Man felled trees with no OK

The value of the trees is estimated at nearly $1,500.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- A Maple Avenue man says a member of a Poland beautification group destroyed the beauty of his property by chopping down trees without permission.
Poland Village police arrested Ronald Eiselstein, 46, of Fifth Avenue, Youngstown, who owns a business in the village, Wednesday evening on a felony theft warrant issued by Boardman police.
Boardman police then picked Eiselstein up, processed and released him on a $2,500 bond.
He's accused of cutting down trees and taking the wood from property along Beech Avenue owned by Frank Uhrain, who lives on Maple Avenue. Police, who worked with Coldwell Forestry Consultants of Salineville, estimated the value of the trees at nearly $1,500.
The case was investigated by Detective Chuck Mound.
The property has been in the Uhrain family for about 40 years.
"It's not just the cost of the trees," Uhrain said. "If you go out there, he's destroyed the aesthetic view of the land."
Eiselstein, who couldn't be reached to comment, is a member of Poland Streetscapes, a group that conducts beautification projects in that community. He's an owner of the Village Pantry on Main Street in the village.
Neighbors told owner
Uhrain learned of the destruction last month.
"Some neighbors told me there was a bulldozer and they were cutting trees," Uhrain said. "I went down there and I know where my property is."
He hadn't given Eiselstein, who operates Firepearl Group, permission to take the trees, he said.
But Uhrain had to get a survey done to prove where his property is, Uhrain said.
Mahoning County property records show Eiselstein as owner or partial owner of several properties, most in Youngstown. The Mahoning County auditor's Web site indicates that liens on the properties were sold to American Tax Funding of Florida when the taxes weren't paid.
Previous trouble
Earlier this month, Youngstown officials told The Vindicator that Eiselstein had cut down 30 cherry and oak trees on city-owned property on Kent Avenue without permission. He had permission from the owner of a nearby property to harvest trees on a quarter-acre.
The officials said Eiselstein then cut down more trees on Cuddy Avenue without the required permit.
No charges have been filed in those incidents.
In August, Eiselstein was charged with misdemeanor theft in the township, accused of cutting down trees on township-owned right of way. Those trees were near lots Firepearl bought in woods on Southern Boulevard.
That case is pending in Mahoning County Court here.