Tree board approves removal of Bradford pear at 8142 Woodland Lane
May 11, 2026 | Chesapeake Beach, Calvert County, Maryland
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The Chesapeake Beach Tree Board on May 11 approved a homeowner permit allowing the removal of a Bradford pear at 8142 Woodland Lane after the planning and zoning administrator reported safety and nuisance concerns.
The chair introduced case 20261 and summarized the administrator’s findings: the tree measures "78 inches in circumference, and it is 5 feet from the street," is producing fruit that damages cars and has experienced branch failures. The administrator’s report, as read into the record by the chair, characterized the species as having weak limbs and noted it is considered invasive in the town’s report.
Board members debated preservation of a healthy-looking specimen against the reported hazards. One committee member moved to allow the homeowner to remove the tree; the chair seconded the motion. A voiced affirmative vote followed and the chair indicated she would document and forward the decision to staff. Committee members said they would require mitigation by replanting a smaller, more appropriate tree on the lot if removal is allowed.
A board member supporting removal said the species’ structural weaknesses and poor response to pruning weighed heavily in favor of removal: "If it were not a Bradford pear, I may look at it differently," he said. Another member described the tree as "quite large" for the townhouse lot and noted the fruit was damaging vehicles.
The board’s discussion recorded that the tree is not dead or dying and that its roots are not damaging town infrastructure; the board approved the permit on the basis that the hazards and invasive-species concerns, together with a required replacement planting, justify removal.
Next steps: the chair said she would write up the decision and send it to staff for processing. The permit approval included a replanting requirement; the transcript does not record a formal roll-call vote by name for the motion (the audio records an affirmative voice vote), and the minutes should be consulted for the official vote roster.
The chair introduced case 20261 and summarized the administrator’s findings: the tree measures "78 inches in circumference, and it is 5 feet from the street," is producing fruit that damages cars and has experienced branch failures. The administrator’s report, as read into the record by the chair, characterized the species as having weak limbs and noted it is considered invasive in the town’s report.
Board members debated preservation of a healthy-looking specimen against the reported hazards. One committee member moved to allow the homeowner to remove the tree; the chair seconded the motion. A voiced affirmative vote followed and the chair indicated she would document and forward the decision to staff. Committee members said they would require mitigation by replanting a smaller, more appropriate tree on the lot if removal is allowed.
A board member supporting removal said the species’ structural weaknesses and poor response to pruning weighed heavily in favor of removal: "If it were not a Bradford pear, I may look at it differently," he said. Another member described the tree as "quite large" for the townhouse lot and noted the fruit was damaging vehicles.
The board’s discussion recorded that the tree is not dead or dying and that its roots are not damaging town infrastructure; the board approved the permit on the basis that the hazards and invasive-species concerns, together with a required replacement planting, justify removal.
Next steps: the chair said she would write up the decision and send it to staff for processing. The permit approval included a replanting requirement; the transcript does not record a formal roll-call vote by name for the motion (the audio records an affirmative voice vote), and the minutes should be consulted for the official vote roster.
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