Chesapeake Beach tree board tables permit for three poplars at 3604 Eleventh Street

The Chesapeake Beach Tree Board on Oct. 7 tabled a request to remove three tulip poplars at 3604 Eleventh Street, saying the board needs additional documentation and a site visit before it will recommend approval.

The board’s discussion followed a report from Sarah Franklin, the town planning and zoning administrator, which the board chair read into the record. Franklin’s report noted that Chapter 2-63 of the town code “exists to protect the urban forest in Chesapeake Beach” and that the three poplars are protected by that ordinance. The application stated the trees were healthy but too large for the property; the report listed circumferences of about 85 inches, 90 inches and 103 inches and said the trees are more than 100 feet from the street, meaning a permit is required.

Why it matters: The board said it must balance property-owner concerns and public forest protections before allowing removal of protected trees. Board members raised safety questions, long-term goals for the property and technical uncertainties about tulip poplar root systems and slope stability that they said an on-site inspection and clearer documentation would help resolve.

During more than 40 minutes of discussion, a resident who had accompanied the applicant said the homeowner’s main goal is to reduce the number of very large trees on the property. “She has, like, like, a thousand trees on her property,” the resident said, adding that one of the three trees appears to have “a giant hole, like, right in the center of the trunk, like, 50 feet up,” and that the homeowner is concerned a large tree could fall onto the house.

Board members asked for specific evidence before acting. The board requested: photos (including a close-up of the trunk the resident described as compromised), a plat or map showing the house and exact tree locations and ground slope information showing whether the trees are on flat ground or a slope. Members also asked the homeowner to explain whether removal would be limited to the three trees or part of a longer plan that could lead to substantial clearing over time.

Several members cautioned against blanket removal of tulip poplars. One board member noted past decisions declining removal of some tulip poplars and explained that trees in depressions may develop shallower roots, increasing instability, while trees on higher ground may have deeper roots and pose less risk. Another member said an arborist assessment could clarify the health and structural risk for the tree with the hole.

Next steps: The board voted to table the permit and directed staff to arrange a site visit and to notify the homeowner about the documents and photos the board wants. The board chair said the written recommendation would be prepared and routed through town staff so Fran (town staff) could contact the resident and schedule the inspection; the board said it would try to schedule sooner than its next formal meeting, set for Dec. 2.

Votes at a glance: The board approved routine meeting business (agenda and prior minutes) by voice vote earlier in the meeting. On the permit (Case 202511) the board voted to table the request pending the requested documentation and a site visit; the tabling motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

The board also discussed other administrative matters: the town is comfortable with the Tree Board remaining at five members for now (quorum is four) while a replacement for a departing member is sought, and the town administrator has verbally approved edits the board made to its tree processes and procedures; a final written copy had not yet been received.

The board said it intends to research possible ordinance amendments to change the threshold for when permits must come before the board and to consider planting-bond language similar to Calvert County’s critical-area rules that require a bond and verification period for replacement plantings. A formal proposal on that topic was not ready at the Oct. 7 meeting.

The meeting closed after the board confirmed it would prepare a written recommendation to table the permit pending the additional materials and inspection.