Its incumbent on developers to make sure whatever site preparation work they do is compliant, says Nanaimos mayor in the wake of the city levying its third tree removal fine this year.

The City of Nanaimo issued a $10,000 fine to Maplewood Properties after an investigation found the company cleared a site on Kenworth Road knowingly contrary to city bylaws.

It was the third time this year the city has taken enforcement action on a company for tree removal. The city fined Windley Contracting Ltd. $10,500 for removing 20 trees from a watercourse leave strip on Songbird Place and encroaching into the watercourse setback, while Carlo Construction Ltd. was fined $11,325 for the unauthorized removal of trees on Reynolds Road and starting work on city streets without a permit.

All of the companies have claimed communication issues with city staff, according to city manager Ted Swabey, who said its something of which they are conscious.

The municipality ultimately holds property owners responsible for ensuring work is compliant with city requirements, although it also reports the majority of development in the area moves ahead with necessary approvals and permits in place.

Before anyone starts removing trees, they must realize there is the potential for contravening bylaws, Ruttan said. So I encourage developers and builders when they are involved in site preparation that they take the time to assess what work will be done and if it requires the removal of existing trees, that somebody review the bylaws and make sure they are in conformance before they go ahead and take the trees down.

Maplewood Properties plans to dispute its fine.

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Onus on developers to ensure compliance with tree-cutting bylaw

The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, London. Photo: Noel Foster

Actors campaigning in support of the Orange Tree Theatre have accused Arts Council England of failing to engage with the theatre community, after they received a standard, almost pro forma letter from ACE in response to their concerns about the removal of the venues funding.

Equitys west and south-west London branch chair Andrew Macbean, who is leading the campaign in support of the Richmond upon Thames venue, labelled the funding bodys attitude as a serious concern.

He said that ACE had failed to explain why it had chosen to remove its financial support: Your words lack any real drive or passion to help the theatre I am incredulous you are content to let the chance to have a constructive discussion with significant representation of the industry pass you by.

Macbeans concerns were echoed by Equity general secretary Christine Payne, who said she was surprised at the lack of detail in ACEs response in the face of such strength of feeling and said she believed the branch was right to press this further.

Macbean wrote to ACE last month urging the body to explain its decision to remove Orange Tree Theatres entire, annual 380,000 grant from next year. The letter was signed by around 800 theatremakers, including David Tennant, Simon Russell Beale, Penelope Wilton and Derek Jacobi.

It has since gained further support from some 150 actors and others working in the industry including playwright Howard Brenton, Liverpool and Everyman Theatre artistic director Gemma Bodinetz and actors John Lithgow and Martin Shaw.

Arts council chair Peter Bazalgette responded, saying the amount of money applied for by organisations to ACEs funding programme considerably exceeded the available budget.

He said: Where organisations were unsuccessful in their applications to [this programme], it is by no means the end of our funding relationship with them.

Bazalgette added that ACE was committed to working with Orange Tree Theatre artistic director Paul Miller to help him and the organisation realise its ambition and retain the strong support it has from local audiences.

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News: Actors accuse arts council of massive error over Orange Tree

YARDLEY BOROUGH The North Main Street Sidewalk Project took a step forward Tuesday night with the awarding of a bid for tree removal.

Thirteen trees will be cut down in phase one of the two phase project to make way for a new sidewalk, which will link the boroughs downtown to residential neighborhoods located north of Afton Avenue, including the new Yardley Walk development.

Phase one will extend the existing sidewalk on the east side of North Main Street from the Grist Mill parking lot north to roughly 112 North Main Street. Phase two will extend the walkway to McKinley Avenue.

Council voted on August 20 to give the phase one tree removal job to Kents Quality Tree Service, the lowest bidder for the project. The price-tag is $8,700, but additional work could be done not to exceed $12,000 total.

Councilman Rich Wayne noted that 22 trees in all have been identified for removal along North Main Street. Thirteen are slated for removal during the first phase with the balance being removed during the second phase.

Those numbers could fluctuate somewhat, said Wayne, based on requests being made by several North Main Street residents living in the phase two project area. They are asking that several problematic trees be considered for removal during the first phase.

Council vice president Kathryn Cadwallader said moving ahead with tree removal is a good idea, a feeling echoed by councilmember Uri Feiner, who added that it would be helpful for property owners to receive timelines for when the trees will be removed.

Wayne noted that residents may notice x marks on trees and utility poles, but said they are for a separate PECO project. They are not part of the boroughs North Main Street Project.

Wayne, who ran for office after a previous council nixed the North Main Street sidewalk project, said he anticipates the new sidewalk to be completed by the end of this year.

In other action, council gave the Harvest Day Committee approval to hold a wine tasting during the fall street festival on Saturday, Sept. 20 in the borough. Continued...

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Tree removal to clear the way for North Main Street Sidewalk project in Yardley Borough

The agenda for next weeks Malibu City Council meeting includes recommending over $2.5 million in spending, for projects as far-ranging as updates to city hall council chambers, tree removal, Point Dume parking restrictions, new street signs and new city contractors.

Of that $2.5 million price tag, staff is allocating $382,600 to pay city contractors.

A project to improve the broadcast capabilities in the council chambers at City Hall could add $262,922 to Mondays bill. Staff is recommending lighting and camera upgrades, as well as upgrades to the projection system and other broadcast equipment.

Another $697,011 is recommended by staff for the construction of the Las Flores Canyon Creek Restoration and Park Project, for the second phase of its development. This is a project that has already been approved.

Staff recommends the Council authorize City Manager Jim Thorsen to hire a development and database management services contractor for $46,500.

A proposed preferential parking zone near the intersection of Heathercliff Road and Dume Drive will add another $4,500 to the tally.

The Parks and Recreation Commission recommends the Council authorize adding Malibu Cars and Coffee to its schedule of programs for another $1,000. The cars and coffee program is billed as a social event for car enthusiasts.

Staff recommends authorizing the preparation of a Master Plan and EIR for Malibu Bluffs Open Space Parkland at $325,000.

Finally, Councilmember Laura Rosenthal is requesting the removal of eucalyptus trees planted in the City right-of-way. The estimated number of Eucalyptus trees in the right-of-way, according to the agenda report, is 876, with tree removal estimated at $1,000 per tree. Therefore, that project could cost up to $876,000.

Not included in the count are other proposed project that are do not include cost estimates, such as a proposal by Mayor Skylar Peak for all new street signs and welcome signs.

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City Proposes $2.5 million in Spending at Upcoming Council Meeting

Waterford - A neighborhood dispute over the town's removal of several trees on Greentree Drive led to questions Monday during a public hearing about the propriety of spending taxpayer money on issues affecting individual landowners.

Tim Conderino, owner of T&T Contracting, said he believed the removal of pine trees on the property of Kelly and Brentt Smith at 23 Greentree Drive set a bad precedent.

"You're opening up a huge, huge cost to the town," he said.

Geoff Burnham, a neighbor of the Smiths, requested the hearing because he felt that the removal of trees created an eyesore and as he wrote in a letter to the town, "taxpayer dollars should not be spent for work on removing trees on what amounts to private property and could be spent on more pressing improvements and repairs."

The Smiths, however, said during the Town Hall hearing attended by about 30 people that the trees were past their prime and branches were constantly falling on their property, endangering their children. Pine needles from the trees also blocked storm drains, they said, causing 4 feet of water to accumulate in their basement during one big storm.

One issue discussed was why the town would be required to remove trees more than 20 feet from any town road. But First Selectman Dan Steward said the subdivision granted the town a 24-foot right of way so that even trees deep within private property could be removed if they posed a hazard.

Burnham questioned whether the trees did pose a hazard, considering that Tree Warden Kristin B. Zawacki, who is also the town's director of public works, indicated in a note last August that she wasn't concerned about them.

"We don't clear healthy trees," she said in the note.

Zawacki said during the hearing, though, that the trees had deteriorated in the intervening months and were "snapping at the top."

Conderino and others noted that the Greentree Drive controversy occurred not long after Waterford High School removed 40 pine trees from its property to much public lamentation. He said the high school's trees were removed on a Sunday by a town crew, resulting in overtime costs.

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Removal of trees in Waterford at root of dispute

WOODRIDGE This fall, the Village of Woodridge will begin to remove the last batch of ash trees deemed unsalvageable due to the emerald ash borer.

The village is seeking bids for the removal of roughly 1,400 infected ash trees on village-owned property, which would bring the total number of ash trees on public property lost to the invasive bug to about 3,000.

The bid process is part of an accelerated effort to remove the unsalvageable trees, according to Chris Bethel, director of Woodridge Public Works.

Weve condensed the timeline for removal because the drought of two years ago and the extreme cold this past winter really accelerated the decline [of the infected trees], Bethel said. So we recommended accelerating the removal as opposed to removing the trees over the next four years. That way we can focus on replacing the trees in years two through four.

The remaining ash tree population on public property "several hundred" are either showing signs of resistance to the ash borer or are being treated with a chemical injection to fend off the bug, whose larvae feed on the tree's vascular system and deteriorate the tree.

Public works staff members are certified and licensed to administer the chemical injections, allowing the department to handle the treatment in-house as opposed to outsourcing.

About 50 white ash trees have been treated with the chemical. This month, the Woodridge Public Works Department began tying pink ribbons around the treated trees, indicating that the trees should not be touched or disturbed.

So far the results [of the chemical treatment] have been positive, Bethel said. Were seeing a decline in the deterioration of the trees.

The village is expected to spend more than $600,000 over the next five years for treatment and removal of ash trees.

"Right now we have $150,000 budgeted for calendar years '15 and '16, $160,000 for '17 and $70,000 each in years '18 and '19. The expenditures for 2018 and 2019 are for replacement of the trees," Bethel said, adding that the timing of those expenditures will soon change in adjustment to the more condensed timeline for removal of the trees.

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Village accelerates removal of infected ash trees

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A BEAUTIFUL tree has been saved following claims its removal would be an act of vandalism.

The huge Copper Beech at Fremington Manor care home casts a conservatory into shade but has a preservation order on it to protect it against felling.

And as Councillor Frank Biederman pointed out, The tree was there a long time before the conservatory.

The removal of the tree was refused at a North Devon Council planning committee meeting at which Fremington Parish Councils tree warden Tony Wood said the 80-year-old tree was known for its beautiful colours.

Perhaps more thought should have been given before the conservatory was built, he said.

There are very few Copper Beech trees left and its removal would be an act of vandalism.

Mr Ward reflected that he had not saved a single tree during his time as a tree warden.

Councillors were unconvinced that the tree posed a risk to persons and property, and its removal was narrowly refused with six voting for approval and seven against.

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'Beautiful' Copper Beech saved in Fremington

A man who was left a paraplegic after a tree branch fell on him at an Adelaide Baptist school sports day event is suing the school, claiming it did not act when told the tree was dangerous.

John Alexander Duthie, 49, was watching his children take part in the Cedar College sports day in September 2009 when the bough of a large ironbark gum fell in strong winds, injuring him and two others.

The school at Northgate was fined more than $100,000 for the accident.

Mr Duthie has since launched a claim for damages in the District Court, claiming the school failed in its duty of care to ensure his safety.

He claimed the school did not act on separate arborist reports in 2005 and 2007 that recommended the tree be pruned or removed.

"In or about April 2005, the defendant received a report ... which recommended that the tree had a poor structure and required pruning," the claim stated.

"The defendant did not act on that recommendation.

"In or about December 2007, the defendant received a further ... report which recommended that the tree be removed within a time frame of six to 18 months. The defendant did not act on that recommendation."

Mr Duthie claimed the school was negligent by not removing the tree when it knew it was unsafe, that it failed to prevent the use of the area around the tree and had in fact scheduled events in its vicinity.

The school has denied any negligence or liability for Mr Duthie's injuries.

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Paraplegic victim sues Cedar College over fallen tree branch on school grounds

A SLIDE presentation by tree expert Dr. Roger Guzman shows a tree in Naga City cemented onto the pavement. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

CEBU CITYThe 84 trees in two cities and one town in southern Cebu province earlier diagnosed by the environment agency as diseased and rotting can still be saved, according to tree expert Dr. Roger Guzman, retired forester and now executive director of the Philippine Federation for Environmental Concerns.

Four of the 84 trees were heavily injured, Guzman said. The rest were suffering from physical injuries, he added during the presentation of his three-day assessment on the trees along the national road in San Fernando town and Naga and Carcar cities.

The presentation at the Capitol on Friday was attended by officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in Central Visayas, the provincial government and civil society groups.

Guzman was asked to conduct an assessment on the 84 trees in Carcar, Naga and San Fernando after a DENR forester recommended their cutting because they were diseased and rotting.

Of the 84 trees, 37 were century-old acacia trees. The rest were gmelina, mahogany, tamarind, talisay, antipolo, jackfruit and binunga, among others.

Guzman said he noticed that the bases of several trees were covered in cement from the road improvement, thus obstructing the natural growth of the trees.

Some branches, he added, were not pruned properly, allowing diseases to set in. Nearby residents also threw or burned garbage at the base, making the trees sick.

Guzman recommended that the trees undergo proper pruning and tree surgery, especially those with deep cuts on the trunks, as well as the removal of cement to provide tree bases sufficient space for girth growth.

But the DENR in Central Visayas doesnt have budget for tree surgery, which costs at least P9,000 for each tree, said its spokesperson, Eddie Llamedo.

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84 trees in Cebu can be saved, says tree expert

Aug. 17, 2014, 9 p.m.

COMMITTEE members of two Ballarat dog clubs have voiced fear that the recent culling of trees near the groups clubrooms in Morshead Park is destroying the reserve.

COMMITTEE members of two Ballarat dog clubs have voiced fear that the recent culling of trees near the groups clubrooms in Morshead Park is destroying the reserve.

Bev Hardenberg, with Zac, says council workers have cut down dozens of pine trees along Rubicon Street in recent weeks after last year assuring two dog clubs who use Morshead Park the street's trees would not be destroyed.

Leading the campaign is dog owner Bev Hardenberg who estimated council workers had cut down dozens of pine trees along Rubicon Street in recent weeks.

Ms Hardenberg said removal of the trees followed assurances from the City of Ballarat at the beginning of the year, that trees within the street would be preserved.

Ms Hardenberg said an urgent meeting was called between members of the German Shepherd Dog Club of Victoria, Ballarat Dog Club and representatives of the council when pine trees along nearby Pleasant Street were removed at the end of last year.

Ms Hardenberg said at the meeting the council reaffirmed trees along Rubicon street would not be destroyed.

But at the beginning of this month, Ms Hardenberg said she noticed a pine tree which the dog owners used to park under had been cut down.

Days later she noticed that a series of trees leading to the reserve had also been culled.

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Tree culling 'destroying' Morshead Park