Defining "logging"

A West Marlborough resident was within his rights to fell about a dozen tulip poplars on his property -- but he does need a permit for his chicken coop.
At the May 6 township meeting, township zoning officer Al Giannantonio said that he checked into a report of "a logging operation" on Willem Ebersöhn's property at 947 North Chatham Road (Route 841). Mr. Giannantonio learned that before felling the trees, Mr. Ebersöhn had gotten advice from a Longwood Gardens arborist that they were unhealthy, and he was having a sawyer come in to cut up the trees, which he planned to use for building purposes. Because he wasn't removing the trees from the property or selling the lumber, Mr. Giannantonio concluded that the activity didn't fall under the township's definition of "logging" and wouldn't need a permit.
The chicken coop that Mr. Ebersöhn installed does, however, need a permit.
Mr. Giannantonio also reported that he is looking into a farm lane that Richard Hayne has built across from The Whip tavern on his Doe Run Farm. He said Mr. Hayne did not get township permission to do so.
He also reported that two building permits were issued in April: one for repairing the stone mill at Blow Horn corner, which was damaged by a truck, and one for reroofing the tenant house at Rokeby Hollow.
In other business, township resident Don Silknitter praised township secretary-treasurer Shirley Walton for her hard work, saying that when he was in the township office recently he saw her simultaneously cleaning the bathroom and answering the phone.
"You'll get no argument from us," agreed Bill Wylie, who chairs the board of supervisors.
Only two supervisors, Mr. Wylie and Josh Taylor, were present at the monthly meeting. The third supervisor, Hugh Lofting and his son, Hugh Lofting Jr., who is in charge of the township's road crew, were in Wilkes-Barre attending a program about maintaining dirt and gravel roads, which are dear to the hearts of many of us who  live in this rural township.