A report showing that seven of the 11 trees on the Haywood County courthouse lawn pose a high risk to life or property provided commissioners with the impetus they needed to take action.

At their Monday meeting, county commissioners voted to remove the trees and replace them with appropriate landscaping. Wood from the property will be donated to a charitable organization.

In the past, the courthouse tree removal has been a contentious issue, bringing a passionate group of supporters to meetings. One of those in past years was Commission Vice Chairman Kirk Kirkpatrick's grandmother.

His vote to cut down the trees is something she wouldn't like, Kirkpatrick predicted, and he even made a last-ditch effort to save tree No. 11. This tree was identified in the report as a sugar maple between the ...