Trees were felled on private parcels next to a Ferncliff Avenue development.

The neighbors of a Ferncliff Avenue development came home to an unwelcome surprise Wednesday afternoon.

Workers at a neighboring development cut “a whole slew of trees” on adjacent parcels without permission, said Jamie Gifford, one of three Garibaldi Loop residents in the Woodland Village neighborhood who reported backyard trees reduced to stumps.

“It was really stupid or really (brash), but it astounded all of us,” she said.

Five mature Douglas fir trees were cut on neighboring properties by crews at the Hamlet residential development, taking shape near the intersection of Ferncliff and High School Road.

The city has halted further tree clearings while the project is reassessed. Bainbridge Police are investigating the incident, which residents say involved both trespass and theft.

“This is a criminal situation,” said Garibaldi Loop resident Tracey Denlinger, who lost two trees she estimates stood 120 feet tall. “Each tree was over a hundred years old.”

Neighbor Chuck Depew also lost a tree he said was a cherished part of his property.

“Personally, I really like that tree,” he said of the fir, which he said measured about 36 inches in circumference. “It was old, big and perfectly framed the yard. It was a reference point for me, and now it’s all gone.”

David Smith of the Bremerton-based Central Highlands Inc., which is developing the adjacent 3-acre Hamlet property, admits Depew’s tree was likely cut in error. But the rest had been negotiated with residents, he said.

“I offered to cut the trees down as a favor in the middle of July,” Smith said. “(The residents) said they wanted them cut down. They said that they were dangerous trees.”

Both Gifford and Denlinger had been in negotiations with Smith for the removal of a few trees on their properties they say were destabilized by work at the Hamlet development. However, both residents say they gave no explicit permission for Smith to cut trees on their property.

Gifford said he had hoped to negotiate compensation with Smith before allowing any tree removals.

But Smith cited an email dated Aug. 21 in which Gifford wote: “…with windy fall weather fast approaching we are happy to have the trees removed as soon as possible.” Smith said he was also under the impression negotiations with Denlinger had been resolved.

Smith said he was surprised by the residents’ reaction to the clearing.

“This came as a bombshell to me,” he said. “I’m giving a gift and got the trees removed. There’s absolutely nothing in it for me. Why the hell would I do it? There’s no money in it.”

Smith said the sale of the logged trees would likely not match the cutting fees.

The Hamlet development, which is under title with Poulsbo-based Stonecress LLC, came under fire from neighbors in July when numerous trees on the property were removed from a 50-foot “no-cut” buffer bordering Ferncliff.

According to city staff, the site’s construction permit was granted before a boundary fence was erected around the buffer area. A former city planner may also have given developers mixed messages about where cutting was permitted, according to city staff.

Stonecress and Central Highlands were ordered by the city to replant what amounts to one and a half times the diameter of the trees logged in the no-cut buffer.

The city also hinted that the incident may lead to procedural changes to improve communication between city departments to avoid similar mishaps.

Woodland Village residents, including Denlinger and Gifford, contend the removal was illegal and had compromised the stability of nearby trees, including a number of large firs on their adjacent properties. This led them into negotiations with Smith for the removal of some trees they feared could fall during a windstorm.

Smith said he was willing to remove unstable trees, but holds firm that accall work conducted in July at the Hamlet subdivision met city requirements.

“No tree was removed in the no-cut buffer that was not authorized,” he said.

He does, however, believe Depew’s tree may have been logged unintentionally.

“It’s possible it was accidentally cut,” he said.

Depew said he had hoped to keep his distance from the neighborhood tree debate. But the fracas came crashing into his backyard Wednesday.

“I was trying to stay out of it,” he said. “But you know, they had to have stepped on the survey marker to cut my tree.

“I was surprised at how emotional I felt. The tree’s gone. It’ll never come back in my lifetime or my kids’ lifetime.”