Council to consider unsafe tree removal

Someone elses trees would have to create a clear and present danger to a neighbor before the county could step in, under amendments to a bill considered Tuesday by the County Council Environmental Management Committee.

The bill makes it easier for the county to remove unsafe trees from private property, and to place a lien on the offending property if the owner doesnt pay for removal.

The measure, Bill 64, was advanced by an 8-0 vote to the council, with the bill to be refined with further amendments at the council level. The changes are intended to make a bill addressing problem trees, in particular the invasive albizia, less draconian, following concerns raised by council members and the public.

The county already has a similar ordinance for refuse and undergrowth on unoccupied lots. Bill 64 would add unsafe flora to the list and extend removal to occupied lots. It also lets an adjacent property owner make the initial complaint to the mayor, rather than a majority of adults in a 500-foot radius of the offending property, as is current county code.

Puna Councilman Zendo Kern, the bills sponsor, and Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille withdrew their amendments after a lengthy discussion. Kern plans to further amend the bill at the council meeting.

Proponents say the bill is needed, because absentee landowners are letting their albizia trees grow out of control, posing dangers to neighbors when the massive trees drop limbs on other peoples property.

I personally attended the last hearing on Bill 64 in Hilo and was astonished to hear a few people speak against the bill. In almost every case, the person dissenting on this measure misunderstood the intent of the bill, said Eileen OHara, Hawaiian Shores Community Association president.

The purpose of this measure is to relieve the citizens of this island from the increasing threat of physical harm and property damage that could cause extensive financial hardship.

But Glenn Bousquet, testifying from Pahoa, said the measure will make it hard for people to buy and sell property. He questioned whether buyers would be warned that property they are interested in could be subject to mandatory tree removal. Removing a single albizia tree can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000.

Are we going to criminalize everyone when theyre living in Canada and they buy a lot in Hawaii? he asked.

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Council to consider unsafe tree removal