Apex residents said goodbye to local landmark “Oakey” last week, a 140-year-old oak tree off of Hunter Street. The town was forced to fell the aged tree because of its condition: it was no longer “structurally sustainable,” according to Mayor Jacques Gilbert. In other words the tree, which stood only a few feet from the sidewalk, with branches arching over a road in the heart of downtown, was at risk of falling.
It’s clear the tree was important to Apex residents. Gilbert’s social media post on April 30 drew more than 400 likes and 50 comments. Later that same day, coincidentally, the town’s Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) encouraged council members to enact stricter tree protections, similar to those in Durham or Charlotte.
While Oakey was forced to come down because of age and related safety concerns, other trees across Western Wake are being felled prematurely as the area continues to develop rapidly. At a town council workshop on April 30, staff presented a suite of 10 recommendations for amendments to the town’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), or land use rules, which would help preserve and expand the town’s tree canopy…