The Maryland attorney general's office says a Pasadena tree service has been fined $10,000 for clearing trees without a permit in a critical area.
Attorney General Doug Gansler's office said Thursday that Steve J. Everd, Jr., the owner of Branching Out Tree Service, pleaded guilty to the unpermitted clearing of a privately owned waterfront property in Davidsonville.
The clearing was reported to Anne Arundel County by the South River Federation Riverkeeper. Investigators later spoke to the property owner and caretaker, who said the tree service was contracted to remove some limbs and the work that was done far exceeded the pruning that was authorized.
Gansler's office says the homeowner has since planted more than $14,000 in plants to mitigate damage caused by the clearing.
