Nuts to that
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The site chosen was close to the Mianus River which provided water for the fort and far enough from the coastline which the British controlled. Soldiers had a clear view all the way to Long Island Sound because no trees blocked the view at that time
In a comment to another post, reader Jonny Appleseed (probably not his real name) alluded to a fresh new hell coming up before the RTM in April, and so I looked; sure enough, our nanny neighbors have been busy again. A blog previously unknown to me, Greenwich Wise, reports:
Revised tree ordinance targets trees on private property
New rules for Private property owners. The update revises the existing Tree ordinance from governing trees on public properties and expands it to trees on private property as well. It also expands the definition of tree to include a "grove" of smaller diameter trees. It limits the number of healthy trees (you can cut dying trees) that a homeowner can cut to one per acre per year. The language (confusing) seems to require tree commission approval for any kind of tree removal (healthy or dying) on private property. A new 9 member commission will be established to enforce these rules including collect a $25 per permit fee and a $500 fee (per tree, per day) for each offense.
Here’s the relevant agenda item:
Sec. 13-20 - Tree removal. (a) No person shall remove a Tree on private property with a DBH of thirteen (13) inches or more or a Grove of Trees without approval of the Commission, except for any removal pursuant to G.S. § 23-59 or G.S. § 23-65 and except as specified in Sec. 13-20 (b) below. To grant permission to any other person to remove a Tree, the Commission must determine within forty-five (45) days of receiving a complete application that either (1) the tree is in poor health or diseased with an expected life span of less than 2 years; (2) the tree's removal is unavoidable because the tree poses a threat to human health, safety, and welfare, or (3) the negative impact on the local canopy caused by the tree's removal can be mitigated. (b) Owners of property who reside at the property shall be allowed to cut one (1) tree during any 12-month period per acre of property, but in no case less than one (1) nor more than four (4) trees in any 12-month period without approval from the Commission. (c) Any person wishing to remove a Tree or Grove [defined as 8 trees of at least 2” in diameter” — hardly Sherwood Forest] that is subject to subsection (a) of this Section shall apply in writing for a permit to the Commission. There shall be a Twenty-five dollar ($25.00) per Tree processing fee for each permit application.
Ostensibly, this is an anti-Joey Pecora ordinance, triggered by Pecora’s clear-cutting land he had under contract (a contract he ultimately walked away from) at Hillside Avenue and the Post Road, but its scope goes far beyond our local 8-30g vandal:
In other cases, new residents from less verdant jurisdictions cut their trees because they want better views, they want more open space or some other reason. [Oh, my God, they dare to want open space and a view? HANG ‘EM HIGH!]
They likely don’t even know how they are degrading our ecosystem and damaging our tree canopy. While this amendment would allow property owners to cut some number of trees, it would prevent clearcutting or excessive destruction. ….
This amendment does not restrict anyone from cutting trees on private property. If a tree is a danger or will die in the next 2 years, you can cut it without penalty. Residents have the right to cut up to 1 healthy tree per acre per year on their property (but in no case less than 1 or more than 4) [if a resident cuts “less than one” tree on his land, does he make a sound? Just asking - Ed] without commission review and without obligation to replace them. If you choose to cut trees beyond this annual limit and which are not a danger or in the process of dying, you can either replace the tree with a similar tree elsewhere on your property or pay the value of the tree so the Town can plant such a tree on public land.
In my search for a suitable illustration for this post (by the way, drive up to Ft. Stamford at 900 Westover Road and try to catch even a glimpse of Long Island Sound — you can’t, because of all the trees in the way), I came across this historical documentary — had Daniel Boone been subject to our RTM’s oppressive rule, he’d never have gone on to star in Hollywood. Sad.
