The good news for Sullivan’s Island residents who are mourning the potential loss of a large number of historically significant trees is that a contractor hired by Dominion Energy to remove more than 500 palmettos located near overhead power lines did not begin work as scheduled on May 28. The not-so-good news is that there’s a pretty good chance that most of the palmettos will be history by the end of this year.
“A month ago, we felt that as of Memorial Day, all 523 trees were going to go down right away,” said Sullivan’s Island Director of Resilience and Natural Resource Management Rebecca Fanning (pictured) on June 6. “In the end, we have more time to prepare, keep negotiating, and think as a town about moving forward with integrity. I feel like we’re making good progress, especially given our partnership with the South Carolina Department of Transportation. We get to think about it with this time we’ve bought.”
The power company originally marked 523 trees located on both public and private property with white paint, designating them to be cut down flush with the ground. However, following an assessment of each tree by Fanning and SCDOT Vegetation Manager Jennifer Gruber, only approximately 250 of the trees were marked with red paint, indicating that they would remain scheduled for immediate removal.
“I was surprised at some they deemed as high priority,” Fanning commented. “Their logic is that this isn’t about palmettos falling and snapping lines but more about landscape professionals who trim fronds and get close enough to primary lines to cause a terrible accident. It’s really about safety for anyone who works near power lines.”
The director of resilience and natural resource management said the first trees to go will be those that are either within 5 feet of, adjacent to, or above primary power lines or are blocking access to switch fuses on telephone poles.
Fanning said she didn’t know when cutting will begin, adding that Dominion’s contractor probably would be able to remove no more than 20 trees a day.
“I feel like it’s going to take some time,” she said. “It’s going to start soon, but we don’t know when.”
Fanning noted the possibility that some palmettos might be able to be relocated, especially those that have had a home on the island for decades or longer. As an example, she cited trees currently situated near the Sand Dunes Club.
“These trees have got to be over 100 years old, but a complicating factor is that they are just a couple of feet from the sidewalk and roadway,” she said, pointing out that those located near water and sewer lines and beach access paths also are difficult to dig up and move.
“Some of these palms are direct descendants of brave palmettos that sacrificed their lives in the Revolutionary War,” she added. “There’s so much resident support for keeping these palmettos. It’s costly, but that doesn’t make it infeasible.”
Regardless of the number of palmettos that eventually are marked with the pernicious red paint, Fanning is confident that something good will come from the town’s recent effort to rescue as many trees as possible.
“Even if we don’t save a single one, I feel adamantly that we need to plant differently,” she said. “People tend to push trees to the edge of their property, in conflict with power lines. Trees need to be in safe places so they won’t get butchered or removed completely.”
She concluded, “I feel hopeful and that’s the best that I can say.”