EDENRIDGE III TREE BEAUTIFICATION & MAINTENANCE PROGRAM

Edenridge III is a community built by Woodlawn Trustees and consists of 119 homes & started with approximately 300 trees.   Keeping those trees and our streets looking beautiful is important to maintaining a desirable neighborhood and preserving property value. 

Woodlawn trustees developed the property during the early 1970’s & planted trees between the sidewalks and the streets on the DelDot right of way.  At last count, 244 trees remain plus 9  forest trees in one of the circles in the neighborhood.  In the early years maintenance was the sole responsibility of the homeowner resulting in a situation where many of the trees needed to be trimmed or removed in order to restore the aesthetics of the neighborhood.        

As a result the HOA sponsored and supported the development of a tree maintenance program.  The program has been in place since March 2014 and currently operates on a 3 year cycle.

Committee Members

Co-Chairs: Cheryl Patterson & Ellen Finney

Members: Ryan Overdevest & John Norman

Purpose/intent of this program

  • To improve the canopy over the streets & eliminate hazards of low branches 

  • Provide safety and appropriate clearance for vehicles

  • Improve aesthetics and assist with maintaining home values

  • Provide assistance and financial support to homeowners for tree maintenance and replacement who would otherwise bear full cost

Program History

  • The first step was to meet with Delaware Forestry Management staff to get an understanding of general recommendations of tree maintenance and how to approach this new program. They performed a tree assessment and made recommendations as to the types of replacement trees that would be most suitable for our community.  

  • The committee also met with representatives from Tavistock and Edenridge I and II.  These developments have had active tree committees for some years and we wanted to benefit from their experiences.

  • A full assessment and inventory was developed of the trees needing immediate attention and those requiring trimming.   2-3 bids from certified Arborists with proposals for completing the work were evaluated.  The committee chose the most qualified vendor and the program became active in 2015. 

  • The first priority was the removal of hazardous trees, which occurred in 2015, 2016 and 2019.

  • Once hazardous trees were removed,  the next priority was to trim and or prune the trees in the areas between the curb and sidewalk.  This phase was done on a street by street basis.

  • The next phase was to replace trees as needed. This occurred in 2016, 2017 and we expect to replace more trees in 2021. To repeat, maintenance work only applies to trees between the curb and the sidewalk – not to trees in our yards.   

  • The tree program was modified in early 2021 to only include tree trimming and replacement                                                                                                                             

Responsibilities of Homeowner and Tree Committee/HOA

The Edenridge 3 Tree committee will be responsible for scheduling and managing curb trees for the neighborhood which includes scheduled trimmings and replanting of trees. These tasks will be scheduled approximately every 3 years. In the interim, it is the homeowners responsibility to manage their curb trees and any tree issues in a safe and timely manner.

Cost responsibilities are as follows: 

  • Tree Pruning- paid for in full by HOA

  • Tree replacement - paid in full by the HOA with a commitment for care from the homeowner

  • Any necessary tree removal is the sole responsibility of the homeowner.

Optional homeowner participation

This is a voluntary program and any homeowner can elect not to participate. Approval or refusal will be requested in writing for the following:

  • Pruning trees

  • Planting replacement trees

Additional information: 

  • The HOA Board supports this program with funds provided in the HOA budget. 

  • The selection of the tree species is at the discretion of the tree committee based on recommendations from a certified arborist, and may depend upon availability.

  • Some years it may be possible to get funding support through a grant from the state forest service.  Any monies will be used by the HOA to support the tree management program.  It is the obligation of the tree committee to make application for this support.

For questions or concerns about the program, please send a message through the Edenridge 3 website at www.edenridge3civic.com

 

Thank you,  

Edenridge Tree Committee