SULLIVAN’S ISLAND — Two homeowners have taken their fight to cut down parts of the island's maritime forest back to court.

The latest appeal heard Oct. 8 brings the legal battle into its 15th year.

In 2023, a judge tossed out a settlement that residents Nathan Bluestein and Theodore Albensius had reached with the town agreeing to remove an unprecedented number of trees from the forest behind their homes in a detailed maintenance plan.

The trees stand between their property, as well as their neighbors’ land, and the ocean.

The S.C. Court of Appeals heard arguments Oct. 8 in Columbia from the plaintiff’s attorney, James Hood, and Greenville-based lawyer William Wilkins, who represents the town.

“We're hopeful that the Court of Appeals will order the town of Sullivan's Island to do w

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