A call to protect East Hampton Village’s largest trees, even on private property, is gaining momentum following frustration over the removal of two large trees estimated to be well over 100 years old on a residential Newtown Lane property.
On Friday, the East Hampton Village Board discussed legislation that would require a permit to remove trees. The board had discussed a code amendment to restrict tree removal last year, but did not reach an agreement as to the parameters of preservation or enforcement.
The matter was taken up again partially at the behest of Elizabeth Linker, an owner of the Hedges and Gardens landscaping and design firm, who had posted videos on social media in June about the felling of the two large trees on the property at the north end of Newtown Lane, where a house was demolished.
“Those were beautiful trees and they should have lived. I’m all for making money and I’m all for new construction, but this is unacceptable,” she wrote in one of the posts.
In Sag Harbor Village, a permit is required to remove trees of a certain size unless it is an emergency situation, or if the building inspector or an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture determines they are dead, diseased, or severely damaged. Permits are not needed to remove trees in connection with authorized village activities or if they have a diameter of less than 12 inches at 4.5 feet above ground.
On Friday, as the village board met to close the fiscal year, Ms. Linker shared Old Westbury Village’s tree legislation with the mayor and trustees, asking that they compare it to those of nearby municipalities. “I feel that this is a much more extensive legislation,” she said. “It gives you everything, and it really outlines the trees that are going to be protected.”
Under Old Westbury’s code, it is illegal to remove, destroy, or substantially alter the habitat of any tree with a diameter greater than 12 inches at or below four feet, six inches above ground level without a permit. No specimen tree of any size may be removed or destroyed within 20 feet of a side or rear-yard boundary line or within 30 feet of a front-yard boundary. Permit applications, which carry a $50 fee, are sent to the superintendent of buildings, who may refer them to the village’s environmental commission for an advisory opinion and recommendation.
“We have the most magnificent trees,” Ms. Linker said of the village. “They’re majestic and it’s part of our culture. . . . I would love to see legislation preventing anyone from cutting down a tree, without a permit, over 10 inches.”
As of late last month, more than seven million acres of land have burned in Canada this year, and locally, the southern pine beetle and beech leaf disease have severely impacted the tree population. “We can’t keep losing these big trees,” Ms. Linker said. “It’s not just the trees, it’s also the animals and the insects and the birds that rely on the trees.”
Olivia Brooks, chairwoman of the Ladies Village Improvement Society’s tree committee, read a letter from herself and Joyce Tuttle, the society’s president, encouraging the board “to develop and adopt a tree protection program or code that preserves significant trees on private property throughout the village.”
“In recent years,” they wrote, “we have witnessed the removal of several large healthy trees on private properties, including mature specimens that contributed significantly to the village’s historic character and environmental well-being. Once these trees are lost, they cannot be replaced within our lifetime.” Large mature trees, they said, “improve air quality, absorb stormwater, reduce flooding, provide essential wildlife habitat, mitigate rising temperatures, and help preserve the unique landscape that defines East Hampton Village. Their loss affects the entire community, not just the individual property on which they stand.”
One resident urged a more measured approach. Jack Forst, a builder, said that, while he is supportive of protecting trees and the environment, “there’s a million restrictions on us already, on what we can do on a property. . . . I’m an environmentalist, I’m all for it, but you also have to let people be able to make a living. That’s what I’m concerned about, that you put all these restrictions on us and all of a sudden people can’t build the house that they want.”
The mayor said that a committee will be established, a draft code amendment written, and a public hearing scheduled, “so we’ll get plenty of input on this long before we pass a law.”
