About this Event
Join us for a lively and practical discussion of the real disputes, court cases, regulations, and management challenges that have shaped the law surrounding trees and vegetation in D.C. neighborhoods and across the country.
Light refreshments will be served.
Pay-as-you-go parking is available in the WCL garage.
Our panel brings together three professionals whose work approaches trees from different but complementary perspectives: municipal forestry, law and consulting arboriculture, and landscape and arboretum management.
John O’Neill, Lead Forester with the District Department of Transportation’s Urban Forestry Division and a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, brings legal training together with years of experience navigating D.C.’s urban forest, tree-protection requirements, and the practical realities of municipal tree management.
James Komen is an attorney, Board Certified Master Arborist, and Registered Consulting Arborist whose work brings together law and arboriculture, with a focus on tree law, risk assessment, appraisal, and disputes involving trees and vegetation.
James Biddle, American University’s Arboretum and Landscape Manager, brings the perspective of hands-on tree and landscape stewardship to the discussion. His work focuses on the care and management of AU’s arboretum and campus landscape, offering practical insight into how tree health, preservation, landscape management, and institutional responsibilities intersect in real-world settings.
The program will begin with private-party tree disputes, including the nuisance balancing test and cases such as Melnick v. CSX Corp., Fancher v. Fagella, and Sterling v. Weinstein. The discussion will then turn to government protection of trees, including tree-protection ordinances and constitutional questions involving municipal police powers, proportionality, land-use requirements, and the relationship between regulatory requirements and legitimate government objectives.
Throughout the program, our panelists will connect these legal principles to the practical realities of managing, protecting, evaluating, and living alongside trees in an urban environment.
Event venue & nearby stays
Warren Building - Room NT07, 4340 Nebraska Avenue Northwest, Washington, United States
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