Aaron Noblet, a consulting arborist, told Sunbury City Council on Jan. 7 that a large silver maple on the downtown square has significant decay likely linked to topping in the 1990s and that the species’ structural characteristics make it vulnerable to storm damage.

"This tree was topped in, I'm estimating, in the nineties ... there's a lot of decay ... we're recommending removal and replacement of this big old tree," Noblet said, summarizing the risk assessment and noting that heavy use of the square makes people and vehicles likely targets if large branches fail.

Councilmembers acknowledged the report and said the removal will be handled administratively by the service department; they also asked Noblet to recommend replacement trees to maintain the square’s tree canopy. Staff said they will schedule the removal soon and conduct community outreach to inform residents about timing and replacement plans.

Context: Noblet said the tree had large sections that had broken out in the past and that local foresters who reviewed the tree agreed that removal is appropriate. Council characterized the tree as a high-hazard candidate given its size, prior pruning history and location over pedestrian and vehicular areas.

What happens next: Service staff will schedule removal and outreach; Noblet and city staff will prepare a replacement-planting recommendation for the council and the HOA to document species and locations for future maintenance.