Neighbor News
HOA Takes Down Hazardous Trees. This is Good News.
A wise practice of inspecting trees every year, prioritizing the most hazardous ones, and taking them down (all within budget) is launched.
Hi Neighbors,
You may notice from the sound of chainsaws that skilled work crews are taking down trees, as arranged with MGM (McCarthy Grounds Maintenance); property management TMGA, Inc.; and the Quail Valley HOA. The president of MGM, the property manager, and I walked around on Tuesday looking at trees. The arborist sprayed red paint on trees that are slated to come down over the next few days in June, 2024. We like trees, but some can be dangerous.
All of the trees that residents have complained about recently (those which I know about) have been marked to come down! About 10 trees or so. This is very good news. If you are concerned about a tree that might be unsafe, you can talk to your QV HOA board members about it, and send an email to your property manager.
I believe the HOA plans to do another walk-around this fall, with the professional arborist, to check that all the marked trees have come down, and to spot other trees that could be hazardous. Things change each year. Drought, insects, and disease all challenge the trees. It would be wonderful if this practice became routine each year: a spring and fall inspection of the QV HOA trees -- especially trees that are close to houses and cars.
Meanwhile, one of the 10 redbuds that we planted last year with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation grant has died, and it will be replaced. The county also informs our property manager that the county can provide and plant some (low-growing, please) trees for us, but we will need our landscaper to water them, probably in July and August, the first few years of their lives.
Find out what's happening in Gaithersburgfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
NOTE 1: Please be aware that trees on the curb lawn along QV Blvd belong to Montgomery County. Please call 311 to report any tree on the curb lawn that is dropping limbs or is looking rotten. The county seems to have a large backlog of work, of trees to fell, but we need to get the sick trees in our community onto that list.
NOTE 2: I'm not a professional arborist, just an observer of trees over many decades.
NOTE 3: Please watch for a more-official QV HOA report about this landscape work. My message here is just to inform residents, who are asking, "What's all the buzz?" (Sorry for the dad joke.)
Be well,
Steve Lapham
18737 Purple Martin Lane; a 24-year resident of Quail Valley.
