View wars

TWO resident families in California's Beverly Hills, which houses many Hollywood stars, were recently fined US $1.2 million for cutting down a neighbour's trees to get a view. The Views Wars, the ultimate in upperclass environmentalism, is resulting in view-mongers being dragged into court, and several US towns have passed laws protecting views. Plant Amnesty, a non-profit Seattle-based group, provides pruning advice. Tree owners who do not want the verdant to be cut or trimmed at any cost, have sometimes found their trees chopped down in the night, even poisoned by those who love their views.