Recently, at our request, a Maryland DNR arborist walked our property to help us identify trees that may need to be trimmed or removed to avoid potential property damage. Our main concern is with trees close to the water building. The arborist agreed that we have a few trees there that are too close to the building and one near the front of the building that suffered a lightning strike some time ago and is now nearly completely dead. He urged us to preserve the hemlocks when we cut down the other trees and told us Garrett County is the only county in Maryland where hemlocks grow.
As you may be aware, a new Maryland law mandates homeowner and condominium associations to conduct a “reserve study” to determine how much money must be in their reserve account to cover repair or replacement of any common element or amenity. We asked the arborist to visit our property to help us be proactive in identifying and addressing issues that may pose a potential harm to our property. As a result of his visit, we will be soliciting bids for tree removal, and that cost will be included in our next budget.
Written by: Harriet Douglas