Colleyville tree enthusiast takes on city and a major corporation — and wins, for now

by Jake Kemp

COLLEYVILLE — It's safe to say that when it comes to the priorities of most local governments, commercial development outranks the preservation of historical trees. So when Anne Dyson of Colleyville learned that one of her city's oldest native post oak trees was threatened by the construction of a new McDonald's, she immediately took up the role of chief historical tree lobbyist.

And in new-age PR fashion, she even took her cause to the world of social media.

“I posted photos of the tree surrounded by water on Facebook with a caption that said something like 'the Garden Club dropped the ball on this one,'” Dyson said. The Colleyville Garden Club is a group that exists “to promote interests in all phases of gardening, horticultural education, civic beautification, and conservation of natural resources,” according to their website. Dyson then tagged all of her friends on Facebook that are members of the Colleyville Garden Club in the photo to draw their attention to the issue. Dyson said she was told by Carol Wolin, Colleyville city council member and Colleyville Garden Club president, that the club is an educational group, not an activist group. Wolin did not respond to a request for comment.

But, like a determined lobbyist, Dyson kept pushing.

She wrote letters to the mayor and other council members, and encouraged friends to do the same. The current plans for the restaurant allow the developer to pour concrete that would cover up 25% of the tree's roots. “This is the type of tree that dies very slowly; once its roots are disturbed, it may take up to ten years to die,” Dyson said.

According to Dyson, the plans for the site have the flexibility to better accommodate the tree's needs. For example, she says, there is room to move the parking lot and the drive-through lane so that concrete would not have to be poured near the tree's roots.

Dyson requested that the city hire a certified arborist to evaluate the site before any further construction took place, something she believes the city should have thought to do on its own. “The story really is that they [the city] are not dealing in reality, and they have not treated the tree as though it is valuable,” she said. “This affluent, educated area needs to be a leader in creating a healthy environment to offset air pollution.”

After a fair amount of nudging and letters with language like “help this tree remain a symbol of Colleyville civic pride, its heritage, and values,” the concerned, proactive citizen and “post oak publicist” got her wish.

Ron Ruthven, interim director of the Community Development Department for Colleyville, met at the site with representatives from McDonald's this week. In an email to Dyson, he said that McDonald's had agreed “to hire an arborist to assess the tree's health and make any recommendations for construction modifications that will maximize preservation of the tree.”

Ruthven also said that pending the arborist's report, McDonald's indicated that they would be willing to “move the parking lot an additional three to four feet back from the tree and/or manipulate the drive-through lanes.” No paving will be done until the arborist's report is complete, he said.

So, score one for the environmentally conscious citizenry. "I just think that people can learn from this,” Dyson said. “They can learn that if you speak up, you can make a difference."