Goodland Twp. tree poisoning probe remains active
GOODLAND TWP. — The mystery surrounding the poisoning of about 20 trees in Goodland Township continues nearly two years after the damage was first discovered.
The incident came to light in 2025 through a letter to the editor in the Tri-City Times written by local resident Jeff Sklar.
Sklar, along with three other township residents, reported damage to mature trees and pristine lawns. The damage ultimately led to the death and removal of decades-old trees and triggered an environmental remediation effort led by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Along with Sklar, neighbors Mark Farley and Todd Townley, the township planning commission chairman, reported identical damage.
Former supervisor Mike Eckardt also fell victim to the vandalism when he noticed six mature black walnut trees on his property had been poisoned.
Even while state and local agencies were conducting an investigation, three of the four families began taking steps to cut down and remove their mature trees at their own expense. Soil remediation around the tree trunks was handled by EGLE.
Eckardt spent the past year attempting to save his six black walnut trees. However, after consultations with EGLE, officials determined the trees were severely damaged and would not recover. The giant trees were cut down and discarded; the wood was unusable due to deep chemical contamination.
Last week, environmental cleanup crews visited the Eckardt residence on North Blacks Corners Road to remove contaminated soil and tree roots. Fresh topsoil and grass seed were placed at the site in hopes of restoring the lawn.
Eckardt and his wife, Peggy, said those affected by the poisonings met late last week with the Department of Natural Resources detective working the case. The detective told the group the investigation remains active and ongoing. Participants said no new public details could be released.
In previous interviews with the Tri-City Times, Farley said several of his trees were killed, and chemical runoff leached toward a nearby soybean field. Farley lives near the intersection of Shaw and Brown City roads.
The Sklars, who live nearby, also had to cut down large trees in their front yard. The Townley family, who live south of the Farleys and Sklars on Brown City Road, suffered similar damage to their 100-year-old trees.
“We did not notice anything having been applied to our trees (in 2024),” Townley told the Tri-City Times. “Comparing calendars, if we were attacked the same night as the others, it turns out we left early the next day on a trip, so we weren’t around to take a close look at anything. This first came to our attention in March as the rest of the lawn greened up, except for these patches in the yard and around the affected trees.”
Townley added: “As spring progressed, the grass browned, then completely died and disappeared, with nothing growing in its place. About mid-May I noticed all the new growth on one of the trees was drying up and falling off. It was at that point we realized we’d been vandalized.”
Townley said after speaking with neighbors, the families realized they had all been targeted in a similar manner and filed police reports with state and local agencies.
“We have our suspicions as to motivations, as has been already alluded to in some previous articles,” Townley said. “As there is no proof at this point, I won’t speculate further. But it is a shame when neighbors, who may not always see eye-to-eye, decide to take action to intentionally hurt others and vandalize and destroy others’ property. Of the five trees we lost, one was a 115-year-old silver maple, planted in 1910 after a renovation of our home.”
Reflecting on the loss, Townley noted that “what’s done is done. The trees were doomed and had to come down.”
“EGLE verified the presence of a strong herbicide, applied at a rate far exceeding any recommendations and contaminating the ground. It was significant enough that EGLE agreed to pay for removing and replacing the contaminated soils.”
He added: “In the meantime, we increased security measures. We hope the perpetrators will be caught and convicted. And if they are, EGLE has a cleanup bill to present to them in order for all of us taxpayers to recover our costs.”
