Hi,
I'm probably in no position to comment, but I'm going to anyhow. I think it's a striking photo, and like it irrespective of any rule-breaking. I think a more aggressive crop could be helpful in directing attention to the trees. Cutting out some of the bottom and right to really focus in on the trunks might be good (oddly enough, I was thinking this when I saw the photo, and then when I clicked on the B&W further down, it opened in a window which didn't show the full frame, and it looked very similar to what I had in mind). I like it in color. The one advantage I see in the B&W is that it really brings out the mesh of trunks going into the distance. If you can find a way to do that without sacrificing the color, I think it'd be a great photo.
Best,
Brian