Trees along a three-mile stretch of Cromwell Valley Road will remain standing ? for now ? after Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. agreed to stop chopping them down until an environmental review is completed.
BGE halted tree removal amid fierce opposition from residents and lawmakers.
Community leaders said the company already has removed “huge swaths” of oak, beech, dogwood and poplar trees along the section of Cromwell Bridge, recently designated a State Scenic Byway for its rural character.
“People were just quite incensed about the whole thing,” said Andrea Soukup, a nearby resident. “It means a lot to a lot of people.”
Residents have met with BGE three times, Soukup said, most recently on Monday, when state and local lawmakers also attended.
Linda Foy, a BGE spokeswoman, said tall trees jeopardize a transmission line parallel to Cromwell Bridge that serves more than 40,000 customers in the area.
Foy said the company will select a private consultant to review environmental impacts of removing trees, such as erosion and its effect on nearby Minebank Run and the Gunpowder River. The results will determine if the cutting will resume.
“We?ve always been willing to talk to andwork with the community,” she said.
In October, Charles Adams, director of the Office of Environmental Design at the state Department of Transportation, wrote to BGE asking the utility to be more selective during tree removal in the area. The trees and canopy are a “character defining feature and lend a peaceful elegance to this drive,” justifying its designation as a scenic byway, Adams wrote.
Only about 25 percent of the project has been completed thus far.
Councilman Vince Gardina, a Towson Democrat, said he is hopeful the rest of the trees can be salvaged.
“The damage is done only where the damage is done,” Gardina said. “There?s still room for mitigation.”
