Elgin residents dismayed Nicor wants to cut down 100-year-old oak trees

The thought of losing her beloved 100-year-old or older oak trees to a federal directive makes Tammi Zemp's eyes well up with tears, but the Elgin resident knows it might be inevitable.

Zemp is among about 25 property owners in the Century Oaks West subdivision whose yards are bifurcated by a Nicor Gas pipeline, and who were notified that trees on Nicor easements will be cut down. Residents are responsible for relocating any structures, such as sheds and playhouses, by April 28.

“April 28 is Arbor Day,” Zemp said. “Isn't that ironic?”

Not to mention that the subdivision is named after the majestic trees, her neighbor Jack Petersen said.

Community Development Director Marc Mylott said that according to Nicor, gas companies across the country are affected by the directive by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to enforce maintenance of easements.

The goal is to ensure that first responders have easy access to pipelines in the event of fires and explosions, after a pipeline explosion in 2010 that killed eight people in San Bruno, California, and another that caused three injuries in 2011 in southern Ohio, Mylott said.

Century Oaks West is the only affected area in Elgin, Mylott said. Duane Bourne, corporate spokesman for Nicor, declined to say how many trees will be cut there.

“Because trees can interfere with inspection of, and access to, the pipeline right of way, and large root structures can conflict with the safe operation of our underground pipeline system, the removal of some trees is necessary,” he said. “Nicor Gas is committed to minimizing the potential impact of our work and preserving as many trees as practical.”

Mylott said a Nicor representative told him the company is attempting to find a way to save some trees on the edges of the wider easements.

That's the case for Laurie Beaver, who has a 60-foot Nicor easement in her backyard, 30 feet on each side of the gas pipeline. Two of her oak trees lie about foot or so within the easement, which dates back to 1959 when the area was still farmland, she said.

Beaver said she loves her oak trees so much she took down three pine trees that interfered with their growth. If Nicor chops down her oak trees, she said, “I'm going to cry.”

Mayor David Kaptain said he understands the residents' dismay but there isn't much the city can do besides help them determine how to best relocate their sheds and playhouses.

The oaks in the Elgin neighborhood are “easily” more than 100 years old, and some more than 200 years old, said Shawn Kingzette, a certified arborist with Davey Tree Expert Co.

The trees have a positive effect on the environment by providing habitat for birds and insects to keep the ecosystem healthier, and by lowering energy consumption with the cooling effect of their shade, he said. “Property value is directly associated with the age of the trees,” he said.

Petersen, the Century Oaks resident, stands to lose 14 trees, four of them oaks. If Nicor can't find a way to save them, he said, the company should at least compensate him and the other property owners.