The Chamber of Deputies approved this Wednesday (9) a project that allows the cutting or pruning of trees when there is a possibility of an accident and the environmental agency has not responded to the requests. The matter goes to the Senate.
The proposal amends the Environmental Crimes Law to include what it considers an “exception” to the crime typified of destroying or damaging ornamental plants in the streets. The text establishes that the request will be authorized if the environmental agency does not respond to it within 45 days in a reasoned manner.
The possibility of the tree causing an accident must be certified by a qualified professional and, after the expiry of the period, the interested party may hire a company or qualified professional to perform the pruning or cutting on their own. Currently, the penalty for these situations is detention from three months to one year.
“We propose to give more security to the applicant, determining that a qualified professional attests to the possibility of an accident, in order also to avoid the distortion of the proposal, instructing the application with the competent report, as well as allowing the applicant to hire third parties to carry out the service”, said the rapporteur of the proposal, deputy Gil Cutrim (Republicans-MA).
According to the deputy, in São Paulo alone, in 2021, 776 trees fell and, according to residents, there are requests for cutting that have been requested for ten years.
Deputy Júlio Delgado (PV-MG) stated that the measure will combat “leniency of city halls”. The congressman highlighted that, in Brasília, there is a fallen tree near the National Congress.
“And this happens in the cities of large urban centers, where some of these trees, where pruning is not done, even harms vehicles, passersby, animals, everything that exists in the matter of an improbable capacity of a tree like this to yield. by the rot, for example, of the root. Right here, arriving at the Chamber, there is a fallen tree less than 50 meters from the plenary”, he said.
Despite supporting the measure, the deputy warned that caution is necessary, as there are trees in cities in Brazil that are endangered.
