The Ethics Behind Removing Trees To Build A New Home

Building your home is an interesting concept that does have its benefits. When you build a house from scratch, the cost of constructing the home usually ends up a lot cheaper than the cost of buying a brand new home. There’s also the amazing advantage of having full control over everything in your home – you can literally design and build the property of your dreams. 

If building houses is so great, why don’t most people do it? A couple of reasons come into play, but the one we want to focus on is land availability. You need land to buy a home, and some people don’t have it. Or, what tends to happen is you have a plot of land, but it needs to be prepared to build a home on it. Often, this puts you in the tough situation of needing to remove trees and other greenery. It’s a tough situation as you need to think about the ethics behind removing trees. Is this frowned upon? Should you leave the trees where they are? 

The rules & regulations

The rules & regulations surrounding tree removal can vary from state to state. However, it is generally agreed that you can remove any trees from private properties without any issues. From a legal standpoint, you’re not breaking any rules or laws. But, is it ethical?

Tree removal vs. deforestation

Debates around the ethicality of removing trees usually stem from the idea of deforestation. This is where hundreds of trees are removed and mowed down at once. In this instance, it’s not very ethical at all, as trees are important for the environment. Many links have been made between deforestation and problems with the environment. 

However, it’s important to remember that removing one or two trees is not the same as deforestation. The impact this has on the environment will be minimal, so perhaps you don’t have to feel so ethically compromised. With the right land clearing services, you can prepare a site for your house without worrying about damaging the environment too much. Of course, if you start mowing down dozens of trees, you have to ask yourself if this is right or not. Is it worth doing this just to place a house there? Could you find land in a better place without trees?

Re-planting trees

Another way to approach the situation is by taking a proactive approach when removing trees. For every tree you get rid of, plant a new one elsewhere. There are bound to be places or forests where you can plant a tree or two, so it’s a nice way of clearing your conscience. Also, your plot of land might have a tree in an awkward position, but there’s still room for at least one tree when the house is built. So, it’s a case of removing the awkward tree and planting a replacement in a better location. 

The ethics behind removing trees to build houses is a touchy subject. Overall, it mainly depends on how many trees are being removed. If a whole forest is going down to make way for a new housing estate, that borders on the line of highly unethical. But, if you need to knock down a couple of trees to build your new home, there’s nothing wrong with it.