Near CENTREVILLE, Md. -- WBAL-TV 11 News uncovered a troubling trend where developers have illegally cut down trees in protected areas -- all for big dollars a waterfront views, 11 News reporter John Sherman reported.
Some Queen Anne's County residents have recently witnessed the slaughtering of trees that line the Chesapeake Bay, keeping the waterway alive and healthy, Sherman reported.
So, who decides which trees are OK to be killed? Who steps in when someone violates the law?
Residents described what the saw, and what they heard.
"It was the noise, it was Friday morning, Good Friday, Good Friday at 7 a.m., a tremendous noise started," said Paula Newell, a county resident.
"I just couldn't believe it," said Joan Livington, a county resident. "I can't believe that anybody who wants to live down here would do this sort of thing."
"I was shocked," said Carolyn Moorshead, a county resident.
What HappenedTrees -- some wide and old -- made way in the past few weeks in Queen Anne's County, leaving a clear view of the water for a handful of luxury estates planned for building, Sherman reported.
"We immediately sent someone to the site," said
Ren Serey, the executive director of the
Maryland Critical Area Commission, told 11 News that his organization immediately sent a representative to the site. The commission regulates the state's designated
critical areas, where land-use rules restrict certain development plans.
The problem is, the land in question is in a state-designated critical area where a 100-foot buffer on the shoreline is protected by state law -- both the cutting and burning that happened at the site are illegal, Sherman reported.
"We found that some of the sediment had already started running into the water," Serey said.
"And that's what you're not supposed to do?" Sherman asked.
"Exactly," Serey replied.
Incident TimelineThe recent cutting and burning is also not the first offense.
Sherman said the property and its owners came to the attention of the commission twice before, most recently in August 2003.
A letter from the state addressed to the county stated the reason for the tree cutting, according to the developer: "To enhance the market value of the yet to be created lots."
The ProblemSherman said one of the biggest problems confronting the entire Chesapeake Bay is soil erosion. But neighbors and scientists said the trees' roots exclusively keep the soil out of the water.
Neighbors said they worry about the bay's health.
"The bay is extremely important and it's in danger," Newell said.
"I don't know that we can live without trees," Livington said.
Environmental scientist Dr. Eileen McClellan said soil erosion from tree removal is as serious a problem as any the bay faces.
"The (trees are the) best protection we have for water quality," McClellan said. "It's an extraordinary wildlife habitat and so it needs to be managed with extra special care to protect all those things that the public values."
Who's Responsible?In WBAL-TV 11's effort to find out who is responsible for the tree cutting, Sherman came across permits and planning documents listing a Pioneer Point General Partnership, with only a Post Office box and a phone number listed.
That phone number led 11 News to a pharmacy in the county seat of Centreville, where it's listed on the storefront. But repeated efforts to contact the owner garnered no response, and signs blocked WBAL-TV 11's entry onto the property.
The ConsequencesRob Schnabel, who serves as the Maryland restoration scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said the problem is larger than just this property.
"We'd like to have more protection," he said.
Schnabel said a trend exists where developers cut down the trees first, then pay fines without blinking.
"It's a small drop in the bucket, I'm sure, compared to the land value that they would then sell that land for," Schnabel said.
For all the cutting near Centreville, officials, in total, can levy a $1,000 fine -- an amount that's less than the land, which appreciates, at current rates, every six hours.
A bill passed in the General Assembly last session allowing counties to increase fines for such offenses by up to $10,000. But so far, only Anne Arundel County has passed the increase, and even that county has never levied the maximum fine, Sherman said.
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John Sherman Reports: Trees Illegally Cut Down For Homes
