Chesapeake Beach tree board approves after-the-fact permit, recommends $300 fine and mitigation for Old Bayside Road removals

On April 1, 2025, the Chesapeake Beach Tree Board considered an after‑the‑fact permit application for the removal of two trees at 4003 Old Bayside Road and voted to approve a permit for the remaining tree with mitigation conditions and to recommend a $300 fine for failure to obtain a permit.

The board heard a staff statement that Code Enforcement was alerted on Feb. 14 that a large tree was being removed at 4003 Old Bayside Road and that an after‑the‑fact permit application was received Feb. 27 for two trees: a cedar tree described as 91 inches in circumference and a cherry tree described as 132 inches in circumference. The planner’s summary noted the cherry tree was already removed and that the property lies inside the critical‑area overlay, which requires replacement of vegetation removed in the critical area and limits what may be substituted.

The board considered the town ordinance (Chapter 2.63) and the Maryland/Calvert County critical‑area guidance when weighing public‑safety concerns, the trees’ health, and neighborhood canopy impacts. A neighbor, Margaret Tierman of 4009 Old Bayside Road, told the board the cherry tree was “dead” and said limbs had fallen onto…