One sycamore maple and three Siberian elms will be replaced as part of an Edgartown house renovation. The elms are 50 feet tall but at the end of their life, an arborist said.
Four old trees on South Water street in Edgartown will be replaced as part of a house renovation.
The town selectmen Monday approved the removal of four trees at 101 South Water street; one sycamore maple and three Siberian elms. The house at 101 South Water street was purchased last spring by Michael and Bernadine Caruso, who are renovating the property.
Gerret Conover, an agent acting on behalf of the Carusos, said three of the trees are on the Caruso property and one is on a neighbor’s property. The neighbor is in favor of removing the tree.
The sycamore maple is 18 feet high and is “very sickly,” Mr. Conover said. The Siberian elms, each 50 feet tall, were evaluated by an arborist, and Mr. Conover said the arborist found that the trees are near the end of their lives. Mr. Conover and Robbie Hutchison, a landscape designer with Donaroma’s Nursery, said they wanted to plant healthier trees with better spacing.
Donaroma’s Nursery is owned by selectman Michael Donaroma, who was not present at the meeting.
Mr. Conover said the trees would be replaced with 35 to 40-foot tall London Plane trees. We “look at it as an opportunity for very nice new shade trees in a properly planted location,” he said.
Town tree warden Stuart Fuller said he could easily support removing the sycamore maple because it is in poor condition. He said two of the elms have been pruned back significantly to accommodate electric wires.
The third elm, however, “is a really nice tree, with a lot of good branching structure,” he said. “I have a really hard time supporting the removal of that.” He said it would be hard to replicate the shadow cast by that tree.
He noted that the elms are listed in fair condition, the second best of four conditions.
In response to a question from the selectmen, Mr. Fuller said he could support replacing the trees if they could plant a tree that is the same height.
“We better take advantage of getting some nice trees,” selectman Margaret Serpa said.
“It sounds like a pretty good plan for the future for this area and putting up unusually large trees is probably a benefit to the town,” selectman Arthur Smadbeck said.
The selectmen also approved a plan to install a brick sidewalk in front of the house.
Comments
This is very sad.
Dan ObThis is very sad.
Is this the job site where
oh wellIs this the job site where the wetland is being filled?
its easy to read between the
icody edgartownits easy to read between the lines on this one
Why must magnificent old
Friend of Chappy EdgartownWhy must magnificent old trees always yield to eager young money? From one end of the Commonwealth to the other, "innovators" fell trees much too quickly and much too easily. Let them expand their house, and let the Town install a sidewalk, in a manner that accommodates any of those elms healthy enough to live several more years. They've earned the right to survive.
LONDON PLANE TREES??? What
Katherine New York CityLONDON PLANE TREES??? What an uninspired and UNATTRACTIVE choice of tree. The bark of the trunk looks like it's wrapped in a U.S. Army camouflage uniform. As early as August, the leaves of the London plane turn straight from green to brown, shrivel up, and drop to the ground. And because the tree is not particularly salt-tolerant, it may not like living at 101 South Water Street.
Some Vineyard nurseries and landscaping services appear to lack sound horticultural sense. Which one started the trend of planting the boundaries of residential properties with arborvitae, the evergreen, cone-shaped tree, intended for privacy, but better described as the suffocating tree from Dullsville?
Let's hope the London plane is not about to become the next ubiquitous Vineyard tree.
As replacements for the trees cut down on South Water Street, why not choose trees more appropriate to the Vineyard, such as the black gum tree?--the beetlebung, as it's known on the Island--or the beech tree?--or any number of tree species with trunks that don't look like they're ready to fight a war.
If the nursery retained to select and plant the new trees needs some good ideas, it might consider sending its staff to the Polly Hill Arboretum to do some research or, just as easy, take a drive around the Island to discover the variety of spectacular trees that would be far better suited to South Water Street than the unexceptional London plane.
London Plane trees are the
Edward Goodman 96 South WaterLondon Plane trees are the dirtiest trees known to man. They drop bark constantly, look like army camouflage, and the leaves start turning and dropping in August. I certainly do not want their leaves blown onto my property. A really bad choice. E T Goodman
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