Please take this tree down.. it is a health risk to Dann a cancer patient.. and the community around tthis tree.

Marie Pelletier

Please take this tree down.

It seems there's a precedent for removing these trees, and I'm hoping that this particular one could be removed as well. A person's health and well-being are at stake, and he's just the one we know about. If a particular tree is dropping this kind of waste over people's living space, it needs to be replaced.

Hannah Diozzi

I have faith that he powers that be in the city of Salem will get their priorities straight. Human life trumps plant life, They should not delay in removing a tree that is releasing toxins and thereby depriving an invested and critically ill citizen of the city of the basic right to be able to sit in his own back yard.

This is action you've already successfully taken for other trees on the street. Now this last tree is standing in the way of a man surviving cancer as best he can. Please prioritize this as urgent.

This issue was recategorized from Other - City Issues to Tree Pruning/Trim.

Mayor's Office assigned this issue to Display Name Blocked (436405)

Display Name Blocked (436405) assigned this issue to Tree Department - Administrative Assistant

I look forward to a response. Thanks!

Please remove the tree so this man can enjoy the outdoors in a healthy manner. He deserves to have his health protected and enjoy his home.

Xoxoxox nothing but love and well wishes

More info.

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_sooty/ht_sooty.htm

DCP - I have been washing down furniture since I moved here. This is an unusual circumstance in that the stuff is AIRBORNE and can cause death within hours if inhaled by my husband with NO immune system due to aggressive leukemia. He has already been hospitalized becasue of a bacteria/mold recently after spending time on the patio. Washing my fence is NOT going to do the trick. I don't like the idea of cutting down a healthy tree but my husband's life if far more important. If it were your family member I think you would agree. I hope the city of Salem feels the same way and understands that he deserves to enjoy his own home and sole refuge at this very difficult time.

Whats more important the health of the tree?

"Sooty molds are dark fungi that grow on honeydew excreted by sucking insects or on exudates from leaves of certain plants..." It's not the toxic black mold we've heard of, thankfully, but that's what you're seeing.

Given that your husband is battling cancer, it could be an issue anyway if his immune system is compromised. Fungi produce spores. That's what they do.

City, GET IT FIXED. There is NO excuse for not taking care of this!!!

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/howtos/ht_sooty/ht_sooty.htm

"Sooty molds are dark fungi that grow on honeydew excreted by sucking insects or on exudates from leaves of certain plants..." It's not the toxic black mold we've heard of, thankfully, but that's what you're seeing.

Given that your husband is battling cancer, it could be an issue anyway if his immune system is compromised. Fungi produce spores. That's what they do.

Yes! Thanks for your support! Any kind of spore is dangerous. Thanks for the info link.

"Sooty molds are dark fungi that grow on honeydew excreted by sucking insects or on exudates from leaves of certain plants..." It's not the toxic black mold we've heard of, thankfully, but that's what you're seeing.

Given that your husband is battling cancer, it could be an issue anyway if his immune system is compromised. Fungi produce spores. That's what they do.

City, GET IT FIXED. There is NO excuse for not taking care of this!!!

Please remove this tree and it's threats to this family. Dann and Sara Maurno have been residents of Salem for many years and contribute to the fabric of this community in innumerable ways.

Please, City of Salem. Dann Maurno is a beloved member of our community who contributes so much to it through his great talents. In addition to reading the Declaration of Independence each year, and offering his highly-skilled craftsmanship to Artist's Row, he has brought many amazing characters to life on our local stages and in our community spaces. His portrayal of Edgar Allan Poe one Halloween season - reading his works within the intimate setting of his "parlor" - was an absolute thrill for tourists and residents alike. In fact, people have requested that he does it again!

In other words, City of Salem, we need Dann Maurno. And we need him to be well so he can keep contributing to our community. Please remove the tree. We can plant a healthier one in its place.

Sorry for the repeat posts. They weren't showing when I clicked Comment, so clicked it more!

Have you contacted your city councillor(s), Sara? Heather Famico is your ward councillor, and there are four at-large.

Tree department won't take it down. Says wash the fence.

Opps! Sorry - that was the Health Department. Still waiting to hear from the Tree Department.

Did you reach out to David Eppley? I believe he started the LORAX Task Force in Salem. Good Luck...

A tree that is infested with insects can possibly be sprayed with horticultural oil, solving the problem and saving the tree. This was the case with our Linden tree, which had an insect infestation that left droppings all over our vehicles. I hope this helps and you can enjoy your yard again soon.

Yes help these citizens of Salem. Hopefully the tree department has a functioning bucket truck. A month ago they did not ....limiting work to trees to long handled pruning saws.

When the choice is between a tree and a human life, I'm sorry, the tree has to go. Do the right thing Salem.

City of Salem - PLEASE!! Dann is my son and he's so bravely fighting for his life. I'm begging you!!

STATUS UPDATE: Ronald Malionek of the Tree Department called me early this morning. He seems very sensitive to our needs. He said it may take 2-3 weeks to get the tree trimmed. HOWEVER, two great guys from his crew where her in a matter of hours and they trimmed the tree back considerably. This will cut down a lot on what is in the air. In the meantime, Ron said there will most likely be a hearing about cutting down a "healthy" tree. I will forward a note from the oncologist describing the risk of airborne spores etc. For now I am very grateful to Ron for getting a good start on this and for his empathy!

Well, Sara, we'll take our good news! So glad to hear it.

Tree has been inspected, pruned away from house 7/15/16.

Please do not close this. While we do appreciate the pruning it does not resolve the airborne issue that attracts the spores and mold. As we discussed on the phone it is our understanding there would be a tree hearing. To whom should I address the letter in hand from his oncologist?

This issue had 32 VOTES from Salemites who think this is a priority issue. It is unfortunate that this status is no longer reflected as it seems to have been prematurely "closed" by someone who apparently was not party to the conversation I had with Ronald Malionek of the Tree Department.

I was disappointed to see that someone closed this issue when it clearly has not been dealt with in a satisfactory way. This tree needs to come down. Salem is better than this. A man is sick and wants to enjoy his own yard. This is one tree. Can we please blast through some of this ridiculous red tape and nonsense and get this tree taken down immediately?

Please, please act positively on Sara's my son needs every assist he can get in this battle he is in!

The Tree Department and Tree Warden are aware of this ongoing issue. It was closed due to the tree being pruned as much as possible while awaiting final decision.

It seems ridiculous to close an issue before there has been a final decision.

LATEST email from Tree Department:
Sara,
Next step.
I am making contact with you, as to the City’s Tree Warden findings.
Again, we have pruned back enough that the tree no longer hangs over your property.
I will be sending the tree working foreman up in the bucket to finish the ‘stubs’ he left behind. At the same time, inspect the top crown of the Linden to see if we are missing something from the ground.
~R

My RESPONSE:

R & R,

As discussed the problem is not what falls directly down, but what is airborne. I have video that shows the sticky "honeydew" mist on the opposite side of my patio that is not directly under the tree. My neighbors wash the area of their fences closest to this tree - even though they are not directly under it.

If someone will take personal responsibility and guarantee that the leaves that have fallen from the tree since pruning will no longer blow into my patio, I may be able to accept that a light airborne mist of honey dew fungus could not possibly be present; or that the fungi, molds and spores that this situation produces will not be found in a biopsy should my husband require one in the future because of infection.

According to the U.S. Forest Service Dept of Agriculture "higher temperatures and increased drought stress brought on by a changing climate are expected to increase the prevalence of sooty molds."

I get it. This is a shade producing tree and trees are important. However, there is no one who benefits from this tree as it solely overlooks our property.

The summer is flying by. I hope you have enjoyed your weekends and time of enjoying nature. As we await resolution my husband begins another week of treatment and will not be able to recuperate on his own property.

Come on Salem!! A man's health is at serious risk and you let bureaucracy get in the way?! Just remove the tree!

I love living in Salem because you are usually pretty good about hearing our concerns and doing something about it. Now is the time to show residents you "have our backs" as we have the right to live here in health and safety! Remove the tree!

To the City of Salem, the Tree Department and Mr. Malionek, I truly appreciate your attention to this matter. That said, it will not solve the problem. Yes, fungi produce spores and that is their nature. In this one instance, those spores threaten a life. It is exceedingly rare that plant-life threatens human life, but, here we are. Our back yard (and none of our neighbors) is covered mold-encrusted aphid feces - which is light enough to take air and land in our yard, no matter how much pruning (which thus far has been considerable). This is the last surviving species of this tree on our street - all others have been diseased or removed for other reasons. This one provides no shade and frankly, no particular beauty to the street. Please remove it.

This is just another example of the BIG gap between those enforcing laws and being able to see the purpose or meaning of that LAW ( ALL laws can only be for the greater GOOD of the PEOPLE ) so the need to protect a tree at the expense of a person seems the city offficials are BLINDED by wording and DEAF of meaning when acting supposedly on our behalf. A little more education is necessary to all those charged with upholding our laws.

To the City of Salem,
Sara and Dan Maurno are residents of Salem, who have been committed to our community. As you know Dann is fighting for his life and Sara has to worry on a daily basis what may compromise his health while going through treatment. This tree is a big threat to his health. I know Sara, she is kind, loving, generous and would step up to help anyone in our community. It breaks my heart to see the worry on her face when I have seen her since Dann's diagnosis. Please take this tree down next to their property, so Dann can enjoy some fresh air and Sara will have one less thing to worry about. Please put yourself in their shoes.

To Whomever at the City...please continue to show by deed and action that Salem truly is a city that cares for its' citizens and acts with speed and commitment. This is not a hard decision to make, just take this tree down. Sara and Dann should not have to fight for this, they are fighting enough already. Just do it!

Its sad even archaic feeling that this is an issue A tree more important than a human. Thats politics these days tho. Solution: Computer programs could be written to interpret the laws and act on our behalf in disputes as well as even run a city and a country better than flawed humans. They can JUST process data and concepts without emotion or interference of ego driven behaviours. Just simply feed the facts of your case into a form and let the computer crunch the data and interpret justice the way its was meant to be by the design of our constitution. It would bring back hope and inspiration and eventually faith there's in a just world to a country claiming leadership while failing too live up to its own 200 yr old standard, which is based on 2thousand year old ideas. We have the sophisticated technology to overcome humans flaws and correct our dysfunctional government. History need not repeats its failures for the same old reasons. The most flagrantly flawed people are the politicians and corruption trickles down.

They cam and trimmed small branches from the tree yesterday and I was afriad from recent communication that this was the end resolution. Today I was glad to hear from the mayor via twitter: "Sara,just checked in on this issue.The Tree Warden will be posting the tree for removal + holding the required public hearing" Fingers crossed this will happen before the garden fades and or weather turns. Feeling hopeful...

Nature is my religion, and I revere trees. Having said that, this tree absolutely needs to go! Praying for Dann, even though I don't know him!

Thanks for your support and understanding.

You're my hero, Sadie Mae.

It became apparent that the pleas were falling on the ears of people who couldn't/wouldn't make this decision, and didn't have authority to initiate the action necessary (tree removal hearing). It's been hard to watch the impassioned calls to action from your many friends - directed to well-intentioned city departments that are unable or unwilling to escalate.

Sarah, if you hadn't called on some personal connections directly I was about to suggest a bit of community organizing. Kudos for navigating the system so the escalation process was applied, which may be why action could be taken by Paul and Kim.

On the one hand, process like this protects the gate keepers from allowing crazies to constipate progress. On the other, it frustrates legitimate needs' of Salem residents until we are heard by those with some authority. Ah, the price of local government control...

Dear God - make it fast, wouldja?

Thanks Eric, While there were well-intentioned people over-viewing, the communication and followup had mixed messages. Yeah - when I sought for clarification I came away feeling like "a crazy" or at best unnecessarily aggressive. (Not the way I treat my clients - when involved in emotional issues.) I am VERY GRATEFUL to Kim and Paul for their follow through and giving me a status update. Will wait to learn when the hearing is ...

STATUS UPDATE:
Dear Sara
I have repeatedly evaluated the little leaf linden adjacent to your property, specifically examining for sooty mold . I have not been able to identify this disease on that particular tree. However, lindens as a species are very susceptible to sooty mold among other diseases.While examining this tree I did notice other issues such as the shallow roots system and the severe leaning of this tree over the street.
I have taken into consideration the fact that you have a doctors opinion suggesting that this tree and the possible presence of sooty mold may be a contributing factor to the deterioration of the health of your husband . I have never heard that sooty mold when present is a health issue for humans.
According to mass general law chapter 87 A public Shadetree hearing must be held for the removal of a healthy Shadetree. This process could take approximately 5 to 6 weeks. This is a decision I do not take lightly however,because of this particular situation and the fact that I am not a physician we will remove that tree as soon as public service schedule permits.
Sincerely
Richard Rennard
MCA#1071
Tree warden

If the person is infirm or sick maybe now protected under that status of disabled? Since government holds landlords legally required to renovate and make accomodations for disabled people than the gov could also. Maybe that same government could also abide by same legality and acomodate this guys disability? A humans life should be more important than the trees life in this case. Blind, deaf, and pretty dumb is what i call anyone who cant see for the good of the people or greater good in this situation. It shouldnt take a judge after the fact.....

UPDATE:
Perhaps,you didn't read the full e-mail
I stated we WOULD remove the tree.
Public Service said that they would try to schedule it for Monday
Sincerely
R

MY RESPONSE:
Thank you -

I was responding to the statement that a hearing would take 5-6 weeks. I do not know who those people are or how they make decisions and wanted to make sure the key facts were presented in case they did not agree with your recommendation.

I know I have been extremely aggressive in this matter. Perhaps if someone would have told me your name weeks ago we could have worked together directly and misunderstandings may have been avoided.

I appreciate you expediting this matter to Monday.

My RESPONSE:
Dear Richard,

I appreciate that you have made direct contact with me today, and that you have viewed the tree several times. I provide the following because it is clear to me that key factors I have offered to Ron Malionek have not gotten through. Or perhaps there is a great misunderstanding.

The issue is not what is on the tree, but what it creates inside our patio when "honeydew" falls from the tree into our private property. The attached pictures show the mold that is created on the interior (patio side) and the exterior (city side) of the fence directly under the tree. You can even see the tree from the interior gate in one shot. I also have a video that shows this sticky mist on our barrels that can only get there by being airborne since they are not directly under the tree. (I have shared this video with Ada at the mayor's office but can not attach it via email.)

I understand that the fact that my husband does not have an immune system due to bone marrow transplant and ongoing chemotherapy offers a unique situation that you and perhaps the state have not seen before. The bottom line is that my husband nearly died last month due to an infection that someone else may have easily fought off. This may very well be my his last summer alive! We cannot enjoy a meal together on own patio. If he were to suddenly require hospice he will not be able to enjoy his own garden which is already peaking and will fall to seed very soon.

This mandated protocol does not serve the public. This must be expedited! 5-6 weeks is far too long as the summer will be over. I started this process just after July 4th. It is also imperative that these factors be presented at the hearing.

Jay VanGelder of A Cut Above tree services has offered help in removing this tee if the city does not have resources to do this quickly. We can also raise funds to pay for a replacement.

last 3 out of sequence...hearing is monday

We have not had enough rain and good sun after. The mold mildew count is higher due to dry contions lack or raun washing pollen away. It is civically responsible for city and state to try and remove sick or dead norwegian maples and plant oak poplar or birch maybe sycamore or crab apple. The worm poo each spring makes worse due to winter moth infestation. If the mayor engineer and dpw diorector had gloves and hat on and pitched in we would see real people in office. The dnc was a joke and liberals are leaderless. Elect trump he believes in neighborhoods and real estate thats what he is good at.

We have not had enough rain and good sun after. The mold mildew count is higher due to dry contions lack or raun washing pollen away. It is civically responsible for city and state to try and remove sick or dead norwegian maples and plant oak poplar or birch maybe sycamore or crab apple. The worm poo each spring makes worse due to winter moth infestation. If the mayor engineer and dpw diorector had gloves and hat on and pitched in we would see real people in office. The dnc was a joke and liberals are leaderless. Elect trump he believes in neighborhoods and real estate thats what he is good at.

Baking soda and a pole saw just have to wait 3 months for yard waste to be picked up

Maybe cover the logs with a tarp.

Takedown 8/1/16

Thanks for fixing this issue!

Thanks for helping Sarah manage the red tape, and getting it done!

Big thank you to all the players in the city of Salem who did the right thing. Well-done!

Thank you.

Thanks for fixing this issue!

Thanks for fixing this issue!

Thanks for fixing this issue!