I had posted this in another thread, but it's even more important in this section...

Everywhere I turn in the city, when driving through new developments, it shocks me at the utter lack of vegetation and trees. At one point Fargo was voted and awarded "Tree City USA". We don't even come close to deserving that now-a-days.

I'm all about property owners rights, but they shouldn't be able to tear down a massive, mature established tree line to build a structure. Don's Carwash on 52nd Ave is the latest travesty to wipeout a mature shelter-belt. We should be taking more of an approach like cities in the Pacific N.W. (Seattle/Vancouver/Portland) which try to incorporate the surrounding vegetation into the development, as much as they possibly can.

Also, with the fact that we have 4 distinct seasons, we only really get to appreciate our trees and plants for about 1/2 the year. The other half they look like they are dead branches. Evergreens are called that for a reason, they ALWAYS stay green. We should be planting evergreens and pine trees like mad around the city and encouraging property owners to plant them as well. We could provide financial incentives, tax breaks, etc... Sure it'd be a small hit to the city budget, but it'd only be one time. Plus the rewards of having green vegetation year round is more than worth it, in my opinion, and would significantly add to the visual aesthetics of the city.

Take a cue from our neighbors in the Pacific NW. There's no reason we can't have the beauty they enjoy.