$140K In Fines Issued Over Salem Country Club's Illicit Tree Removal

PEABODY, MA — Salem Country Club and Mayer Tree Services, Inc. were each fined nearly $70,000 for unauthorized tree removal from wetlands and resource areas of the golf course last year.

The Peabody Conservation Commission voted on Wednesday night to issue fines of $300 per tree for the 233 trees removed without authorization — t0taling $69,900 each — for both the Country Club and Dan Mayer's tree company.

The fines are in addition to a bill of $22,502.50 the Commission authorized to bill Salem Country Club to pay for the ongoing restoration process of the trees.

In issuing the fines, the Commission acknowledged Salem Country Club's willingness to work with the city in restoration efforts since the tree harvest was discovered earlier this year but determined that the penalties were warranted after the Country Club was accused of being a "habitual offender" of violating Conservation Commission bylaws and permitting ordinances related to the course.

The Commission said in March that Salem Country Club was granted a permit to cut down trees around Holes 6 and 7 as part of annual maintenance in December, but commissioners charged that the Club knowingly far exceeded the bounds of the permit in "clear-cutting" more than 600 trees, including those along wetlands and under the commission's jurisdiction to protect.

SCC General Manager Peter Fischl said during a March meeting that the Club took "full responsibility" for what he claimed was an honest error. He contended that since the majority of the trees were in areas where the Club provides general maintenance — such as mowing and course curation — that the Club believed tree removal fell within that domain.

He said he found out that was not the case only after the work was done.

Wednesday's fines passed by votes of 5-1 with Commissioner Amanda Green calling for larger fines based on the true value of the trees and their environmental impact far exceeding the $300 each. She argued that the fine "should be at least double that" but fellow commissioners countered that the $300-per-offense figure was a quantifiable one that would have a better chance of standing up to any appeal.

It was also noted that Salem Country Club's financial obligation to the tree restoration is ongoing and will include additional payments to the project over an extended period of time.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)