Salem Country Club’s request to have four trees removed from Forest Street, a designated scenic bypass that cuts through the club’s golf course, was unanimously approved by the Planning Board on Thursday.
Barry Fogel presented the application on behalf of Salem Country Club to remove four dead oak trees in an area near the sixth hole, two of which are on the city’s side of a stone wall lining the street.
Fogel said the maintenance of the roadway is important for safety reasons, as the dead trees can fall and cause an emergency obstruction.
The club previously obtained approval from the Conservation Committee and the tree warden to remove the trees, with the Planning Board’s permission being the last step to gain the go-ahead as per the scenic road statute.
According to Massachusetts state law, when a road gets a scenic road designation, any maintenance, paving, or reconstruction cannot include cutting down trees or tearing down stone walls unless a public hearing is held and the planning board gives their written consent.
During a public comment period, School Committee member Beverley Griffin Dunne spoke about how she was at the meeting on behalf of longtime City Councillor Bill Toomey, who died in 2017.
“I remember how Mr. Toomey fought so hard to have Forest Street designated as a scenic highway,” she said. “The reason for that was because of all the trees along the road, so I just wanted to make sure it was something very targeted and small.”
Dunne thanked the Salem Country Club for the small-scale nature of the project that would not interfere with any of the living trees on the roadway and its scenic status.
However, she added it will be important to stay vigilant in regard to the club’s pursuit of changing the natural scenery considering its past of illegally cutting down hundreds of trees for which the city went through a lengthy punishment process of distributing fines and requiring replanting.
“They don’t have a very good reputation right now in regards to protection of trees,” Dunne said.
Another resident, Susan Smoller, a writer for local environmental group Breathe Clean North Shore, voiced similar reservations in regards to the club’s request and the implications of removing trees.
“I’m interested in the city pursuing how, whenever a tree is removed, for whatever reason, that we replant that,” Smoller said. “I think that we need to be more forward thinking about the value of a tree with carbon removal.”
