Wells Fargo offers to replant ‘Treasured Trees’ cut on Patton Avenue; enviro groups want more

A property manager for Wells Fargo recently told local environmental groups that the bank would plant three young trees to replace the “Treasured Trees” it cut near its new sign on Patton Avenue. Meanwhile, the city and Asheville Greenworks are looking at some changes that could prevent cases like these from happening in the future.

NC Arboretum reintroduc­es American chestnut to its grounds (blight resistant, this time)

When white folks arrived on these shores, American chestnuts were the dominant tree from Georgia to Maine; then in the early 1900s, an imported disease virtually wiped them out — an estimated 4 billion trees. Now, thanks to the American Chestnut Foundation—and its genetic improvement program—the trees are positioned to make a comeback. Here, ACF President Bryan Burhans and Natural Landscape Crew Leader Tony Morrison pose with one of the newly planted, blight-resistant young trees.

Wells Fargo on Patton removes “Treasured Tree” that blocked new sign

Asheville-area citizens stand by their trees, as Shannon Tuch, assistant director at the city’s planning department, can confirm. When a contractor for the new Wells Fargo bank branch at Patton and Louisiana Avenues cut down the mature trees blocking the company’s new sign recently, Tuch started hearing “a lot of outrage from the community” regarding the cutting of a designated ‘Treasured Tree.’ Her office prepared a notice of violation tagged to a $2,900 fine against Wells Fargo — only to revoke it when the N.C. Department of Transportation got involved.

EPA seeks action, demands CTS and current owners cover costs on proposed Superfund site in Mills Gap

In a letter dated September 13, 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency has demanded payment of $6.5 million dollars to cover costs already incurred in its efforts to deal with contaminated ground water and soils near the former CTS of Asheville plant, located on Mills Gap Road in South Asheville. Meanwhile, Buncombe County Commissioners have postponed until November 1 their consideration of a decision to demolish the derelict building at taxpayer expense. Photo: Officials from EPA’s Superfund Branch stand at the gate to the CTS property during a recent sampling trip. Photo by Susan Andrew.