Biloxi cuts down 6 protected trees for work on Howard Avenue. Here’s why it’s legal.
The city of Biloxi has cut down six trees, including two large Live oaks, along Howard Avenue in East Biloxi.
The city removed the trees to make way for new utility lines and straighten out a curve in the road known to locals as Dukate curve, named after the school once located in the area.
The trees, which also included two water oaks and two eastern red cedars, are protected under the city’s tree ordinance, requiring a permit for removal. The city is exempted from the permit requirement when trees are within an easement or on city-owned land “as may be necessary to ensure public safety,” the city ordinance says.
City spokesman Vincent Creel said the city bought small plots on Howard Avenue for the road realignment. “All work is being done within the public right of way,” he wrote in an email.
Eric Nolan, the city’s arborist, examined the trees before their removal, Creel said.
Under a policy set by Mayor Andrew “Fofo” Gilich, city department heads can no longer speak directly to the media without permission. The Sun Herald requested an interview with Nolan, but Creel said the arborist was too busy.
The age of the trees is not known, but one 75-year-old resident of East Biloxi said he remembers the Live oaks from his childhood and hated to see them cut down. Both of the Live oaks were well over 125 inches in girth at chest height.
Biloxi realigning road
Creel said Howard Avenue needs to be realigned between Ahern Drive and Kuhn Street to protect the public. East Biloxians have endured years of road and utility work.
“The fact is, throughout the infrastructure work, Biloxi, a Tree City for four decades, has successfully worked around trees when possible,” Creel said. “In this case, it was simply not possible. The city expects the traffic volume on Howard Avenue to pick up significantly over the next several months and years with development in the works on U.S. 90 on Point Cadet.”
Data that Creel sent to the Sun Herald shows 37 vehicle crashes in the area since 2009, with seven resulting in injuries.
A tree permit tracking chart compiled by the city’s tree committee shows removal of 631 trees from August 2019-March 2021, with the majority, 351, coming down for development or new home construction.
