Via NBC

Folks driving along Forest Lane near Central Expressway were outraged last week after noticing that a whole thicket of trees had been bludgeoned, their tops completely severed, seemingly by order of the owner of a new business in front of the familiar Home Depot store.

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As of yesterday, the sign on the new business has been removed, but the NBC 5 story shows a Cube Smart Storage. The station’s Ken Kalthoff interviewed arborist Steve Houser, who has been a source for our stories about certain trees, and he says chopping off all the foliage causes serious harm because the leaves creates food that keeps the tree alive.

Houser, who sits on the Dallas Forest Advisory Committee, told NBC property owners may be allowed to remove live oak trees, but the trees must either be replaced with the same size trees or pay money to a tree replacement fund. Houser said the fee is $100 per inch of trunk diameter measured four-and-a-half feet off the ground.

The building’s owner did not speak on record, but workers told upset passersby, several who commented on Facebook, that the extreme pruning was part of an effort to make the business more visible. “Horrible mutilation,” “Sick,” and “Murder,” were among the reactions of those discussing the matter on social media.

The person responsible has much to learn about how Dallasites feel about their trees.

See the broadcast here.