Ship Bottom officials arent letting any grass grow under their feet, so to speak. For the second consecutive meeting, the governing body has taken steps to strengthen beach and dune protection in the borough after a clear cutting of dune vegetation at a new build on 17th Street, set to play out in municipal court this week.

At the councils Feb. 25 meeting, the council unanimously passed Ordinance 02-2020 C after a public hearing that netted no public comment. The ordinance sets the maximum fine for anyone violating or failing to comply with the boroughs beach protection and bulkhead law at $2,000.

The maximum fine is set by state authority, not local. Ultimately, the monetary fine in a court proceeding is determined by the municipal court judge, Borough Solicitor Christopher J. Connors said during the meeting.

Currently, the monetary fine is set at no more than $1,000, with the possibility of imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days or community service not to exceed 90 days, or a combination of the three as determined by the municipal judge. Imprisonment, community service and the discretion of the municipal judge remain the same in the proposed measure.

Prior to the passage of Ordinance 02-2020C, the council discussed putting into play tree trimming regulations similar to those Barnegat Light has established.

I want an ordinance, Mayor William Huelsenbeck said of tree trimming regulations, not a memo.

Councilman Tom Tallon said if the boroughs code enforcement officer needs to be onsite for a tree trimming, then a permit fee should be included in any proposed measure.

Kathleen Flanagan, borough coordinator, said the tree cutting incident on 17th Street was a situation where too many trees were removed than were permitted to be eliminated.

In Ship Bottom, if trees are dead, they can be removed as long as the homeowner or landscaper has the permission of the borough engineer, according to Flanagan.

Someone said he said yes to the clear cutting, Flanagan said of Frank Little, borough engineer.

In January, Judge James Liguori adjourned the case of the cutting of dune vegetation until March 5, allowing the appropriate parties time to develop and submit a plan to restore dune vegetation. Under municipal code, dune restoration requires an application be made that includes a description of the activities to be performed, the equipment to be used and any other information the borough engineer deems necessary to properly review the proposed work. Restoration work cannot begin until a permit has been issued by the borough. The work must then begin within 10 days and be completed within 30 days unless otherwise approved by the governing body, according to municipal code.

At the Jan. 16 court date, the only individual present on the matter was a contractor, who said his sign was on the property, but he didnt remove the dune vegetation. The homeowner and any other individual party to the removal of dune grasses and trees were expected to be issued summonses to appear in municipal court on charges they violated Ship Bottoms beach and dune maintenance laws.

In Ship Bottom, preserving the beach-dune system is the responsibility of the property owner if or when maintenance is necessary on private property, according to the boroughs municipal code. Should the property owner fail to begin or complete the work within the approved time frame, the borough has the right to perform the work. The cost would be assessed to the property owner as a lien and levied as a tax on the land, under municipal code. Restoration work must be finished by May 15 and cannot begin any earlier than Oct. 15 unless approved by the borough council.

Gina G. Scala

ggscala@thesandpaper.net

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Ship Bottom to Consider Ordinance to Regulate Tree Cutting - The SandPaper

Cutting trees can be costly especially if theyre in town open space.

The Board of Selectmen has accepted a $43,000 settlement from property owners and their contractor held responsible for cutting trees on town open space land the third monetary settlement of tree-cutting on open space in eight years.

Together the three settlements have brought the town $153,000 most of it flowing into the towns open space fund, with perhaps $30,000 or $35,000 going to legal fees, Conservation Commission chairman James Coyle estimated.

The cutting down of trees that have been standing for decades has serious and far reaching repercussions, Coyle said to The Press. Trees serve functions in our ecosystem that no other organism can entirely match. Among other functions they reduce CO2, provide oxygen, moderate temperature, provide habitat for wildlife, and reduce erosion. And last but not least, they are beautiful to look at and soothe our souls.

First Selectman Rudy Marconi viewed the legal action that led to the settlement as a stand by the town in defense of its open spaces.

You cant go on town property and cut trees, Marconi said. You should know where your property lines are.

Marconi spoke as the most recent settlement, stemming from tree-cutting in open space off Peaceable Ridge Road, was being considered by the selectmen before their 4-to-0 vote to approve it on Wednesday night, Feb. 19.

In the settlement agreement the property owners deny any knowledge of the removal of such trees until being notified by the Town of Ridgefield Conservation Commission of an open space violation.

Marconi noted that the town had reached settlements in two other cases of tree-cutting in open space one for about $23,000 off Barrack Hill Road and another for $80,000 off North Salem Road.

Coyle said there was more than money to the settlement.

An integral part of this is the property owners agree to clean up the mess they made, Coyle told the selectmen.

But the money is part of it.

Well take part of that settlement and do some replanting, Coyle said.

He gave The Press the background that led to the agreement.

The settlement at Peaceable Ridge Road relates to the cutting down of five large (16- to 24-inch diameter) trees on the towns West Mountain/McManus Section open space, Coyle said. The cut trees were spotted by a Conservation Commission member in the spring of 2019.

The property owner had hired a landscape contractor to do some clearing on his property. Unfortunately the contractor did not respect the property boundary and the five trees were on town open space.

A Notice of Violation pursuant to the Ridgefield Open Space Use Ordinance Chapter 262 was issued in June 2019 for the unauthorized cutting of trees and placement or dumping of waste materials, including cut trees.

Discussion at the selectmens meeting revealed that the contractor was paying $27,500 of the settlement, and the homeowners were paying $15,500.

Colye told the selectmen a lot of negotiating went into the agreement.

We went around and around and did a little compromising, Coyle told the selectmen.

Selectman Sean Connelly asked if the $43,000 was a sufficient amount to discourage similar violations in the future.

Someone says Im going to get a really nice view here. Is that enough of a deterrent? he asked.

Coyle said the value of the trees cut was assigned in accordance with the latest revision of The Guide for Plant Appraisal, as published by the International Society of Arboriculture, Urbana, Illinois which he described as a manual in its ninth of tenth edition.

A lot of factors help determine the trees monetary value.

Its a function of the diameter of the trees, the location of the trees, Coyle said.

This is a number accepted by the courts, he added.

The courts have at times imposed penalties exceeding the value of the trees cut, according to Coyle.

Had this violation proceeded to trial, he told The Press, the judge would have been able to apply a penalty of up to five times the value of the trees cut down.

In one of the largest settlements to date in Connecticut (a court decision relating to a property in Old Lyme), the judge applied a penalty multiplier of 3.5 to the calculated amount (the State Law allows a judge to apply a penalty multiplier of 1-5). This resulted in damages and court costs of $650,000, he said.

Coyle described for The Press the two other significant settlements in Ridgefield concerning tree cutting.

In 2016 a property owner on North Salem Road cut down five trees on town-owned open space property allegedly to improve his lake views. A nearby homeowner informed the Conservation Commission, the cutting was stopped, and an investigation conducted. The town went to court and reached a settlement in 2017 for $85,000.

The tree-cutting on Old Sib Road happened in 2012 and involved the loss of about a dozen trees.

This was settled out of court for around $25,000,. Coyle said.

The Conservation Commission takes great pride in our vast network of open spaces in Ridgefield, he said. We both maintain those open spaces and enforce our Open Space Use Ordinance to protect them.

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Ridgefield tree cutting leads to $43000 settlement - The Ridgefield Press

With spring coming, encouraging residents to FireSmart their homes and properties as they plan their spring cleanup projects was a priority at the City of Quesnels Forestry Innovation Centre open house.

At the open house, held Saturday, Feb. 29, representatives from the Citys Forestry Initiatives Program, the B.C. Wildfire Service and the United Way Fire Mitigation Project were available to provide information about reducing your risk during wildfire season.

The Citys Forestry Initiatives Program has new FireSmart information banners, which will be displayed during the PeeWee provincials and the Central Interior Hockey League Coy Cup, at the Quesnel Library and at the Quesnel Arts and Recreation Centre in the coming months.

The City will also have a booth with FireSmart information at the Quesnel Home and Outdoor Adventure Show April 18-19 and is planning another Forestry Innovation Centre open house at the end of April. The City is also working on organizing a Wildfire Preparedness Day for a date to be determined in May.

FireSmart B.C. tips for homeowners include everything from moving firewood 10-30 metres from your home and cleaning your roof and gutters of leaves and pine needles to having a wildfire evacuation plan with your household and keeping grass cut to less than 10 centimetres.

The United Way Fire Mitigation Project helps seniors and people who face mobility or mental health barriers protect their homes through the FireSmart principles.

The program runs until the end of August, and supervisors Ray Jungaro and Gary Horley say theyve been working pretty much all over the region so far.

Last month, they met with people who live around Troll Ski Resort, and Horley says they will start doing some pruning work there once the snow melts a bit. They are also going to present information about the program at a public meeting April 15 at the Sunset Theatre in Wells, which is being organized by the Wells-Barkerville Community Forest.

Were looking forward to that, said Horley. Its pretty well promoted by their Community Forest. I think well spend quite a bit of time east.

Horley and Jungaro held a meeting in Alexandria last week, and they expect theyll be doing quite a bit of work there too.

Through the United Way Fire Mitigation Project, a crew of four, led by a trained supervisor, will conduct fire mitigation assessments and activities on residential properties, following the guidelines set out by FireSmart Canada and B.C. Wildfire Service.

The crew will do a formal assessment of your property to identify areas where your home may be at risk, looking at everything from the materials used to build your home to the type of vegetation on your property. After the assessment, crew members will do some mitigation activities, such as moving woodpiles and relocating flammable materials to a safer distance, clearing dead organic waste from your property, clearing gutters and basic landscaping maintenance, such as pruning tress and shrubs of their dead limbs and removing tall grasses.

They will also provide recommendations and information on how to have other activities, such as tree removal and thinning or roof replacement, done.

This project is aimed at seniors and community members who face mobility and/or mental health barriers who have difficulty or are unable to complete the activities themselves. For those who meet the eligibility requirements, the service is free.

This winter, Jungaro and Horley and their crew have also been helping clear driveways for seniors who cannot do it on their own.

We were glad we could do that, said Horley.

The crew also recently helped a senior who had been badly hurt by chopping and stacking her firewood.

Jungaro and Horley will be taking part in Local FireSmart Representative training March 25-26, and after that, they will be included in the B.C. FireSmart website.

Jungaro and Horley will be presenting more information about the Fire Mitigation Project April 18-19 at the Quesnel Home and Outdoor Adventure Show.

For more information about the United Way Fire Mitigation Project, contact Ray Jungaro at 250-992-1508 or Garry Horley at 250-991-6143 or email either of them at quesnel@unitedwaytnc.ca.

For more information about FireSmart, visit firesmartbc.ca.

READ MORE: Quesnels United Way Fire Mitigation Project has been a success so far

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Importance of FireSmarting your home highlighted at Quesnel open house - Quesnel Cariboo Observer

City crews are removing trees along the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Latoria Road in Colwood to make way for the construction of new roads on the Olympic View development. There will be 34 new lots for single family home and three sites for multi-family townhomes. (Aaron Guillen/News Staff)

Crews near intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Latoria Road from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tree removal for a new development may impact traffic in Colwood Tuesday and Wednesday.

City crews and an arborist are working near the intersection of Latoria Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Wednesday, March 4.

Trees have been coming down since Tuesday to make way for a new development in Colwood.

City crews and an arborist were working at the intersection of Latoria Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway to prepare for the Olympic View development, which will become a four-way intersection down the road.

Traffic came to brief stops as crews topped trees and began clearing the area for development.

RELATED: Colwood approves new single-lane roundabout at intersection with immediate need for improvement

ALSO READ: Royal Bay student hit by driver while heading to first day of 2020 classes

Currently, the owners of the Olympic View property are preparing for the construction of new roads as a next step in creating 34 lots for single family homes and three sites for multi-family townhomes.

Designs for a single-lane roundabout at Veterans Memorial Parkway and Latoria Road are being finalized now.

Though trees may be coming down, there is a tree management plan in place that will keep hundreds of trees and protect environmentally sensitive areas. The Olympic View development will be designed to fit homes into the natural landscape.

aaron.guillen@goldstreamgazette.com

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City crews will be removing trees along the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Latoria Road in Colwood on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Courtesy of City of Colwood)

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Tree removal may impact traffic in Colwood Tuesday and Wednesday - Victoria News

I love trees! From live oaks in Louisiana, sequoias in California to Cypress trees deep in south Georgia swamps, I have traipsed across the country to see natures tallest treasures. So today is super easy to drive up Habersham Street to the Savannah Tree Foundation Georgia Arbor Day Block Party at Green Truck Pub.

Checking out the colorful tents, live demonstrations and a cool green produce truck, I head over to talk with foundation Executive Director Zoe Rinker. Charged with preserving, protecting and planting urban trees locally, Zoe tells me, Green Truck Pub wanted to celebrate their 10th anniversary and came up with the idea of celebrating trees on Arbor Day.

Loving how this event focused on families that plant together stay together, it makes senses that the next people I see are Hunter Cattle Co. A fan since day one, I hug Del and Debra Ferguson, then take a seat on a hay bale to get an update on my favorite grass fed, no antibiotics, hormones, ingredients or preservatives cattle family.

With close to 1,000 cattle on their 300 acre farm and with partnering farmers, Del tells me they are selling grass fed beef to Green Truck Pub, Elle Tran and Local on 17 and how excited they are to debut their clean, natural meadow bloom tallow soaps and lotions.

After a pic of them with sons Daniel and Riley, I trot over for pics of photo reluctant Nancy Hayward with Constantinos Papaconstantinou and Jen Hayward, then the leader of all things healthy, the indomitable Paula Kreissler.

I once said, wherever she leads I will follow, and I cannot express how I love and admire the woman that made smoking indoors illegal and has changed local school food plans. After a long hug of love, I pose her with Joa Bello and Melissa Memory winners of the best names of the day.

Next I pose Zoes husband Rob with Savannah Tree Foundation board member Jody Trumbull and office administrator Haley Gary. The Florida native tells me, Savannahs trees are the entire reason we moved to here. It took us three years to get here and we want to put down roots.

Another person with love of trees is with Evergreen Tree Service, Jenna and Robert Cuilty. Busy snipping and shaping a small evergreen, the Savannah loving couple tell me, We are tree care solutions and do everything from plant health care to tree removal and pruning.

Across from their tent is a big group of guys making a lot of noise with their wood turning mid-lathe. With 43 members offering free demonstrations on the last Thursday of each month at Georgia State Railroad Museum, I pause to hear Lowcountry Turners President Dan Lee talk about the bowls, platters and vessels on his display table.

Dan shows birch from his backyard, cherry wood from Hurricane Matthew and a live oak from Wilmington Island, then the finished product. I may be obsessed with this new-to-me nonprofit as I watch Lonnie Bott make nice little cuts into a tulip poplar wood blank, then hand me a colorful tiny spin top!

Dragging my feet away, I head over to pose Mark Bowen from Forsyth Farmers Market in front of his fresh produce truck, then pause Savannah Derby Devil member Kiona Heredia aka CleoCatra, Sarah Handy aka Handy Dufresne, and Ivette Foreit aka Ms. Elle Crisis for a fun pic.

Slowing down, I wait for Zoe to wrangle Green Truck Pubs Whitney and Josh Yates away from a standing-room-only restaurant. We love trees, and planting trees is the best way we can give back to the community that supports us. Having a friend-raiser along with matching donations all month will make our goal of 10 trees possible, shares the fellow tree lovers.

With a final lap through the perfect Sunday party, Zoe shares, Today was particularly exciting because of all the children attending, thats truly who we are planting for. The trees we plant today will continue to provide shade, clean the air and beautify our community well into the future.

Amen! With future plans to track down some aspens in Yellowstone National Park, I will remain content to live in a city cuddled by the long arms of century-old oaks, swaying pines and magnificent magnolias. Thank you Savannah Tree Foundation for being the ultimate caretaker of our natural treasures!

Invite Bunny to your gathering, gala or other social event. Contact Bunny at 912-844-1122 or email her at bunnyware@aol.com.

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BUNNY IN THE CITY: Friend-raiser explores the value of trees - Savannah Morning News

Trees that were given a stay of execution after protesters threw themselves around their trunks, have finally been cut down.

The trees along Wellington Road next to the large Tesco store in Swansea city centre were due to be felled as part of the first phase of the ongoing 135million revamp of the city centre.

Eight trees in total were due to be removed, although Swansea Council said it would be planting 17 smaller trees elsewhere to mitigate the loss.

But when contractors moved onto the site two weeks ago, supporters of campaign groups including Save Swansea Trees and Swansea Tree Forum forced a delay by wrapping themselves around the trunks .

A discussion ensued with council officers, and the felling was postponed.

The stand-off prompted a row between Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart, who said groups had been kept updated with the plans, a claim disputed by The Woodland Trust, which insisted it had not been consulted about the felling.

Mr Stewart claimed the Woodland Trust was invited to a meeting about the trees but declined.

Joseph Coles, urban programme lead for the Woodland Trust said: The Trust has been supporting Save Swanseas Trees and the Swansea Tree Forum since they brought our attention the significant tree removals taking place in the city centre back in 2018.

We have acknowledged that in some circumstances, trees were removed for acceptable reasons where evidence was provided, and we applaud the commitments Swansea is making to the climate emergency, green infrastructure and biodiversity through its city development.

We also appreciate the councils recognition that residents are concerned about tree removal.

We also recognise that planning permission was approved last year for the removal of trees as part of large-scale redevelopment in Swansea.

However, we must emphasise that contrary to the statement made by Swansea Council, we were not consulted, nor did we endorse the removal of these semi-mature trees on Wellington Street without evidence of their location and status.

In a lengthy article published in the Swansea Evening Post on Wednesday, March 4, Coun Stewart listed the public consultations and separate consultations for interested parties as well as outlining the people individually contacted to attend the meetings.

He also reiterated why the work was carried out. He said: "The Wellington Street reconfiguration is being undertaken to improve access for buses/coaches/taxis and to improve disabled access. The work is also required to improve the access in Tesco and reduce the congestion onto Westway.

"The works form part of the reconfiguration to support the creation of the new Swansea Central Phase 1 development."

A spokesman for Swansea Council said: "While its always regrettable to have to remove trees, we have said right from the start that a number would have to make way if we were going to successfully deliver the Swansea arena project.

"We obtained planning permission to do the work. By smart planning we were able to save a number of trees originally earmarked for removal but, unfortunately, it was not possible to deliver a new entrance for Tesco and two way traffic without removing eight trees.

"We will be planting 17 replacements and all will be semi-mature and around 9m high when planted. Visitors to Wellington Street will be able to enjoy even more London Plane Trees than before because five are being planted to replace the four that were removed."

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Mature trees outside Tesco have been cut down a week after campaigners wrapped themselves around them - Wales Online

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

I have no idea. I leave that question to the philosophers and physicists. But I do know that if a tree in your yard falls on your house while you're in it, you darn well will hear it. And the sound will make your heart jump out of your chest like the creature in Alien, and your emergency savings fund will disappear faster than a puff of pollen.

That scenario was precisely the one I chose to avoid when I had the old water oak tree removed from my yard this week. Though I was sad to see her go, I decided it was better she leave on my terms than on hers.

The old oak was nearing the end of her years, two arborists told me. Hurricanes had damaged her once regal crown. Now, where branches had once been, open cavities the size of wastebaskets pocked the trunk, opening doors for decay.

"We won't know till we get up there how bad it is, but I can tell you she's compromised," said Alec Lantagne, a certified arborist and partner at The Sunbelt Tree Service, which serves Central Florida.

He pointed to a section of root that was beginning to lift. "This indicates instability."

I look up into the canopy of the 50-foot tree, a big part of the landscape around here, and feel sad.

I turn tables and ask, "If this tree were in your yard, would you cut it down?"

He thinks a minute. "I wouldn't have a water oak near my house," he said.

I don't just take his word for it. I do some research. Unlike live oaks, those sturdy majestic soldiers that can live for hundreds of years, water oaks only live 50 to 60 years. Like a bad marriage, when they fail, they can take a house with them. "Water oaks, sometimes called laurel oaks are fast-growing, short-lived trees that don't do well in hurricanes," read one report. Great. "Laurel oaks are not very good at containing decay, so it spreads throughout the tree," said another. Fantastic.

You only have to live through one hurricane and see the aftermath of trees on their sides, lying on fences, cars and roofs, to realize you don't get to pick which way a tree falls or when.

"I didn't become an arborist because I don't love trees," Lantagne said, sensing my resistance. "Trees are important for the environment. They provide shade and beauty and homes for wildlife, but sometimes they need to come down. This is one of those times."

If she didn't topple over, she was on the verge of dropping large sections, he said, and with wood that weighs 80-pounds a square foot, that's not a blow you want to take.

Here's what else I learned about tree removal:

Ask before you cut. Find out the rules in your town, and check with your homeowner's association before you remove a tree. Many cities require you to get a permit first. If the tree is dead or diseased, you shouldn't have any trouble getting permission.

Assess your risk. Disease and instability are the most common reasons homeowners have trees removed. Arborists can help tree owners determine their liability by noting the tree species, the extent of its root system, its age and health. They look for signs of beetle infestation, cavities, fungus, trunk discoloration, or other signs of compromise. "Companies with certified arborists are less likely to take down a tree that doesn't need to come down," Lantagne said. "Sometimes you just need to prune the tree, so it doesn't act like a sail in the wind."

Hire bona fide pros. Taking down a large tree properly and safely is not a job for an amateur lumberjack. It involves math and physics, Lantagne said. When hiring a tree service, look for one that has a certified arborist. Make sure the company carries liability insurance for tree work and workers comp. Lantagne showed me certificates for both without hesitation. Be sure the company is based locally, has good referrals, a legitimate office, and a person easy to reach by phone, not just a P.O. Box and a truck. "A lot can go wrong," Lantagne said. "You want to be sure you're working with a reputable company."

Know the plan. The day before our tree came down, Lantagne came by to figure out where to park his chipper so it wouldn't interfere with traffic, and how to remove sections of the fence for better access. The next day, his crew set up a pulley-rope system and began taking the old oak down gracefully, lowering branches to the ground carefully, almost ceremoniously.

Remove and replace. Some cities require homeowners to replant a tree if they remove one. Even if it's not required, it's nice to do. Soon, three crepe myrtles will stand where the old water oak once was, providing shade and a home for birds and squirrels minus the threat.

Syndicated columnist Marni Jameson is the author of five home and lifestyle books, including Downsizing the Blended Home When Two Households Become One (Sterling Publishing, Dec. 2019).

HomeStyle on 02/15/2020

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Old water oak proves pre-emptive tree removal is sometimes best - NWAOnline

A new but familiar tree battle is brewing along Berry Road.

Oklahoma Electric Cooperative this weekend intends to start the long-planned removal of 17 trees along the road as part of its vegetation management program to protect power lines.

A group of residents, led by councilman Joe Carter, may ask a judge to delay the work. Carter said late Thursday afternoon his attorney planned to file the paperwork with the court today.

This was the same issue in 2017 that spurred creation of the city's tree ordinance.

City Manager Darrel Pyle said the city and OEC have negotiated for months on the project and the power company is within its rights to do the work.

Pyle wrote in an email to council members Tuesday night that although the tree ordinance passed in 2017 was designed to protect street trees such as those on Berry Road, "apparently there are loopholes in the ordinance which allow OEC to move forward with their removal plans."

Carter, in his role as councilman, wants the courts to delay the project to give the city council time to close those loopholes. Council members discussed the issue at a Feb. 4 study session and the tree ordinance has been added to the city's March Oversight Committee agenda, Carter said.

"There is widespread interest in the council to revisit this ordinance, and that could take months," he said. "OEC can trim the branches just as they have for 30 years."

Carter contends OEC wants to take down the trees because it will be cheaper than trimming every couple of years.

Autumn McMahon, OEC spokeswoman, said the company plans to remove rather than trim certain trees at the request of homeowners. The company pays for the tree removal. The Feb. 4 council study session presentation shows 11 homeowners requested removing 17 trees on Berry Road.

The presentation also shows that the city granted permission where trees were not healthy because of excessive topping, decay, dropping or no branches, and massive seed production. Five of the trees slated for removal were not deemed unhealthy and the tree ordinance requires a $5,715 administrative fine be paid. OEC would pay that fee and the money would go toward planting the new trees, McMahon said.

McMahon said the company's vegetation management program not only helps power flow, but also increases safety for members and residents. She said there must be 10 feet of clearance between power lines and the nearest branch, requiring tree trimming every one to four years on average.

The Berry Road trees are sweet gums and grow extremely tall, said Tim Vermillion, city forester.

"This is a painful situation that happens all over the county," he said of the tree versus power line issue. A lot of times the issue comes down to not having the right tree in the right place, he said.

The Berry Road trees were planted in the 1960s by the Lion's Club in an "effort to beautify Norman and add to Norman's sparse landscape," Pyle wrote in his email to the council. "The Berry Road tree canopy is very sentimental to many Normanites."

Carter described the tree canopy as creating a tunnel effect on the road.

Vermillion said he has identified eight tree species that work well under power lines that could replace the sweet gums: Oklahoma redbud, city sprite zelkova, trident maple, Persian parrotia, wireless zelkova, emerald sunshine elm, amur maple and prairifire crabapple. He said the proposed trees would not create the same canopy, but would not need to be trimmed as often.

McMahon said OEC's goal is to make sure homeowners receive a healthy tree that does not pose safety hazards or require repeated trimming.

"We want to make sure we are going above and beyond," she said. "We are working with the city to replant trees that grow the right way."

If court papers are filed and a judge issues an injunction to delay the work, OEC will likely trim the trees, McMahon said. Work was delayed for months during negotiations with the city and now many limbs are close to the power lines, she said.

"Since we continue to delay it gets more dangerous," she said, adding that it is important for work to be done before storm season hits.

Vermillion said "giving them a haircut will alleviate the problem" but isn't a longterm solution. He said some of the trees in question had decay from being topped and others are next to telephone poles creating an unsafe situation.

"I've looked at this project not just at how they are now, but how they will be in the spring and into the future," he said.

Burying the power lines if often suggested as a solution, but it has a costly price tag, Pyle said. It costs an estimated $750,000 to $1 million per mile to bury power lines, he said.

Mayor Breea Clark said she is not sure there is anything that can be done for this Berry Road project, but favors looking at the tree ordinance again and cleaning up any unclear language.

"I admire their passionate feelings on this topic," she said of council members and residents.

Vermillion said he has already suggested a few changes that could be made to the ordinance, such as increasing the fine for removing a healthy tree and adjusting the name to better fit what the ordinance is -- a street tree ordinance.

Christie Swanson366-3543cswanson@normantranscript.com

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Residents want to stop tree removal - Norman Transcript

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) Someone is disrupting years of research and delaying costly time for several projects at the University of Virginia. The question of who is responsible remains a mystery leaving students and faculty with plenty of questions.

The person has been removing pink flags on trees that mark the plots for student research.

Hopefully its a well wishing person thinking they dont like clutter in the forest or maybe somebody that thinks its some kind of project to cut trees down and they want to stop it. We dont know, UVA Environmental Science Professor Hank Shugart said.

The pink flags are there to indicate research plots for a couple of projects.

"Trying to understand runoff and what runoff does to the vegetation. So, we're doing labs and also using sorts of focused research on how water processes and land processes work," Shugart says.

The university is also keeping track of carbon

Were keeping track of tree growth and how much carbon is being stored by O-Hill, which has to do with global change, Shugart says.

Students are also left guessing where to put flags again to continue their research.

We kind of cobbled together where our old plots were with our memories of, 'oh yeah, that tree was in this plot, I think,' UVA PHD Student Elise Heffernan said.

The research could lead to more than a million dollars for the university.

Right now, theres a market for carbon and O-Hill in 70 years could probably store away somewhere between $800,000 to $1.5 million worth of carbon, Shugart said.

That money would come from simply growing trees and then selling the stored carbon that results from not cutting the trees down.

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Years of UVA research is being hindered by the removal of pink flags on trees - WHSV

GRAVETTE, Ark. (KNWA) A growing problem at Bethel Cemetery, as trees on the property are damaging headstones. Now, dozens of trees on the landwill have to be removed.

Benton County Preservation Group President Nancy Feroe said getting rid of the trees is the only way to maintain the cemetery and protect the headstones .

They look beautiful in the spring especially when they have the white flowers but thats only for a short while, said Feroe.

This row of trees, planted more than two decades ago. Bringing life to a burial place that was established over 200 years ago but the trees are also bringing a growing problem.

As theyre getting older because theyve been there for over 25 years their limbs are falling off, breaking off and hitting head stones. Some have actually damaged some stones. They cost problems for the Bethel Cemetery Association to have to take care of.

Just last month, the association removed a large pine tree. Feroe said it was near a historic arch on the property. With so much weight with the pines, it wouldnt take much of a storm to push that over and not only destroy the arch but probably a lot of stones with it.

The preservation group assess cemeteries around Benton county to make sure they stay in good shape. Theyre also working with the association to replat the entire cemetery. Making a map of the burial location, the physical burial locations of each individuals that is buried in the cemetery and where that graves are located.

The tree removal could cost about $8000.

They look great, Im a tree lover too but sometimes there are better places for them, said Feroe.

The preservation group and the association are hoping to work with a landscaper totransfer the trees to a better location.

Original post:
Dozens of trees to be cleared out of Bethel cemetery - KNWA