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A large, overgrown Chinese elm tree located on village property along Parkway Street topped the Grand Ridge Village Board agenda on Tuesday night.

After a complaint from the resident whose property the tree is infringing on, Mayor Kay Hines contracted a tree service for a bid on complete removal of the tree. Upon recommendations from the service though, trustees had other thoughts.

"I just don't like to see a healthy tree come down if it's not a safety issue," Trustee Sean Maltby said.

Hines explained the tree specialist said the elm isa strong tree and though it looked like it had suffered lightning damage, was already mending and otherwise very healthy.

"He said it can be trimmed to a point where there are no safety concerns," she added.

Trustee Bill Meagher concurred with Maltby, saying "I'd rather see us trim it because trees are beautiful."

In efforts to save the tree, Trustees approved the bid for trimming and maintenance versus complete removal.

Removal of another type next topped discussions with Maltby's proposed plan for snow removal for the upcoming winter season.

According to Maltby, street parking posed a real problem last winter and he'd like to see a proactive, more definitive strategy before the first snow hits.

His tentative plan includes a snow ordinance prohibiting street parking after two inches of snowfall, as well as fines for violators.

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Tree, snow removal top talks for Grand Ridge

The city of Cupertino is talking trees again and could wrap up 2014 or begin 2015 with new rules for protecting certain trees. The city council held a nearly two-hour study session July 8 to consider more updates to the city's protected trees ordinance.

Since 2012, council has been working routinely on tinkering with how the city and residents interact with public and protected trees. The city is planning to amend the protected tree ordinance, which could include streamlining the process for removing protected trees, updating the list of specimen trees, simplifying the tree replacement process and adding new mitigation measures for tree removals.

The city is working on a draft update to the ordinance that could create a two-tiered system for how residents remove trees above and below a certain measured diameter. The city is proposing that protected trees 12 inches in diameter be exempt from the tree removal permit process.

The city's consultant arborist recommends that a mature specimen tree be defined as having a diameter between 10 and 12 inches. Currently, protected trees that measure 10 inches or greater in diameter require permits.

The city's specimen tree list currently includes California Buckeye, Big Leaf Maple, Deodar Cedar, Blue Atlas Cedar, and Western Sycamore. The Bay Laurel, or California Bay, is on the list but is considered for removal. The Douglas Fir was initially considered as a replacement to the list, but the London Planeare could be added instead, according to the July 8 staff report.

The city has seen renewed interest in trees over the past year. In March 2013, the council amended the city's tree ordinance to clarify references to public street trees and to modify penalties from a misdemeanor to an infraction for cutting a public tree. The council also directed city staff to review the specimen tree list and to include only native trees and remove non-native trees from the list.

City staff will now work with project consultants to complete the proposed ordinance and any necessary environmental review. City manager David Brandt told the city council members that there is the possibility the issue could be presented to the new council by the end of the calender year at the earliest.

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Cupertino working on tree ordinance

WALNUT CREEK -- Leaders here are cheering an agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric they hope will allow the utility and city to work together to preserve both public safety and as many local trees as possible.

In a 4-0 vote Tuesday, with Councilwoman Cindy Silva recusing herself, the council voted to approve a "framework agreement" with PG&E calling for the company and city to find a solution regarding PG&E's proposal to cut down 735 trees in Walnut Creek to allow better access to its natural gas pipelines -- part of the utility's statewide Pipeline Pathways program.

The $500 million Pathways project calls for clearing obstructions from the utility's 6,750 miles of underground gas lines from Bakersfield to Eureka. PG&E says it needs to remove the trees, shrubs and structures on private and public property to ensure pipeline safety -- a top priority after the 2010 San Bruno gas pipeline explosion that killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes.

In Walnut Creek, PG&E had already agreed in principal not to cut down any trees on public property, after Mayor Kristina Lawson started an online petition criticizing the utility's plan to hack down trees.

She said this agreement gives her hope.

"I am optimistic that by putting a framework agreement in place, the city and PG&E can begin to work more cooperatively on all issues of community concern while keeping the community safe," she said in a letter to supporters on Monday. "Once again, Walnut Creek residents and our partners and friends across the region came together to protect the community character we all cherish so much."

In the agreement PG&E agreed to do the following:

What the agreement does not address is perhaps the biggest bone of contention -- whether PG&E is subject to local tree removal ordinances.

"Instead, the agreement is designed to develop a framework for limiting the number of trees required for removal and to develop information for the city to carefully consider PG&E's tree removal requests," Lawson said.

But this means if the city and PG&E disagree about a particular tree, for example, the city or the utility may still go to court to settle the issue.

Excerpt from:
Walnut Creek: City and PG&E develop agreement to deal with tree removal plan

FLORHAM PARK What better time than summer to talk about trees?

That will be the case on Thursday, when Borough Council members hold a public hearing on an amended tree ordinance that establishes a trust fund for keeping the boroughs arboreal ambiance.

The councils public session starts at 7 p.m., preceded by a 6:30 p.m. work session. The public hearing is set for 7 p.m. Both meetings are held in the boroughs municipal complex at 111 Ridgedale Ave., and the public is invited.

Once adopted, the new ordinance will include a new community forestry management plan that outlines goals and objectives for managing trees on municipal property.

It will also establish the tree fund to administer and promote sustainability projects and practices consistent with the states Community Stewardship Incentive Program.

The new fund will be used for tree replacements on public land, and will consist of the $25 fee that accompanies any application for tree removal. The fund will also go toward covering administrative costs for implementing plans, specifications and bid documents as provided by law. In addition, the fund may be used for vouchers given to residents who want to plant trees in the front yard where they are unable to plant in the boroughs rights-of-way because of utility lines.

According to the amended plan, Trees are declared to be an important cultural, ecological, scenic and economic resource. Proper management of this resource will ensure its maintenance and result in economic returns.

In addition, the boroughs forestry manage plan is intended to meet the objectives of preserving, protecting, enhancing and maintaining trees and providing opportunities for the continued use of forest resources which are compatible with the maintenance of the environment. This will be accomplished by ensuring proper management of forest and trees through the application of sound management practices.

To that end, it shall be unlawful to cut down, damage, poison, or in any other manner destroy or cause to be destroyed any trees as stipulated in the ordinance.

There are several exemptions to the ordinance.

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Tree fund coming to Florham Park

Plans to remove thousands of trees in Fairfield were questioned by Greenfield Hill area residents Tuesday, with several focusing on the option: Why not finally begin putting power lines underground?

A forum on the controversial eight-year plan to scale back trees around power lines throughout United Illuminating Co.'s service area was presented by the power company at Greenfield Hill Congregational Church Tuesday night, organized by the Greenfield Hill Village Improvement Society and several Representative Town Meeting members. About 40 people attended.

The utility's tree-trimming plan was formulated in response to long-term power outages during severe storms in recent years when, in many cases, fallen trees and branches knocked down and damaged power lines.

According to town Tree Warden Ken Placko, 20,000 to 25,000 trees will be removed throughout town under the plan, with the bulk of them in the Greenfield Hill area.

"After those storms of 2011 and 2012, those of us in the utility business spent an entire year answering questions," Dave Goodson, manager of vegetation management for UI, said regarding outages caused during Tropical Storm Irene and Superstorm Sandy. "It was a long year."

"We were told something has to be different," he said.

"When it comes to outages in Connecticut, it all begins and ends with trees, because during extraordinary weather events, just about nine out of 10 outages are caused by trees," Goodson said.

Several people, however, expressed concerns about the tree-trimming plans.

"It sounds like a clear-cutting of trees," said Terry Willie of Fairfield, who asked how such a large number of trees could be projected for removal when, the under plans, each tree is supposed to be assessed on an individual basis.

A Redding Road resident shared his personal "nightmare" of having UI's contracted tree removal company -- Lewis Tree Co. -- take down 40 trees on his property without permission.

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UI to Greenfield Hill: Barking up wrong tree in quest for underground power lines

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With a 'public sewer service' your waste is drained away to a treatment facility, where it is run through several steps to bio-degrade the solids, and otherwise clean it up, then it is allowed to drain off into a nearby waterway.

With a private septic system (which usually means a tank and a drain field), its all right there under your yard. This is a pretty common set up in rural areas. Building/health codes mandate how far away the tank has to be from the water source for the home (in a rural setting, this usually means a private well), and how big the drain field has to be. This will vary from region to region, because of the different types of soil (some soil drains better than others). In many cases, if you had to have a new tank installed, you would have to meet the current code requirements -- regardless of where the old tank was actually placed, or how big it, or the drain field was. I've seen a case or two, where the lot size was too small, to meet the existing code requirements, lol.

If a home has this type of septic system, using a product called Rid-X once a month helps maintain the necessary bacteria inside the tank, to 'eat' the solid wastes, and break them down into liquid, so they will flow out through the drain field pipes. A typical box of Rid-X will treat a septic tank of up to 1500 gallons. You can find Rid-X at most hardware stores, in the plumbing section.

Another type of septic system, and this is more common for industrial purposes, or a block or two of houses in a rural area, is a miniature version of the public sewer system, and the utility company will come and pump out the holding tank every week or two -- you'd have a monthly bill for this type of system.

I had our septic tank and drain field replaced about 8 years ago, and have used the Rid-X on a regular basis, and have not had to have the tank pumped out. If there has been a flood, or the system has not been maintained, then the tank may need to be pumped out. You should be able to find a clean-out pipe in the yard, over the tank. It will be a white plastic pipe, with a cap on it, about 3 or 4 inches in diameter. It may be cut off close to the ground. Some folks will put a landscape item over it (like a birdbath), to keep from hitting it with a lawn mower, hehehe. One of the first signs that a tank needs to be pumped, is the waste will back up into the yard, through that clean out pipe.

Hope this helped.

Good Luck

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What is the difference between a septic sewer system and ...

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