I have to agree that this is overkill -- unless I'm woefully ignorant about the huge number of people dying from tree fires. And yes, space heaters and faulty wiring seem far more frequent culprits.

If the idea is to educate people about not having trees, why not educate them about the dangers, how to care for them, and also how to tell if the tree has become too dry? Or how to avoid buying one that is too dry?

They've taken on a losing fight against cultural tradition when they outright ban them. And it's just stoopid.