||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER |||
Back in January, concerns were raised about the condition of trees – mostly mature maples –along North Beach Road across the street from April’s Grove. One group led by Children’s House and Salmonberry sought to take them down, citing safety issues; another group represented by the EPRC preferred a more careful approach. Both sides brought arborists in to assess the situation and they found little common ground. Public outcry was swift, and the county decided to bring a third party in for an independent evaluation. That analysis s now in.
As summarized by Mt. Vernon-based Urban Forestry Services | Bartlett Consulting and further described in its 21-page report,
Twelve trees along the pedestrian path servicing North Beach Road in Eastsound, Washington, were assessed for their potential to fail and injure pedestrians. Four of the trees received moderate risk ratings for large stems potentially failing onto the path. The remaining nine trees received low risk ratings that can mostly be mitigated by selectively pruning weak or dead branches. Three trees in decline are recommended for removal or conversion to a wildlife snag. The benefits of having a tree canopy next to the path could be improved by planting more trees to slowly replace the larger trees as they begin to decline.
Responding to the report, the EPRC stated that “their assessment closely aligned with (our) plan to remove the dead or dying trees, prune some trees, keep healthy trees – including the largest maple to the South and the large fir tree – and replant with proven tree cultivars.”
After a meeting at the County with all interested parties, the EPRC was tasked with finalizing the plan with a few minor changes, including a request by Children’s House to “save, if possible, the irises and some snowberry bushes at the base of one tree.”
The approved plan is now in the hands of Public Works, which will begin pruning and tree removal as soon as possible followed by a replanting in the Fall.
For more details, please refer to the following:
Matthew,
Like your previous story about the trees on North Beach Road, this is not an accurate article. Your story pits the schools against EPRC and that simply is not true from our perspective. This article mischaracterizes our efforts in seeking a solution to the diseased and dangerous trees. You did not reach out to Children’s House for comment or confirm statements published here. I am disappointed to see another article like this.
I feel the need to express to the public the positive collaboration that has taken place among Children House, Salmonberry, EPRC, Public Works and Council member Cindy Wolff. Back in December it became apparent that the school’s and EPRC had been working separately on the North Beach Road tree situation without the knowledge of each others concerns. Both had received information from different aborist’s that had differences of opinion. When we both realized that we were working on the same project we contacted the county and we all agreed that the county’s decision to hire an arborists to get an updated and comprehensive written report was a good idea. When that was accomplished all parties met to create a final tree plan of all the trees. EPRC felt that it was a very collaborative partnership among all parties. The final tree plan is something that we feel the whole community can be proud of. Although in the beginning an option to remove all the trees was considered for safety reasons because of one report on the condition of the trees. We were all happy about the final results and we hope the community will be as well.
Thank you, Leith. We are pleased with the consensus built by all. Though is sad to think of some of these very old trees reaching the end of their lives, I am delighted to have a plan underway that honors this public and historic space. It shows that we can hold on to what makes Eastsound so special and also plan for the future in a thoughtful way. Thank you for all of your time and effort to bring everyone together on this.
Matthew–Thank you, as always for your thorough and balanced reporting on local issues.
Ady, in my rush to press, I seem to have oversimplified the issue, missing the collaborative spirit that ultimately led to a resolution that satisfied all. A good reminder on the wisdom of slowing down and getting it right.