Reprieve For The Leland Tree!

The Leelanau County Board voted unanimously on January 19th to rescind their December 5, 2006 vote to cut down the State Champion tree located on River Street in Leland in front of the Americana Collection store. The Board agreed to delay any further actions until they have had a chance to review the tree expert reports being compiled by the locally-formed Leland Champion Tree group. This decision followed on the heels of a Leland Township Board resolution in support of the group's proposal to hire professionals to conduct on-site analyses and file written reports.

The goal of the group is to ensure a fair "trial" for this exceptional tree. Contributions to help defray the costs of paying for the professional analyses are being actively solicited. Those interested in contributing can drop off or mail their checks to the Huntington Bank in Leland (PO Box 596, Leland, MI 49654) made out to "Leland State Champion Tree."

The professional reports should be completed in early January. After sharing these results with the Road Commission Board and reviewing the various recommendations, the group will meet again with the Road Commission to determine what's next.

Click for news stories from the Leelanau Blog

Photo by Keith Burnham / Leland Report

webdesign donated by leelanau.com