Emergency meeting called on 100-year-old tree's removal

Residents in Des Moines' Sherman Hill neighborhood are upset after an oak tree, believe to be 100-years-old, was uprooted because of construction on a gas leak in the neighborhood.

The Des Moines Register newspaper reports that the MidAmerican Energy Company had been looking for a leak in the gas main.

Company surveyors said they located the leak directly underneath the tree, which was removed on Tuesday.

MidAmerican spokesman Ashton Newman said other ways of dealing with the gas leak were considered, but it was determined that they would disrupt the neighborhood with more digging, disrupt service or affect other trees.

Des Moines City Councilman Skip Moore, the former municipal arborist, has called for an emergency meeting with city officials to discuss the process for removing trees.

Moore said the downed oak will likely be turned into mulch.

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Emergency meeting called on 100-year-old tree's removal