s column.

She spoke of "shame" and "baiting".

However, when CSU deputy parliamentary group leader Hartl later asked, Girtner explained for the record that she had expressly not accused deputy district administrator Drechsler of hate speech, which could have had consequences for her.

But it was also about the matter: Mayor Andreas Magg (SPD) showed skepticism.

"You can see that in municipalities with tree protection regulations, the trees fall more easily during storms." Some people suddenly had allergies.

Fritz Botzenhardt was diplomatic for the SPD faction.

The opinion is divided, but the administration should at least examine the application.

Green leader Ingrid Jaschke fought on.

"For me, it borders on cynicism to demand the freedom for citizens to turn their property into a worthless, dead commodity." It is also always argued that if you determine that trees are protected from a certain trunk circumference, then they are would be knocked out before.

Jaschke called the CSU's arguments "outrageous."

You can find more current news from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck at Merkur.de/Fürstenfeldbruck.