Who Will Save and Manage Margate Trees?

Margate Forestry Plan
Trees on Margate Public Property.

How will Margate protect against builders cutting down trees on public property? Who should determine which species should be planted and protected?

The Margate Planning Board was supposed to vote on a forestry plan to save and manage local trees. The plan could then be incorporated into the Margate Master Plan. Listen to AUDIO CLIPS from meeting:

Listen: Margate Tree Plan.

The discussion and vote was delayed. Again. Now it’s pushed back until next month’s meeting.

tom collins margate colmar
Tom Collins

Tom Collins, who represents the Mayor on Margate’s Planning Board, wants a ‘thorough discussion’.

For his day job, Tom Collins is owner of Colmar Hardware.

Planning Board Director, Rich Patterson snapped back at Collins: Tom, we had 8 months to review this forestry plan.

Collins: I don’t speak for the Mayor. I speak for citizens of Margate.

City Manager, Richard Deaney and the 3 Commissioners are still waiting for the Planning Board to make a decision: should we add a forestry plan to the Master Plan?

Does the Green Team have too much power? Can they force owners to adhere to their recommendation?

Can the Greenteam have the power to stop people from cutting down trees?

Who’s in charge of Margate tree inventory & management?

In 2017, and intern was hired to take a public, Margate tree inventory. Trees owned by the City of Margate, whether on sidewalk ‘governor strips’ or in public parks.

  • 3,779 trees of various species in Margate
  • Plenty of Bradford Pear trees, which city is seeking to eliminate..
  • Margate has $6 million worth of trees on public land.

We have to take trees classes? Get permission from the green team? It’s pathetic, says Collins who may want Zoning Czar, Roger McLarnon to determine the worthiness of each public tree.

Most of the Planning Board disagree with Collins.

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