Two live oaks estimated to be 100 years old will be removed from a South Charlotte property near Freedom Park to make way for a planned home, according to approved site plans. The project calls for a house of nearly 6,500 square feet. Neighbors said this week they were saying goodbye to the trees, which qualify as heritage trees under Charlotte’s rules. Meigan Alexander, who lives across from one of them, said residents are angry because they believe the removal could be avoided. Neighbors have put signs on one tree in an effort to stop the work. Alexander said the loss of the two trees would permanently change the neighborhood’s character. A replacement sapling, she argued, cannot quickly make up for the shade and other benefits of mature trees. Charlotte began requiring permits to remove heritage trees in 2023, after a study by the nonprofit TreesCharlotte found the city’s tree canopy was shrinking. To qualify, a tree must be at least 100 years old and at least 30 inches in diameter. For removals tied to development, the city requires a $1,500 payment and planting a sapling in the tree’s place. The city says it has received nearly 2,400 permits to remove heritage trees since the ordinance took effect, for development and other reasons. In this case, neighbors say the rules leave them with little ability to prevent the loss of the two oaks.