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Commission orders removal of damaged Norway tree at 34 Van Buren Street, replacement limited by wires
Summary
The commission approved removal of a weakened Norway maple on Van Buren Street after a storm limb damaged a neighbor’s car, but noted limited space and overhead/sidewalk clearance will restrict replacement size.
The Kingston Tree Commission voted to remove a street tree at 34 Van Buren Street after a storm-top limb fell and damaged a neighbor’s car.
Brent, the city’s urban forester, inspected the tree and reported the specimen was in poor condition with substantial dead wood. The commission was told the sidewalk tree lawn at the site is narrow—about two feet in places—and the area includes many wires, limiting replacement options.
Commission discussion noted that a stump from a prior tree remains near the curb and recommended that stump be removed. Staff also flagged that replacement plantings on the site would be constrained to species that do not exceed about 10 feet in height in order to avoid conflicts with overhead and sidewalk clearances; the commission accepted the tree-removal request under the city’s standard procedure and authorized replacement only where planting space safely permits it.
A motion to remove the tree was made and seconded; the commission carried the motion by voice vote. The commission directed staff to remove the existing stump where present and to identify replacement options that meet municipal clearance requirements.
