Billboard Firms Win, Trees Lose

As of Tuesday, February 7, 2012

OK, Moore Countians. Everybody who is dying to see more billboards along our roads, raise your hands.

We didn’t think so.

Now. Let’s see the hands of those who’d rather have more trees.

That’s more like it. Trouble is, the N.C. General Assembly does not appear to be listening to you or others who agree with you. Instead, the newly dominant Republican majorities in both houses seem to be paying more heed — surprise! — to the business community.

New rules, adopted in January pursuant to a billboard law enacted in 2011, permit advertising companies to cut more trees than they previously could. And in most cases, they no longer have to replace them. According to reportage in The News & Observer of Raleigh, the change, pushed by GOP Sen. Harry Brown of Onslow County, could result in the loss of tens of thousands of trees across North Carolina.

In approving the new law last summer, the lawmakers acquiesced in the billboard interests’ wish that they be allowed to strip a broader expanse of land around each existing sign to make it visible from farther away. The clearance limit was increased from the previous 250 feet to a much more expansive 380 feet. Theoretically, a company could even erect a sign behind an existing grove, then wait two years and saw down all the trees within the newly expanded zone.

And suppose an entity such as Moore County (or more likely, say, the village of Pinehurst) were to complain that the newly relaxed rules run afoul of more restrictive local ordinances in that regard? Tough. The state regs would take precedence, riding roughshod over local preferences. We don’t think that’s right — and not just because The Pilot happens to sell a competing form of advertising.

The billboard companies and their legislative allies reason that the liberalized rules will help businesses attract more customers, thereby helping boost the economy. Maybe. But at what cost to our state’s beautiful natural environment?

After all, North Carolina’s scenic attractiveness is a primary factor in the tourism trade — which, in turn, is a key element in our economic wellbeing. Are we in danger of killing, or at least wounding, the goose that lays so many golden eggs?

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CSmithson 3 months, 2 weeks ago

Before all the cries complaining about "those darn tree huggers" and others screaming about protecting private property rights, I think it is important to clarify something this editorial and most news articles on this subject tend to miss.

This new law allows the further cutting and removal of publicly-owned trees in our rights-of-way. We're not simply talking about private property owners wanting to be able to remove some trees they own.We ALL own and enjoy the trees on public rights-of-way just like we own and enjoy those trees in the middle of our parks or along city streets and sidewalks. Our Legislature is literally giving away your trees and beautiful landscapes so that billboard owners can achieve better visibility for their signs.

I'll leave it to you to decide if this giveaway and additional blight is in the public interest. You might also want to visit the General Assembly's website to see who voted in favor of this multiple times. Senate Bill 183 / S.L. 2011-397

JER 3 months, 2 weeks ago

Hi, radical idea guy here. I have, in the past, pointed out that we are still in the 19th century when it comes to overhead power transmission lines, phone lines and cable TV lines. Billboards are an example of how we have made zero progress with roadside advertisement. Oh, we have gone from using wallpaper to display the message to high tech led signs that flash multiple images but that is not what I'm talking about. There is a way to eliminate billboards altogether yet still enable businesses to make you aware of their products, enable the traveler to find what he's looking for at the next exit or intersection and improve the landscape, all at the same time. The technology currently exists to transmit, via radio, all the information currently available on billboards. As you drive down the highway, you could tune your radio to a predetermined frequency where you would receive information about everything available at the next exit or intersection. Looking for someplace to get gas, to eat, a hotel for the night...anything currently on a billboard could be available on the radio channel. The transmitter for each area need only broadcast in a small range. The customer tunes in only when he needs the information, the business can provide a more appealing message at a lower cost and with the advantage of easily up-dating the ad at any time, and everyone gets to enjoy the scenery. Truck stops have been doing this for truckers, via the CB, for many years so it's not really all that radial.

Courseaire 3 months, 2 weeks ago

Really, there are plenty of trees. I'm tired of all the technology and happen to want to know how far it is to the nearest discount cigarette & liquor store and South of the Border.

truthmatterstome2 3 months, 2 weeks ago

Now, this IS a problem! Unlike removing trees from a median for public safety, removing trees for commercial signage is sinful! It's especially distasteful in Moore County considering that Richard Morgan owns many of the highway signs that we have to look at each day. Just sayin....

geoffcutler 3 months, 2 weeks ago

Were we as concerned about unsustainable development, which will deforest thousands more trees than the destruction of right of way trees for billboards, this editorial might carry a bit more weight.

saddlesore 3 months, 2 weeks ago

I see that Harry owns a car dealership.

I_Pine 3 months, 2 weeks ago

I agree with JER that we need to rethink our "business as usual" paradigm and use the technology we have available nowadays. We could begin to save a lot of our environment if we appreciated what we have. More jobs could be created if people were working on green technology and new ways to develop and landscape industrial parks, shopping centers and housing than the usual way of simply bulldozing everything.