As trees go, the pair of scraggly-looking Monterey cypresses sitting on a crest on Telegraph Hill are somewhat pitiful, even downright forlorn. But in a city where some movie stars bear wings, even ordinary trees can be transformed into a cause célèbre.

The trees are a favorite feeding spot and hawk lookout point for the now-famous wild parrots of Telegraph Hill (see the movie, read the book). In recent weeks, the removal of three adjoining trees by an absentee property owner and the resulting brouhaha — including the spectacle of the parrot author Mark Bittner throwing himself in front of a chain saw — prompted San Francisco officials to amend the city's Urban Forestry Ordinance to allow significant trees to be designated landmarks, including those on private property.

The amendment, which takes effect in February, treats trees much like historic buildings. It would place San Francisco squarely in a growing movement, from suburban Washington to Los Angeles, to protect mature urban trees — and in some communities, make it a crime to chop them down.

Wow.