Progress on Grand Oaks

November 18, 2024, the Dunes West POA held a town hall meeting to make residents aware of the dangers associated with 18 of the Grand Oaks lining Wando Plantation Way.  The trees had been dropping sizeable limbs on the sidewalk and road leading up to the golf course clubhouse.  This created both a concern for the community in the risks of someone being hurt by falling limbs and for the potential loss of the majestic trees.  An arborist was hired to assess the health of the trees and to recommend appropriate actions addressing both concerns.  In the town hall, the arborist provided the following insights:

• The grand oaks have been diseased and dying for over 30 years.
• The trees are the victims of pathogens that are impacting the structural integrity of the trees.  The crown of leaves may look healthy but the weakening structural strength of the tree to support the crown will cause major limbs to fall.
• The science in caring for trees has advanced over the years.  Some of the mitigation steps tried in the past have been either ineffective or harmful.  
• Four trees present serious risk, but all eighteen are diseased and eventually may have to be removed.
• Thirty years ago, a next generation of oaks was planted between these trees.  These appear to be healthy and will be continually monitored. 
• A full report from the arborist was published for the Dunes West Community and can be found in the Documents section of the POA website.  The report provides both an opinion on each tree as well as background information on symptoms and causes of their diseases. 

Based on these inputs the POA Board of Directors proposed the next steps at the town hall:

• Once the risks are known and understood, there is a potential impact on the community’s continuing insurance coverage and the future cost of insurance.  A serious injury and lawsuit could require a special assessment.
• Any action plan involving removing trees must be approved by the Town of Mount Pleasant. The action plan will define steps for removing and remediation of failing trees and caring for the remaining trees. 
• Following the Town of Mount Pleasant review and input the action plan can be finalized and budgeted. 
• Another town hall meeting will be held to provide an update on what the Town of Mount Pleasant approves and what next steps are planned.  

The Town of Mount Pleasant approved a plan to address the failing Grand Oaks in July 2025.  A town hall is planned for October 8, 2025, in the Exchange Buiding to share the plan with the community. 

Activities Since the November 18, 2024 Town Hall:

The POA process of working with the arborists and the Town of Mount Pleasant Planning Board has been rigorous.  

• The POA, based on its concern for the historic trees, sought a second opinion from Andrus Tree. Their report essentially supported the Sava Tree arborists findings discussed at the Town Hall meeting. 
• In January 2025, Sava Tree submitted their detailed arborist report which was then provided to the Town of Mount Pleasant Planning Board.  This report is available on the POA website.
• Following up in March, the POA was initially told that we were going to have to appeal to the Planning Board of Appeals. The town planners were very concerned about the trees being historic grand oaks. That decision was changed to a request for a second arborist’s opinion.
• In April, the POA provided the Town of Mount Pleasant the Andrus Tree report.  
• In June 2025 the Town of Mount Pleasant Planning board hired their own arborist to evaluate the trees.  This arborist concurred with the other two arborists’ reports.  The validation of arborists’ reports coincided with a new focus the Town of Mount Pleasant Planning Board was putting on preserving trees in Mount Pleasant, especially historic grand oaks.  
• The Town of Mount Pleasant approved plans in July to remove four of the failing grand oaks, to monitor the other fourteen, and to provide arborist recommended treatments to the remaining trees to increase their chances of survival. 
• The trees that are removed must also be replaced.  This requires planting new trees in the same locations.  This is a complex task.  The larger the tree planted the greater the risk that it will not survive the process.  The ground needs to be prepared without impacting adjacent trees.  Root barriers need to be installed to focus root growth away from the road and sidewalks, protecting the tree from future root damage. The timing of this work is impacted by seasonal weather. Transplanting trees in the spring is optimal. 
•  The removal of the four trees is expected to occur in the fall with the remediation process occurring in the spring.  The early estimates of the cost of removal should be within this year’s budget for maintaining or extending the life of POA assets.  The remediation project funding will be planned during the current budget development process.  

The POA Board of Directors appreciates the efforts of the management team, the town of Mount Pleasant, and the community input in working to develop the best possible outcome for these historic trees.