Hacker News Reader

Totally. The tree I was referring to was at least three hundred years old, and had survived a road being built by it. Then the local government decided to pave the path so it got hardly any rain.

There is also a tree near me which has barely grown in thirty years due to close planting and most of the area near it being paved.

View on HN

And the local government should had been sued for that.

By whom?

That's an honest question. Who represents the trees in human society? Do they have recognised authority?

By whom has the obligation to enforce laws in a country; Normally called the executive branch of the government. Environmental crimes are still crimes, as is damaging public property. Trees have an economic value attached. Destroying, lets say, $50,000 of public property should raise some eyebrows at least.

Unless some exceptions apply, the neighbors suffered a damage in the value of their real state. Specially if is proven than the wood was stolen and its money was pocketed by some private actor.

We don't have a mechanism here for doing that, and you can't replace a three hundred year old tree.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com