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Tree board approves removal of diseased tulip poplar stand at 2341 Sansbury Road; recommends replacement
Summary
The board approved removal of an 80‑inch tulip poplar and allowed removal of smaller trees not covered by the ordinance; it recommended one‑for‑one replacement from the town list and noted the trees’ shallow roots and falling hazard.
The Chesapeake Beach Tree Board voted Dec. 3 to approve a permit to remove an 80‑inch‑circumference tulip poplar at 2341 Sansbury Road and recommended replanting appropriate species in its place.
Town staff reported the property owner applied on Oct. 1 to remove 10 trees at the site; only one tree exceeded the ordinance size threshold and required board review. Staff and board members described the trees as a linear stand of tulip poplars, several of which are dead, dying, or have already fallen, and observed that the trees have a shallow root system that makes them prone to failure.
A resident who spoke at the meeting recounted a prior incident in which a tree or branch fell on a house and said some trees recently fell during wind and rain. "We may put a shed back there one day. Not sure. Just mainly concerned about, our neighbors that's destroying it," the resident said, adding the stand had damaged fences and a play area in earlier storms.
Board members who visited the site said the stand appeared spindly and that the canopy contribution to the immediate area was limited; one member noted that tulip poplars "are one of the fastest growing trees" and they "tend to have a shallow root base." The board approved the permit and required mitigation: one‑for‑one replacement with a tree from the town’s approved list, while strongly recommending replacement of other smaller trees for neighborhood canopy and stabilizing the area.
Sharon, the town staff member, clarified the ordinance threshold: trees located more than 50 feet from a public street are not subject to the board unless they exceed specific circumference thresholds; the single 80‑inch tulip poplar was the only tree subject to review.
The transcript records the board approving the permit and making a formal statement that the 80‑inch tulip poplar is a falling hazard and should be replaced with recommended species at a better location on the property. The board also urged replanting for the overall benefit of the neighborhood canopy.
