Resident fined US$22,250 for pruning his own tree
The heavily pruned camphor tree outside Li's garden.
Li points to the trimmed tree outside his garden.
A Shanghai resident has been whacked with a hefty fine of 144,200 yuan (US$22,250) for pruning a tree he bought and planted himself. The fine was 14 times more than what he paid for the young sapling in 2002.
The resident, surnamed Li, cut back the camphor tree planted outside his garden because it was blocking the sunlight to his home at Oasis Beverly Garden Villa on Minghua Road in Songjiang District.
Li bought the camphor tree in 2002 for 11,000 yuan (US$1,700) and planted it in his own garden. As it grew bigger, he moved it outside of his garden to ensure the home continued to receive sunlight.
But on January 20, Li became more severe with the tree to ensure his flowery garden could get enough sunlight. He hired workers to chop off all the branches and reduce the trunk to 2 meters tall, an action which resulted in him being reported by neighbors.
He received a penalty notice from the district's urban management and law enforcement authorities, fining him for cutting down the tree without approval from the greening department.
"The tree did not die because I only trimmed it," said Li, expressing confusion.
According to the authorities, individuals do not have legal rights to transplant or cut down trees in public green areas, where Li's transplanted tree now stands.
China's Forestry Law mandates the private felling of trees is illegal, except for rural residents harvesting scattered trees on self-reserved land and around the house.
Li's camphor tree could only be pruned through the official maintenance department in accordance with stated standards, said Zhu Xiaoxi, one of the district's urban management and law enforcement officials.
But what if Li had not transplanted the tree outside his property? The punishment would still apply if he cut the tree at will, officials said.
Residents can dispose of trees inside their own compounds but only if they are less than 25cm in diameter, officials said. Otherwise, fines will also be imposed.
Despite Li's unlawful action, the costly fine has caused controversy and hot discussion online.
According to officials, degrees of penalties vary in line with the species of tree and the criteria for "excessive pruning."
Regulations stipulate that a fine of five to 10 times the value of the tree will be imposed for the unauthorized cutting of trees. The value of the camphor tree was about 28,840 yuan, according to officials.
The penalty levied against Li was actually the lightest, given his lack of relevant knowledge and the fact he bought and planted the tree himself, said Zhu.
