Arborist warns Clarkston spruce trees pose collapse risk; council directs removal of immediate hazards

The Clarkston Town Council heard a presentation from an arborist on March 11 about a row of blue and Norway spruce near the town hall and directed staff to pursue removal of two trees the council identified as immediate hazards.

Jonathan Skookie, owner of John the Tree Climber LLC, told the council that the spruces have shallow root systems, evidence of removed lower limbs and codominant stems — conditions that make urbanized conifers susceptible to root failure and total collapse. "I recommend a full removal of all 5 mentioned spruce trees and reimplementation of deep rooted tree species to mitigate damage to real estate and public safety," Skookie said.

Skookie described common failure modes he has observed in the region, including trees losing lower limbs and becoming top heavy, codominant stems with included bark, and root damage from lawn maintenance. He said the spruces near the playground and town hall have had lower limbs removed, that one tree is leaning toward the building and that removing a neighboring tree could leave an isolated tree more vulnerable.

The arborist provided ballpark removal and disposal figures during the meeting. He estimated grapple-truck services and green-waste disposal would be required for multiple loads and said three loads could involve roughly $1,500 in grapple fees plus about $300 in green-waste fees. "So altogether it might be 4 or $5," he said, describing an overall, order-of-magnitude figure in thousands of dollars.

Council discussion centered on balancing risk and community value. Mayor Hidalgo said the council had invested nearly $1 million in the new building and that the location of the slope made the two north-leaning trees a primary concern. Councilmembers voiced different levels of urgency: several members said they were "risk averse" and favored removal of the two trees nearest the building, one member asked for more investigation, and one member said they would vote no for immediate removal.

The council did not adopt a formal procurement contract at the meeting. Instead members directed staff to collect written estimates and follow up with a plan that would include removal of the two trees judged to pose the most immediate danger, disposal logistics and replanting with deeper‑rooted species. Skookie suggested Norway maple, American sycamore or Gambel oak as replacement options and recommended a maintenance plan and possible tree-curbing to protect roots from mower damage.

Skookie also discouraged "topping" or other outdated pruning methods, calling them counterproductive. He advised that spiral pruning can reduce wind load but said spiral pruning generally costs as much as or more than removal because of the labor involved; he estimated spiral pruning roughly "between $1,200 and $1,500 a tree" when asked.

Council members said they will seek estimates, plan for replacements and integrate tree maintenance funding into future park budgets. The council instructed staff to return with written cost estimates and an implementation plan for removal and replanting. No formal roll-call vote on a removal contract was recorded in the public transcript.

The discussion is expected to continue as staff provides proposals and cost estimates for procurement and replanting.