246 TREES AS GOOD CITIZENS 



legislation is also necessary to make it unlawful for any 

 person to hamper or interfere with the work of an author- 

 ized employee of the shade tree department in the pursuit 

 of his duties in caring for and preserving trees. 



With increasing interest in municipal shade tree activ- 

 ities there will necessarily be many points on which local 

 experience will be lacking. The shade tree authorities 

 will find it well to profit by the experience of other com- 

 munities, for in this way they will learn many of the things 

 necessary. One of the foremost of these is that no man 

 should accept a position of authority without a full sense 

 of his obligation to the community. He cannot afford to 

 become lax in his knowledge of shade tree laws or the 

 correct interpretation of them, and when he is in doubt on 

 any point he should seek the counsel of his municipal legal 

 adviser, or the State Forestry authorities. The tree 

 official will find that it is undesirable to antagonize prop- 

 erty owners unnecessarily. Even in carrying out a 

 requirement that causes objection, tact and discretion will 

 serve better than arbitrary methods. 



An important point in popularizing a shade tree 

 department is that the official in charge make friends 

 with the property owners. One of the surest ways to bring 

 this about is to consult the owners of adjacent property 

 when contemplating important pruning or other work on 

 the trees along any street. To go at work of this kind 

 without conference frequently causes trouble. Experi- 

 ence shows that if the property owners are consulted 

 beforehand, they will almost invariably agree to the plan 

 under consideration. 



Some of the other important points to be regarded by 

 the successful tree warden or supervisor are that irrespon- 

 sible tree peddlers or self-styled repair experts must be 

 discouraged, that the rights of the trees come first, and that 



