A Waccamaw Neck hamburger restaurant has agreed to resuscitate at least 14 trees, rather than face fines for improper tree pruning.

Hardees of Pawleys Island agreed that a professional arborist would “deep treat’’ about 14 trees that were cut back to give a better view of the business.

Hardees was facing about $15,000 in fines for cutting the trees.

Instead, the restaurant will try to deeply fertilize the ailing trees and replace any that die during the treatment, said County Planning Director Boyd Johnson.

“We’ve negotiated a settlement,’’ Johnson said.

“They believe the trees will come back if certain things are done.

“They have agreed on a technique to deep feed the roots.

“If the tree dies, then they will replace the trees. We decided that there would be a good settlement at this time.”

The tree trimming was not done correctly and posed some threat to the trees’ survival, according to county planners.

Some of the trees, however, were turkey oaks, which are not currently on the protected list of trees in Georgetown County, Johnson said.

Other trees that were trimmed included live oaks planted by the restaurant.

Under the county’s proposed new tree  ordinance, any oak tree over eight inches in diameter would be protected, Johnson said.

Longleaf pines over eight inches in diameter on the Waccamaw Neck would also go on the county’s protected tree list.

Planners are now hearing from two people who want to cut gum trees out of their yards in DeBordieu and Pawleys Plantation, Johnson said.

In the future, the tree ordinance could stop people from cutting trees that are in the way of their river view, Johnson said.

“If their only reason is to cut a tree to get a better view of the river, then we won’t approve that,” he said.

Other citations

Bob Paglio, the owner of Tidelands Chrysler Dodge, was recently found not guilty of improper trimming of a tree on his lot.

Paglio was cited by the county last month after he removed part of a three-part oak tree.

Two parts of the tree remain in place and the tree remains healthy, he said.

A professional tree trimmer testified in Paglio’s defense and said that the trimming did not harm the tree.

The Planning Commission met Thursday and discussed possible tweaks to the pending tree ordinance changes.