City considering heritage tree plan

SANDPOINT — When two giant willow trees were recently cut down at the former Louisiana Pacific mill site, a long-simmering debate surfaced over where to draw the line between property rights and the rights of a community to enjoy the trees that some believe should be considered historic landmarks.

The two trees cut down on the corner of Larch and Boyer were said to be infected with a fungal disease called heart rot, which rendered them hazardous to pedestrians, according to Paul Akker, who was responsible for diagnosing and removing the trees.

Akker, a certified arborist with Coeur d’Alene-based Sun Valley Tree Service, said the trees were dropping branches that could harm pedestrians and cars.

“Because it was an over-mature tree — and willow is a soft wood — it had lots of heart rot in it, which made it a safety concern. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for the kids who play underneath it,” Akker said of the larger of the two trees.

Sandpoint’s urban forester, Stephen Drinkard, disagrees with Akker’s assessment.

“The 90-year-old big specimen willow had no rot. I didn’t see any rot,” Drinkard said.

It is the nature of willow trees to drop small limbs as a way of pruning itself, and, with proper maintenance, the tree would not have posed a threat to pedestrians, Drinkard said.

Drinkard did agree with Akker’s assessment of the most westerly of the two trees, which he said was over-pruned by Avista and, as a result, was infected with rot.

“That tree could have presented a hazard, but the other willow was in beautiful, wonderful health and I didn’t see a bit of rot,” Drinkard said.

An ideal solution to tree disputes, according to Drinkard, would be to implement a heritage tree program requiring property owners to receive a permit before removing trees of a particular size or historical value.

Sandpoint City Councilwoman Carrie Logan said she would support a permit-based plan, but understands that property rights issues may make the plan untenable.

Instead, Logan would like to see certain trees of historical or scenic importance identified as such, which she said would be a good start toward opening a dialogue on tree issues.

Although there is currently an urban forest ordinance making its way through city government, it does not address a heritage tree program nor does it require property owners to seek permits before removing trees.

The former LP mill site is owned by Massachusetts-based Renova Partners, which develops contaminated sites for resale.