BALTIMORE — Overgrown trees are creating a dangerous situation in a Catonsville neighborhood.
Osage oranges, or hedge apples, that can grow to be larger than a softball and weigh several pounds, have been falling on cars shattering windows and causing dents.
Patricia Lewis lives opposite to the row of trees. She asked Baltimore County to cut them back but was told they were located on private property and the owners were responsible for maintaining these trees.
“How long have you been trying to get this issue resolved?” asked WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii.
“Probably about eight years,” Lewis responded.
During that time, she’s seen the trees grow taller and wider with lots of fresh fruit.
“We have these big green balls, as you can see. And they grow during the summer and then they start to fall off the trees, September and October, damaging property windshields and cars,” said Lewis.
It doesn’t matter which side of the street she parks on, car windows have been busted on either. This also happened to her husband’s car, neighbors, and cars passing through.
“And you just so happen to be driving by and at the same time that ball falls, it'll smash their windshield. And it has happened,” Lewis said. “When it first started happening, you would see everybody's windshield busted. So now no one parks their cars here. There are no cars here. And it's not that they're at work they don't park their cars here, they just move it down the street.”
Lewis filed an insurance claim and paid the $500 deductible, but has stopped reporting these incidents.
“They'll cancel me, or, you know, drop me or raise my insurance. So, we just pay out of pocket,” she said.
This added expense is frustrating, but she also worries about safety.
“I see you kind of flinch when you see people walking underneath,” Sofastaii said to Lewis.
“I do. I do,” Lewis responded.
“What's your concern there?” Sofastaii asked Lewis.
“That they're going to get hit and they're going to get hurt,” said Lewis. “It's terrifying.”
Lewis’s property straddles the Baltimore City/Baltimore County line, so she tried calling both. The City told her its county property. The County told her it's private property, however, the trees are outside of her neighbor’s fence and line the road, leading Lewis to believe they’re on county property.
WMAR-2 News sent the Baltimore County Executive’s Office photos of where the trees were positioned. They looked closer at the land maps and it turns out the trees are on county property. Within a few days, crews were sent out to trim them.
In an email, Erica Palmisano, press secretary with the Office of Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski, wrote:
"The Department of Public Works and Transportation determined that these particular trees alongside Medwick Garth W are on County property. Once identified, a team was dispatched to trim the branches from above the roadway and the work is expected to be completed this week. Should residents have concerns in the future, they are encouraged to call 311 or email publicworks@baltimorecountymd.gov. Baltimore County’s Claims Management Unit can be reached at 410-887-8400."
“They came I think the day or the day after you were here,” Lewis told Sofastaii. “I am surprised and I'm grateful and I want to thank you.”
For anyone with a similar issue, the first step is identifying who owns the property where the tree is located. If it's private property, the owner is responsible for maintaining the tree. If the tree branches onto your property, you can address it only up to the property line. If you're unsure, contact your local government for help.
For any other questions regarding property lines, Maryland provides access to land records online. Click here to view their database.