West Newsmagazine 7-26-17

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July 26, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
I NEWS I 15
Manchester Board considers ordinance to regulate tree care maintenance
By BONNIE KRUEGER
An ordinance introduced at the Manchester
Board of Aldermen meeting on July 17
would regulate the care and maintenance
of trees within the city’s rights-of-way and
parks, and establish regulations for trees in
residential and commercial developments.
One of the driving forces behind the
ordinance is the local invasion of the emerald
ash borer insect and a plan to identify
and remove affected trees. Emerald ash
borer is a species of Asian beetle that tunnels
under the bark of ash trees, disrupting
the flow of water and nutrients, eventually
killing the tree.
She said the tree companies she called were
not interested in grinding out and removing
the stump if they were not hired originally
for full tree removal. She noted it is not
cost-effective for them to remove stumps
on a case-by-case basis and suggested that
the city contract with a tree service company
to remove offending stumps as a collective
project, with a discounted fee passed along
to property owners.
The other main provision of the proposed
ordinance relates to tree preservation
during construction of new development
projects. Under the ordinance, developers
would be required to retain a minimum of
30 percent of existing woodland in developments
where contiguous woodland is
to be removed. The ordinance states that
“woodland preservation should prioritize
riparian corridors, quality species composition
and buffer zones. When possible,
replacement trees shall be replanted.”
Ward 1 aldermen Nelson Nolte and Paul
Hamill expressed concern over the cost to
potential new developers. However, Alderman
Mike Clement [Ward 2] called the tree
ordinance “long overdue.”
“We need to eliminate nuisance trees,
particularly ash trees, protect our green
space with new developments and encourage
new planting of trees. There is still
more work to be done,” Clement said.
The ordinance likely will be voted in
August. Clement suggested that concerned
residents contact their local aldermen or
attend the August council meetings.
IT’S BARBECUE SEASON!
An emerald ash borer-infected ash tree in a
privately owned public right-of-way.
[Photo courtesy of Steven Katovich/USDA Forest Service]
Trees that are in public rights-of-way and
on private property are maintained by the
property owner at his or her expense. If the
trees are not in an adjoining private property,
the city’s public works department
manages them. Under the proposed guidelines,
the city would have the authority
to identify street trees that require action,
specifically tree pruning or removal; offer
appropriate tree species to replace removed
trees; and provide a list of tree varieties that
are not allowed. Whether the city would
provide a list of approved contractors was
left undecided.
Several area residents in attendance at
the July 17 meeting, including subdivision
trustees, expressed concern regarding the
city’s ability to mandate tree removal at the
owner’s or subdivision’s expense. Many
offending trees already have been proactively
removed by homeowner associations,
but the stumps remain. Because of those
stumps, the city has received a number of
complaints; with the ordinance, procedures
would be in place for a code enforcement
officer to vet those complaints and, if
founded, detail a plan to have the stumps
removed.
Manchester resident Megan Huether
echoed others in attendance regarding the
difficulty they have had in removing stumps.
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