Trees Targeted For Removal Rather Than Simply Trimming

This is to follow up on an issue I posted to a Sky Ranch Facebook group. The landscape company for the HOA, O’Connell, marked trees for removal. They told me that the Fire Marshal instructed them to. I contacted the Fire Marshal. She told them to ensure the trees are compliant, 10 ft apart. Below is information to address what the Sky Ranch Property Manager, from FirstService has told people who contacted them.

FirstService and O’Connell landscapers are saying that the Fire Marshal told them to remove trees. Before I posted the issue online I had contacted the Fire Marshal to confirm. She sent me the recommendation <.pdf>. It says, trees need to be trimmed so that tree canopies have 10 ft of clearance. It says a few trees may need to be removed if compliance is not possible. They should simply trim the trees that can be retained rather than removing most of them. A couple small trees (one 10 ft tall) weren’t on the plan and they should be removed, but they’ve marked a bunch for removal, including mature trees, on the plan, spaced correctly. As you enter the community look at the trees bunched together. You want them removed or trimmed?

Update, March 8: FirstService, the property mgmt company for the HOA, sent an email stating, “The Board will review the matter at their next meeting. No decisions regarding the trees will be made until the Board is able to meet and discuss.”