Town of Elon removes dying trees along Williamson Avenue

Town of Elon crews removed five dying oak trees on city property along Williamson Avenue on June 18. Kathleen Patterson, the town’s Downtown Development Administrator, explained that the tall oak trees had been planted in small concrete planters that did not allow for an adequate root system. She said the trees would have toppled in a strong wind and had become dangerous.

“We didn’t want to have to remove them, but it was time,” Patterson said. The trees began to sway when the crews tried to climb them, and the wood inside the trees was spongy and rotting.

Patterson says the town will replace the planters and provide new soil and irrigation systems this summer so new trees can be planted when the weather is cooler this fall. Three different street-tree species with shallower root systems are being considered.

Also removed by the Town of Elon on the east side of Williamson Avenue were some Bradford pear trees that were blocking the sidewalk and heaving the bricks. Patterson says the narrow sidewalk around those planters did not meet ADA requirements and the uneven sidewalk was a safety hazard. Those trees will not be replaced so the sidewalk is wide enough for wheelchair access.