Sea Pines removes 42 decaying trees on popular route to Hilton Head lighthouse
Sea Pines, a famed gated community on Hilton Head Island’s south end, announced it is removing 42 trees along Plantation Drive, a popular road that leads to the candy-striped lighthouse and Harbour Town.
Tree removal will be happening at various points along the road through Friday, according to new Sea Pines Community Services Associates interim president Victoria Shanahan.
“This work includes the removal of select trees along this area that are in decline, affected by numerous weather events such as Hurricane Matthew and pose a safety risk,” Shanahan wrote in an email to The Island Packet.
Drivers and pedestrians may notice the tree removal or see stumps, which crews will grind down, Shanahan said.
Sea Pines and the Town of Hilton Head Island do not take tree removal lightly.
“CSA made the decision to remove the trees following recommendations from three independent arborists,” Rocky Browder, an environmental planner with the town, said in a news release.
The arborists assessed the health of more than 300 oak, gum, pine and palm trees along Plantation Drive and determined that 42 needed to be removed due to decay, the age of the trees and impact from weather events such as Hurricane Matthew.
The decayed trees are considered hazardous, according to the release.
CSA will continue to monitor the condition of the remaining trees and will plant new trees as part of its tree mitigation plan, the release said. Some of the replantings will include Live Oaks, Shanahan confirmed.
CSA will pay for the tree removal and replanting, although Shanahan declined to say how much that will cost, instead writing in an email to The Island Packet that “these costs will come from our budgeted tree removal line item.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 10:14 AM.
