Land Clearing in Gastonia, NC

Historic districts: removing any tree needs a Certificate of Appropriateness from Historic District Commission staff first, including dead or diseased trees. City trees and public rights of way are covered by the city's tree ordinance; the city says it does not apply to single-family and duplex homeowners on their own lots.

Sweetgum and tulip poplar: fast-growing trees common on wooded lots. Oaks: willow, red and white oaks shade older neighborhoods and get large over roofs. Loblolly pine: tall pines near houses that snap or uproot in storms.

Gastonia's tree ordinance covers trees on city property and in public rights of way, and work on those trees needs city approval. The city says the ordinance doesn't affect owners of single-family homes or duplexes on their own lots.

Duke Energy maintains distribution lines in a right of way typically about 20 feet wide and keeps vegetation at least 10 feet from primary wires. The line from the pole to your house is mostly the owner's to keep clear, and Duke can disconnect it so a crew can work safely.

Like the rest of the Charlotte region, Gastonia gets winter ice storms and summer thunderstorms that break limbs from oaks and pines over houses and drives.

Older mill-village and downtown-area lots are small, with trees close to houses and overhead lines; newer subdivisions to the south and west are wooded, with tall pines left from clearing.