TEPaul,
While my first priority focuses on playability, and that would mean clearing the trees/shrubs/underbrush to beyond the bunker lines, the second priority has to do with visibility.
If you examine the old photos, ground level and aerial, you'll notice several things. One is that there were a number of skyline greens. # 2 and # 9 and probably # 17 as well. # 10 almost appears to be a skyline green and # 1 would probably qualify as well.
So, while restoring skyline greens doesn't physically impact play, it mentally impacts play to a great degree. It creates uncertainty, and, it allows the wind to be an unimpeded influence.
I like being able to see the entire green and everything between the tee and the green as I stand on the 12th tee.
I would like to see the 14th green surrounded by sand as opposed to it being closeted by trees.
But, those are vast projects and if you only support selective clearing you'll never recapture the architectural high water mark at PV.
While every tree removed benefits PV, a piecemeal approach won't achieve optimal results.
On a number of occassions I've cited, for you, the inside elbow at # 1.
Just go back and look at the chrono aerials and ask yourself, was the hole a better hole, for the wide spectrum of golfers, when it was wide open with sandy wastes, or, with dense forest ?
A golfer who slices far right will be lost in the woods for dozens of shots, whereas, as a sandy waste, he could reasonably extract himself and NOT ruin his round as it was just getting started.
YOU and I both know that the caddies MOVE the ball in the woods.
WHY ?
We both know the answer.
WHY, ? Because the course is unplayable from a reasonable perspective with the dense forests surrounding each and every hole.
So, when you hit your ball into the woods, miracle of miracle, you not only have a swing, you have an open shot back to the fairway.
Can you imagine the probability of playing a course for 45 years and NEVER seeing a golfer stymied by a tree.
If for NO OTHER reason, that's reason enough to clear the trees.
Case Closed !