The smell in the air at Eldredge Elementary School was delicious Wednesday morning – Christmas in June. But the reason for the smell was not quite so sweet. The two large fir trees on either side of the stairs leading from the driveway to the school’s entrance were being cut down and put through a wood chipper.

“They were in danger of falling off the bank,” said Bob Wilmarth, EGSD’s facilities director. “They’d gotten too big for the spot they were in.”

During storms they could be seen swaying, he said, the same reason a spruce tree closer to the school was removed two years ago.

Another tree on school grounds is probably coming down as well, he said – the maple by First Avenue that lost a large limb two weeks ago. Wilmarth said it was rotted inside. He’s waiting for approval by the town’s tree warden.

Wilmarth said he did not know when or if the trees would be replaced.