By Nathan Ham
The first batch of replacement trees to fill the void left behind after 12 trees had to be cut down arrived in Blowing Rock on Thursday.
The trees weigh between 6,500 and 7,500 pounds and the parks and recreation staff worked through some snow this morning to get the trees off of a flatbed semi-truck and into the ground.
In mid-February, 11 maple trees and one cherry tree had to be cut down after inspections of the trees by the North Carolina Forest Service last fall discovered rotting and decay inside the trunks.
“We can’t risk a tree or huge limbs falling and injuring the very people we invite to enjoy our park,” said Blowing Rock town manager Ed Evans in a previous statement. “It was a tough decision, but it was the right decision. We love the trees, we’re sorry they’re gone.
The Blowing Rock Town Council voted on a removal and replacement plan on Dec. 12, 2017. The plan will cost an estimated $120,000 to complete.
The trees that will be bordering Main Street will be black gum trees that are not susceptible to the same kind of disease that ate away at the maple trees and forced their removal.
According to landscape specialist Chris Pate, the second delivery of trees will be sometime next week.
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