I am writing regarding the article in the November 17, 2022 issue which described the $70,000 fines to Salem CC and Mayer Tree for illegal tree cutting.
It’s a slap on the wrist for the egregious and illegal cutting down of 223 trees covering 3.9 acres of land. If, as stated, the majority of those trees had a 20-inch to 36-inch diameter, they are worth much more than $300 each.
In my online research I found the following: “Sugar maple trees average about 1 foot of height growth and 0.2 inch of diameter growth annually for the first 30 to 40 years. Hence a 30-year-old tree might be 6 to 8 inches in diameter and 30 to 35 feet in height.“ This suggests to me that it would take about 90 years for such a tree to reach 20 inches or more in diameter.
A 90-year-old tree has a value of $300? I think the latter dollar figure is minuscule, and is therefore inappropriate and unfair to Peabody taxpayers. This is in addition to the fact that Salem CC and Mayer Tree both acted with impunity. I would call the loss of those trees dramatic, with a significant impact on our climate! We lost a huge canopy of beautiful color as well as environmental wetland protection. How much is that worth? How long until we get that back?
$300! Think again.
Joe Riess
Peabody
