Fort Wright is investigating the health of five large pin oak trees on Park Road.
This September, one of these trees lost a limb. The fallen limb caused property damage and took down some electric lines.
Renee Cooper lives across the street from those trees. She has seen lightning strike one and was affected by the fallen limb in September. Now, she lives in fear of another one of those trees right over her bedroom falling.
“While we love that tree, this was a warning,” Cooper said. “It’s just going to continue to decay from the inside.”
Fort Wright invited two arborists to evaluate the health of the pin oak trees on Park Road. Council reviewed the arborists’ reports at the Nov. 5 council meeting.
“Ultimately, arborists indicated that due to the extreme drought last year, these trees are shedding limbs,” Fort Wright City Administrator Jill Cain Bailey said.
Both arborists identified many problems in these trees, including uneven canopies, dead trunks, and dead limbs. They each recommended removing at least two of the trees and agreed that nearly all the trees pose at least a “moderate” risk.
The council doesn’t want to accept even a moderate risk of the trees falling and hurting someone.
“Reading these reports, I think all of those trees need to go,” council member Bernie Wessels said.
“Decay in the trunk tells me there will be problems for years to come,” new council member Donna Ross said.
“We probably need to take them all down and start over,” Mayor Dave Hatter said.
Council made a motion to authorize the mayor to seek proposals to remove all five trees for no more than $25,000. That’s $5,000 per tree.
“For the sake of those in the park, people who live there, and the cars on the street, this is the best decision,” Hatter said.
Fort Wright’s next step is to review the proposals for tree removal as they come in. The city also plans to plant new trees there once it removes the pin oaks.