SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, S.C. (AP) - A South Carolina coastal town has agreed to a plan to start chopping down some of a maritime forest that has grown to about 150 acres (60 hectares) in recent years.
WCSC-TV reports Sullivan’s Island Town Council voted 4 to 3 Friday in favor of the proposal that would cut down vegetation in the forest and allow the removal of all trees of a certain size.
Blocked by jetties that kept sand from washing away, the accreted land had began sprouting scrub and trees, according to The Post and Courier.
The vote aimed to settle a decade-long lawsuit by oceanfront property owners who called for more forest maintenance, arguing that the forest is a fire hazard that blocks views.
Mayor Patrick O’Neil and other town residents who opposed the plan said the forest protects the island from sea level rise and storms.
“You know, all over the world, people are planting trees to try to address various issues of climate change, air quality, habitat loss and so on,” O’Neil said. “So, in the face of that, for us to be out there deliberately cutting trees, doesn’t make much sense to me.”
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