Reprinted from the Bath Country Journal.

 

 

‘I Think That I Shall Never See...

 

By Jody Miller

 

A phone call from an alarmed resident early last month led to the Granger Road site pictured above: mature, large trees sold and felled, to be eventually trucked off private property.

 

Bath is recognized as one of this country’s “Nature-Friendly” communities, and a sight such as this raises awareness of how fragile our natural resources are.

Tree Facts:

 

There are quantifiable benefits, beyond the beauty and majesty of trees. For example:

 

* During a 50-year life span, one tree will generate $30,000 in oxygen, recycle $35,000 worth of water and clean up $60,000 worth of air pollution.

 

* Trees remove the carbon from CO2 and store it in the trunk while releasing oxygen back into the air.

 

* Trees prevent or reduce soil erosion.

 

* Trees prevent or reduce water pollution.

 

* Trees along streams help increases groundwater supply.

In an effort to better understand the balance between private property rights and impacts on community resources, we contacted Jeff Kerr of the Yellow Creek Watershed Committee. This is a citizen committee formed in 2006 to ensure the preservation and protection of the Yellow Creek, which has been rated as one of the few remaining high water-quality tributaries of the Cuyahoga River. Kerr is a landscape architect and principal of Kerr+Boron Associates Inc. in Brecksville.

 

From him, we learned that in Bath, a homeowner currently has the right to remove any vegetation as long as they do not disturb wetlands or impair a stream; that would require a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers or the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

 

According to Kerr, there are communities that require a homeowner to file for a permit to remove any tree over a certain size or quantity. While the permit doesn’t prevent the removal, it does notify the city/township and gives notice to the /neighbors.  Kerr added that some communities also have stricter requirements, but those are usually centered around development and/or construction activities.  

 

Education is a key focus of the Yellow Creek Watershed Committee. That includes educating the community on the ecological and economic benefits of natural resources, including woodlands, flooding and erosion issues, water quality protection, habitat biodiversity, increased property values and many other benefits.

In addition to education, the committee may also be able to impact community regulations.

 

“One of the objectives of the Yellow Creek Watershed Committee is investigating our community’s codes and seeing if there are opportunities to improve our environmental quality without restricting private ownership issues,” said Kerr.

 

That could involve identifying areas for preservation or restoration, he said. It could also mean suggesting changes to zoning to better protect the resources from which everyone benefits.  

 

“Our watershed is being threatened,” Kerr said, adding that the next 10 years will determine whether the Bath community is left to the next generation in better or worse condition. “I would urge residents to voice their concerns to the township trustees and the Zoning Commission and ask them to look at some basic vegetation management requirements." 

From the March 2007 issue of the Bath Country Journal.  Reprinted with permission of the Bath Country Journal.