"America's Builder" Forced to Plant Trees

You'd think that a company that calls itself "America's Builder" would want to preserve the beauty of "America the Beautiful." But megabuilder D. R. Horton has fought tooth and nail to avoid City of Lacey tree-planting requirements at their new Horizon Pointe development. The 234-acre development is slated to include a mix of retail and housing, with some 1,700 homes and condos.

This week Thurston County’s hearing examiner Ted Hunter denied Horton's appeal of the tree-planting requirement [read full story]. But the site won't likely be a future forest of the towering Western red cedars or Douglas fir trees that define much of Western Washington. More likely are small non-native trees that will actually fit into the small yards of the development's homes. The civic definition of a tree is farily lenient, after all.

"Tree" means any living woody plant characterized by one or more main stems or trunks and many branches, and having a diameter of six (6") inches or more measured four and one half feet above ground level. [city ordinance]

Indeed, some buyers say they're moving to Horizon Pointe to get away from the arboreal giants whose falling limbs and trunks did so much damage in this winter's fierce storms. Hope they're not frightened of 6-inch flowering cherry trees.