It began as a fight to save some trees. Maybe it was a draw.
Chadds Ford Township wants to remove several tulip poplar trees from the property of Robert Craig. The trees are in the right of way along Oakland Road between Harvey and Webb roads.
The reason for cutting down the trees is that the township wants to improve roadway drainage. To do that, a swale is to be cut along the south side of Oakland Road and an arborist the township hired said cutting the swale would damage the trees’ roots. That would in turn damage the trees and cause a potential hazard.
Craig, who grew up on the 100-acre farm, wanted to keep the trees and said it was a “dumb idea.”
“This Mickey Mouse project is insane,” he said in an interview on Aug. 3.
One of the things that bothered him was that the township never notified him. He learned about the plan by accident from an employee of the firm that was originally scheduled to do the work.
Section 2325 of the Second Class Township Code authorizes a board of supervisors to remove trees from a right of way if the trees pose a hazard, create a dangerous condition or impair the use or maintenance of a public road or street. However, it also says:
“No tree having a trunk diameter in excess of six inches shall be removed without notice of the proposed removal having first been given to the abutting property owner. The township supervisors shall determine by resolution the form of notice to property owners.”
The trees in question are more than 40 inches in diameter and are estimated to be close to 100 years old.
The township had no resolution as mentioned in the Second Class Township Code until after an agreed to settlement. Craig would be able to keep one of the suspect trees and the supervisors resolved during the Aug. 7 meeting, that property owners in the future would be notified by mail and by a phone call before action is taken.
However, it is not yet known how far in advance of work the notice would be given.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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