Community Watchdog: Trees with damaged limbs cut down

There's a tree on my front lawn that's dying. I've been talking to the Town of Smithtown for two years to have them come and remove the tree. It's dangerous because children wait near it for the school bus and dead branches fall whenever there's a strong wind. I've called the town and they said they'll get to it when they want to and not to worry because they have insurance. I don't want to wait for something tragic to happen before they take down this tree.

- Harold Ringel, Commack

There's a tree on the edge of my property that is half rotten. It's a town tree and it needs to be taken down because the limbs are falling off. There are some live branches, but the middle of the tree - it's dead. I talked to the Town of Smithtown, and they told me I'd better not touch that tree because it belongs to the town, and they know which one it is and if I cut it, I can be fined $500. It needs to be removed before it hurts someone.

- Manto Thomaids, Commack

Both trees are gone, and both Mr. Ringel and Mrs. Thomaids, who live in the same neighborhood, are grateful that the town acted quickly to remove the trees after we called Smithtown's Environmental Protection Director Russell K. Barnett.

Barnett explained why it can take some time for the town to act on a request to remove a tree on town property, which in most cases is anywhere within 10 feet of the edge of the road.

There are about 100,000 "street trees" that the town is responsible for and only one professional forester to check out the 1,500 or so requests a year from residents to remove a town tree. And because of the value trees provide - adsorbing carbon dioxide and pollutants, serving as wildlife habitats, aside from adding to property values - there's a tendency to rule on the side of the tree if a good part of it is still living. "If there's a chance of recovery," he said, "We try to give it an opportunity to recover."

Smithtown residents who are concerned about the condition of trees on the town's right-of-way (the 10 feet Barnett describes above) can call the town's Department of Environment and Waterways at 631-360-7514. But don't expect immediate action to be taken, and unless the tree is dead, there's a good chance it won't be removed.

Patchogue-Mt. Sinai Road runs along my backyard and the noise - particularly loud motorcycles - is an overwhelming problem. It's impossible to sit and enjoy the yard in the summer. The police can't do anything, but Suffolk County has promised a sound barrier for years. Engineers have measured the decibel level and agreed we need a wall, but no one's heard a word about it recently.

- Walter Price, Farmingville

Suffolk Public Works Commissioner Gil Anderson said that in 2007, the county hired a consultant to conduct sound measurements along a string of residential properties bordering that road.

The report showed that sound barriers are warranted, but necessary land acquisitions and the road's configuration of sloped lands outside of the travel lanes pushed the project's estimated cost to more than $8 million for about one mile of sound walls, from Granny to Mill Ponds roads.

"Because of these exorbitant costs, the issue of sound walls was never pursued," Anderson said.

However, he said, "We continually investigate new alternatives that are identified in trade journals or brought to us by interested parties. Unfortunately, no new technology has been progressed and without a significant realignment and expansion of the road, the construction of these facilities is extremely unlikely."

Suffolk residents with concerns regarding county roads can call 631-852-4010.

- Michael R. Ebert