Woodstock council reduces tree-removal fine for Cardinal Drive property, tables separate appeal

The City of Woodstock on Aug. 25 amended a zoning fine for unpermitted tree removals at 307 Cardinal Drive and tabled an appeal for a separate tree-removal fine at 142 Bentley Parkway to allow staff time to review a late-submitted letter from the appellant.

307 Cardinal Drive: staff drew the council's attention to prior permitting history for a 2023 permit application on the property, where staff had requested an arborist report for a large sycamore and no final arborist report was received and the permit did not issue. City measurement staff documented eight removed trees totaling 191 "tree inches" (caliper calculation used by the LDO for multi-trunk specimens), which, at the LDO's $150-per-inch rate for protected but non-specimen trees, corresponded to a $28,650 fine. Staff recommended a partial amendment to remove one tree-inch calculation related to a 41-inch sycamore and reduce the fine to $22,500 because of unresolved 2023 permitting work.

The property owner, Charles A. Bear, and his spouse told council the removals were motivated by immediate safety concerns: recent storm damage, broken limbs and evidence of internal rot that presented a fall risk to the home and family, including grandchildren. They said they had asked tree contractors to handle permits and believed that the contractors would do so; they also said they had planted replacement trees in recent years.

Council members considered the mix of factors: the prior unresolved 2023 permit, the property owner's safety concerns, the contractors' role and the city's interest in protecting tree canopy. After debate council amended the staff fine to $600 (vacating the remainder of the assessed amount) and urged the owners to replant trees; the motion passed 3-0. The council and staff also discussed upcoming formal revisions to the tree ordinance that would better allocate liability when contractors promise to secure permits and fail to do so.

142 Bentley Parkway: an appeal of a $9,600 fine tied to 64 tree inches removed at that address was tabled after the appellant emailed a letter late on the Friday before the meeting asserting he had not cut the trees and asking to appeal. Staff said they had received the late correspondence and that the new claim that the named appellant did not perform the removals merited additional investigation; the council voted to table the item so staff could gather records and report back.

Why it matters: These actions show council balancing enforcement of the tree-protection rules with practical concerns about safety and the reality that homeowners sometimes rely on contractors to manage permitting. Council signaled support for forthcoming ordinance amendments to clarify responsibility and potential sanctions for contractors who fail to secure required permits.