Protection of trees was responsibility of home builder
$10,000 fine is inconsequential for developer of 72-lot subdivision. Salem residents have this funny attitude toward trees. They love them. Trees are part of the Oregon psyche. So it's not surprising that the "accidental" demolition of five trees has area residents fuming -- about the lost trees, about the developer's response and about the puny $10,000 fine he faces. See other related articles and opinions...
Protection of trees was responsibility of home builder
$10,000 fine is inconsequential for developer of 72-lot subdivision
August 30, 2006
Salem residents have this funny attitude toward trees. They love them. Trees are part of the Oregon psyche. So it's not surprising that the "accidental" demolition of five trees has area residents fuming -- about the lost trees, about the developer's response and about the puny $10,000 fine he faces.
The maple, spruce and fir trees were to be preserved in the Waln Creek Estates subdivision under developer George Suniga's agreement with the city of Salem. In a story in Saturday's Statesman Journal, Michael Rose reported that Suniga said a contractor removed the trees by mistake after their roots were damaged.
"We cautioned them, but heck, you get those young guys bulldozing and they don't pay much attention," Suniga told Rose.
Hmm. Maybe it's some developers who don't pay enough attention. It was Suniga's responsibility to see that everything went according to plan. If that meant that he had to stand on site and make sure that no bulldozer came close to a protected tree, so be it. At the least, protected areas needed to be clearly marked and workers thoroughly instructed about how to avoid damaging them.
A proposed $2,000-per-tree fine may sound like a lot. Indeed, it's the maximum fine under the city ordinance. But it's not much when spread across the costs of developing a 72-lot subdivision.
Keeping the trees would have built good will with the neighborhood and likely made the subdivision even more attractive for buyers. Adult trees don't spring up overnight. And Oregonians love their trees. |