NORTH ANDOVER — A local country club is seeking approval to remove about 30 trees to improve the usability of the golf course.
The North Andover Country Club filed a notice of intent with the Conservation Commission and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection to incorporate a vegetation management plan to maintain, remove and replant some trees and shrubs on its grounds.
The proposal includes removing a combination of 32 upland trees and shrubs on the property at 520 Great Pond Road that are within the high-water elevation of Lake Cochichewick and the topping of large shrubs on fairways.
Trees and shrubs proposed to be removed are on the ninth fairway along the lake between the club’s playground and tennis courts. Shrubs would be topped around the first and ninth fairways.
The shore, where the trees would be cut down, has been subjected to continuous flooding over the last few years. There are a number of upland plant species and trees that are either sick, diseased or will die with more flooding.
General Manager Boyd Holk said there are 300 trees along the lakefront. The removal would affect 10% of the trees, but the club wants to replace them with ones that will thrive.
The goal is to cut the trees, leave their stumps as close to the ground as possible and then replant the area with native shrubs that are wildlife friendly and berry-producing shrubs. The ground would additionally be enhanced with seed mix.
The height of the shrubs in the fairways is posing a hazard to golfers who lose their sight distance and can’t see other golfers ahead of them. The shrubs pose a safety issue for golfers who can’t see may hit others with golf balls if the vegetation isn’t trimmed, Holk said.
The club would also like to remove a weeping willow that’s dying before it collapses and falls onto the golf course.
Commissioner Marissa Valentino said the topping of shrubs at the fairways makes sense to her. However the trees proposed to be cut down along the lake’s shore are in a flood zone, she said.
The golf course has a perennial stream that flows through the first and nineth fairways and to the lake. Due to the sensitive nature of the lake, Valentino said more thought should go into any plantings and the size of shrubs to make it a better living edge for the lake.
She also asked for the management of water flowing from the golf course into Lake Cochichewick to be considered for the natural treatment of phosphorus runoff.
The commission requested the country club seek a certified arborist to survey the trees. The board also wants to perform a site walk when the weather permits.
But until the Planning Board approves a watershed special permit, the commission is “stuck” in what it can do, Commission Chair Albert Manzi said. He also suggested the club see if a shrub conversion plan is applicable for what it’s trying to accomplish.
The Planning Board denied Holk’s application for an emergency watershed special permit on Jan. 6 to begin cutting trees. The board wants the club to go through the proper process of approval for the permit because the trees’ proximity to an important asset as the town’s water supply.
Merrimack Engineering Services had prepared the application that detailed the trees covered by the proposal were compromised after being submerged in high waters.
The emergency permit was sought because of the club’s limited window of January to February to do work when the ground is frozen to bring heavy machinery on the course without damaging its irrigation system.
The Conservation Commission continued the hearing to its Feb. 25 meeting.