Prospect Forestation discusses hazardous-tree notifications; member reports executive removal of recurring hazardous tree on River Road

At its May 8 meeting the Prospect Forestation committee discussed hazardous-tree notifications and follow-up inspection work and heard that a member had removed a recurring hazardous tree across from the shopping center on River Road after declaring it a public-safety hazard.

Committee members said staff have begun assembling a list of hazardous trees; one member, identified in the meeting as Mike, has a starting list but it was not clear from the record whether any formal letters had been mailed to property owners. The committee agreed to check the list, conduct some survey work, and confirm whether property owners had acted so that remediation or removal can be addressed in a timely way.

A member reported making an "executive decision" to remove a tree at Ashford after the tree dropped another limb over a holiday weekend and had required multiple past interventions. The member characterized the tree as a recurring hazard and said the removal addressed an ongoing safety concern.

Members discussed the need to reach out to affected residents and to coordinate letters or other notifications; the transcript does not record a formal staff timeline or a specific number of hazardous trees identified. The committee emphasized timeliness in addressing hazardous trees for this year.

The committee also noted that other routine maintenance and storm-related removals had taken place and said it will follow up to ensure property owners and staff address remaining hazards.