City Removing Trees! (April 2020)
Your Dearborn Hills Civic Association (DHCA) is working again to save our trees! But we need your support!
Issue:
“The City or a Tree Service Company tells me the tree in front of my house must be taken down.
I like the tree and want it to stay. What can I do?”
As many of you have noticed recently, there have been several trees removed in our Hills neighborhood. A couple years ago, the DHCA negotiated an agreement with the City that established a process that we would all follow to determine if, and when, a tree should be removed.
(This process refers to trees located between the Sidewalk and the curb (City owned property), not any other trees located on your property.)
Here is that process:
1. No City owned tree will be removed prior to consulting with the applicable Dearborn Neighborhood Association (DNA) and the property owner the tree is located on.
2. City Trees deemed by the City Arborist should be removed due to age, disease, structural stability, construction activity or is dead, will be discussed with the DNA and the property owner prior to removal.
3. If the tree is not dead, the DNA and/or the property may request the tree remain. If the City agrees with the request the tree will remain. If the City disagrees with the request and deems the tree be removed, within 10 days the DNA and/or owner can appeal the decision to the Director of Public Works. The Director of Public works will provide a response within 10 days.
4. City trees deemed to be removed for the reasons stated above, and if the owner concurs, the tree will be removed.
5. No healthy City trees will be removed unless the City Arborist deems proposed construction activity requires the removal.
Unfortunately, this process has NOT been followed by the City in several cases recently. While some of the trees recently removed were previously discussed with us, several were not. As a result, we have un-necessarily lost several, large mature trees. Once they are gone, we cannot get them back.
We have spoken to the City Director of Public Works about this issue and have been assured that they will follow the process going forward, but this is now the second time we’ve had this issue.
As a result, in order to ensure that the process is followed, the DHCA needs your help.
If the City or some tree service approaches you or a neighbor about potentially removing a tree,
please let us know right away – before anything is done. You can reach us via email at Board@dearbornhills.org.
While you may or may not want to have the tree removed, please reach out to us anyway. We need to make sure the City is following the process they agreed to.
Trees clean the air we breathe, provide shade and habitat, and beautify our neighborhood. Thanks for your diligence and cooperation in helping to preserve as many trees as possible!
