City orders tree removal, how to appeal?

[SilentElk]

I wonder if it's a big scam between the forester and 'select' tree companies. Forester creates the work and a select few get a good chance at over pricing the work. Call Tom Martino!! He'll get to the bottom of it hehe.

 

[lilac]

I wonder if it's a big scam between the forester and 'select' tree companies. Forester creates the work and a select few get a good chance at over pricing the work. Call Tom Martino!! He'll get to the bottom of it hehe.

So far I've only had a tree trimming offer from the one company so i seriously doubt it's true that there's a "citation list" otherwise I'd have been overwhelmed with helpful offers. Maybe these jokers saw the inspector parked at my house and decided to make me an offer.

 

[lilac]

"Do you know if your neighbors took the tree down voluntarily or if they were ordered to by the city?"​

They are old folks who let the "news" scare them. Saw a story about a tree that fell on a parked car (slow news day), and decided they could have that. It's a big scary world we live in, with lots of risks -- enjoy life and worry only about the stuff that's worth worrying about!

Foresters require trees with flicker nests to come down, and then elsewhere in city government someone is paid to monitor the declining flicker population. Perhaps if the foresters who are so quick to order the removal of a flicker nest were, as part of the job description, personally responsible for the installation of a couple new flicker houses, they would take a closer look at the true state of the tree they were ordering chopped. At a minimum, it would end the city policy of habitat destruction.

Your neighbors should meet mine, they'd get along great.

I wasn't aware that trees with flicker nests were required to come down. Bad news for me if that's true. The one tree there's not been a decision on has a hole the forester referred to as "squirrel hole". I know it's a flicker hole. I haven't seen any flickers in there so far this year , although we do have many of them around here, so at least maybe if the tree has to come down no birds will be destroyed in the process. This tre has to be inspected with an "aerial lift" which is why no decision has been made yet. I really want this whole mess over with, trees or no trees.

 

[lilac]

Update

Yesterday I met with the arboreal inspector who condemned my trees along with his supervisor. Also the arborist who read about my situation on this site and kindly offered to help me with this mess was present. Many thanks again to him if he's reading this post.

One of the trees was ordered removed due to the result of a "mallet test". Yesterday an increment borer was used to test this same tree. If I remember correctly 4 samples were taken. Only 1 of the 4 contained less live wood than required by the city so that tree can stay. It was also estimated the tree has 8 to 10 good years left. Quite a change from being "dead, dying, dangerous or damaged" as stated on the removal notice.

The other 2 trees have to be inspected with an aerial lift. Supposedly all of the city's aerial lift trucks are in for repairs and we don't know when they'll be available.

I was also told that it's possible the remaining trees might be allowed to be pruned in such a way that they can stay also. I'm curious as to why this was not presented as a a possibility in the first place rather than simply sending me an order to remove. How many people recieve these notices and take trees down without bothering to question the city's decision?

 

[treeseer]

"Yesterday I met with the arboreal inspector who condemned my trees along with his supervisor. "

He won't keep that job long if he keeps condemning her supervisor.
Sorry, could not resist.

"One of the trees was ordered removed due to the result of a "mallet test". Yesterday an increment borer was used to test this same tree. If I remember correctly 4 samples were taken. Only 1 of the 4 contained less live wood than required by the city so that tree can stay. It was also estimated the tree has 8 to 10 good years left. Quite a change from being "dead, dying, dangerous or damaged" as stated on the removal notice."

A reasonable change based on more data gathered.

"The other 2 trees have to be inspected with an aerial lift.
I was also told that it's possible the remaining trees might be allowed to be pruned in such a way that they can stay also. I'm curious as to why this was not presented as a a possibility in the first place rather than simply sending me an order to remove. How many people recieve these notices and take trees down without bothering to question the city's decision?'

Far too many people act like sheep. City has jillions of trees to manage, and the easiest way to do that is to kill them unless there's a squeaky wheel like you. Good on you to speak up for the flickers and the other assets the trees hold. Good on the city to folow up with closer inspections and to look at pruning to manage risk.

 

[treeseer]

"Yesterday I met with the arboreal inspector who condemned my trees along with his supervisor. "

He won't keep that job long if he keeps condemning her supervisor.
Sorry, could not resist.

"One of the trees was ordered removed due to the result of a "mallet test". Yesterday an increment borer was used to test this same tree. If I remember correctly 4 samples were taken. Only 1 of the 4 contained less live wood than required by the city so that tree can stay. It was also estimated the tree has 8 to 10 good years left. Quite a change from being "dead, dying, dangerous or damaged" as stated on the removal notice."

A reasonable change based on more data gathered.

"The other 2 trees have to be inspected with an aerial lift.
I was also told that it's possible the remaining trees might be allowed to be pruned in such a way that they can stay also. I'm curious as to why this was not presented as a a possibility in the first place rather than simply sending me an order to remove. How many people recieve these notices and take trees down without bothering to question the city's decision?'

Far too many people act like sheep. City has jillions of trees to manage, and the easiest way to do that is to kill them unless there's a squeaky wheel like you. Good on you to speak up for the flickers and the other assets the trees hold. Good on the city to folow up with closer inspections and to look at pruning to manage risk.

 

[lilac]

"Yesterday I met with the arboreal inspector who condemned my trees along with his supervisor. "

He won't keep that job long if he keeps condemning her supervisor.
Sorry, could not resist.

"One of the trees was ordered removed due to the result of a "mallet test". Yesterday an increment borer was used to test this same tree. If I remember correctly 4 samples were taken. Only 1 of the 4 contained less live wood than required by the city so that tree can stay. It was also estimated the tree has 8 to 10 good years left. Quite a change from being "dead, dying, dangerous or damaged" as stated on the removal notice."

A reasonable change based on more data gathered.

"The other 2 trees have to be inspected with an aerial lift.
I was also told that it's possible the remaining trees might be allowed to be pruned in such a way that they can stay also. I'm curious as to why this was not presented as a a possibility in the first place rather than simply sending me an order to remove. How many people recieve these notices and take trees down without bothering to question the city's decision?'

Far too many people act like sheep. City has jillions of trees to manage, and the easiest way to do that is to kill them unless there's a squeaky wheel like you. Good on you to speak up for the flickers and the other assets the trees hold. Good on the city to folow up with closer inspections and to look at pruning to manage risk.

True, but from what I was told by my arborist, they're required to do so only if I appeal the removal order. It's not like they stepped up and volunteered to help me out. They condemned my trees based on next to nothing. I searched the city forestry website and was unable to find anything regarding the appeal process including how to appeal or to whom to submit the appeal. All I found was the deadline for submitting the appeal. This doesn't help if you have no address or fax number to send it to. I only found an address by calling a city forester and asking and even he had to go ask someone else to get the information.

For a city claiming to be so interested in saving it's trees they certainly don't make it easy. Seems to me this process ought to be spelled out clearly in order for someone like myself to take advantage of the opportunity. I'm sure they're trying to discourage anyone from appealing because it requires extra effort on their part.

 

[treeseer]

For a city claiming to be so interested in saving it's trees they certainly don't make it easy. Seems to me this process ought to be spelled out clearly in order for someone like myself to take advantage of the opportunity. I'm sure they're trying to discourage anyone from appealing because it requires extra effort on their part.

All that may be true. This sounds like something to tell the city council about. At their meetings they give citizens 3 minutes to air their concerns, right? Time to step up to the mike.

 

[lilac]

All that may be true. This sounds like something to tell the city council about. At their meetings they give citizens 3 minutes to air their concerns, right? Time to step up to the mike.

Good idea. I'm also thinking about writing an editorial to both our major newspaper and also our small neighborhood paper. This might be something the neighborhood associations would be interested in addressing since the silver maples in Denver are under attack.

Nothing has gotten me this riled up since they tried building a Wal Mart down the street from me. :angry2:

 

[Channon]

Congratulations

Lilac,

Congrats on a hard-won battle. I'm glad there's people like you out there -- sometimes I think I'm the only one around who likes trees! I think I'm about to lose a tree due to a jackass neighbor who doesn't seem to care for anything other than baseball & booze (not that I'm opposed to either) -- I think I'm ready to park myself in the middle of some acreage.

 

[lilac]

Lilac,

Congrats on a hard-won battle. I'm glad there's people like you out there -- sometimes I think I'm the only one around who likes trees! I think I'm about to lose a tree due to a jackass neighbor who doesn't seem to care for anything other than baseball & booze (not that I'm opposed to either) -- I think I'm ready to park myself in the middle of some acreage.

What's your neighbor's problem? Whatever it is fight him on it. You might win.