Last updated: Thursday April 24, 2008, EDT 6:35 AM
Like many North Jerseyans, Terri Setteducato loves her trees. In fact, Setteducato moved to Fair Lawn precisely because of the town's ample foliage.
One day, two years after moving into her home, she heard a big bang outside. Policemen and neighbors gathered in her back yard. A car had been forced off Route 208 south, which borders her property, but a tall sycamore tree prevented it from rolling into her yard.
"I always thank the sycamore tree, because I feel that it protected my yard and my property," she said.
North Jersey has a love-hate relationship with trees. Living in a tree-lined suburb has its obvious appeal, but it can have its downsides: Windy storms often break weak branches, which then fall and cause damage to cars and roofs; tree roots crack neighborhood sidewalks; arguments about trimming or removing trees can cause painful schisms between once-friendly next-door neighbors.
Arbor Day traditionally has been the time to celebrate trees and teach children husbandry by having them plant seedlings in schoolyards and public areas. But who will take care of the trees when they are fully grown? Will we still think they are worth the trouble? The issue has become more complex as the area has become more developed, and there has been less room for trees — in many cases, towering centenarians — to grow and flourish.
North Jersey has a rich tree heritage that is worth saving, said gardening expert Edith Wallace. As recently as 2000, the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that of the 50 states, the Garden State has the highest percentage of urban trees. Older towns such as Hackensack, Glen Rock and Tenafly boast trees planted a hundred or more years ago.
When Wallace recently saw construction workers building a new house in her Glen Rock neighborhood, she wept for the trees that were around the site. "I could see the big equipment squishing their roots," she said. "[Developers] say, 'We didn't harm the trees,' but the tree may die in 20 years when it originally had 80 more to live."
Getting them for free
Staff photo by Record photographer Amy Neman.
As trees age, they need maintenance every three to five years, said arborist Walt Kipp of North Haledon. If a tree becomes so diseased or weak that it is dangerous and all life-saving options have been exhausted, Kipp will cut it down.
In many of those cases, homeowners will try to replace it with a new tree, which can be an expensive venture. A 100-year-old tree, for example, could cost up to $100,000 to transplant into your back yard.
But trees, especially younger ones, may be easier to get than you think.
In Fair Lawn, residents can request a free tree from the town's shade tree division in the name of neighborhood beautification, said Councilwoman Jeanne Baratta. But more often, the division decides unilaterally to plant trees along county roads, notifying nearby residents with letters.
"They try to phrase it like, 'Congratulations! You're getting a gift of a tree!' " said Baratta.
But residents don't always see trees as a positive; some complain about having to water the trees and rake the leaves, Baratta added.
In some cases, tree commissions are at odds with homeowners who would like to remove trees on their property. Municipalities generally oppose the removal of trees that are healthy and of a certain size, because large trees are difficult to replace. Homeowners, however, argue that they should be able to remove trees on their property.
An Upper Saddle River homeowner was recently denied permission to remove a tree blocking sun and causing a mold problem in his home, according to Arnold Friedman, chairman of the municipality's tree commission. The tree, commission members explained, was perfectly healthy.
"I'm an outdoorsman. ... There are many trees on my property," said the homeowner, who asked not to be named. "But I have children, and I don't want the mold getting into my home."
Renewing stringent tree policy has been a new trend over the past few years in North Jersey, and homeowners caught violating tree ordinances could be fined anywhere from $100 to $5,000 and receive up to 90 days in jail in some municipalities.
Tree loss has also been an issue of concern in many towns in recent years because of power line regulations, said Friedman. After a fallen tree in Ohio caused a blackout across the East Coast in 2003, affecting nearly 50 million people, power companies across the Garden State were tasked by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to take down trees that came within a certain distance of transmission lines, he said.
Residents in Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Franklin Lakes, Mahwah, Montvale, Northvale, Old Tappan, Ramsey, Ringwood, Upper Saddle River and West Milford have gotten letters informing them of impending tree removal, according to officials.
Removing trees without replanting can be costly for towns years down the road, said Friedman.
"There's a cycle of trees in a town," he said. "Trees go through about a 40- or 45-year cycle. If you're not constantly replanting, then your canopy, your forest of trees is going to age all at one time. If you have a forest that is aging at the same time, you're doing a lot of maintenance at the same time."
Beyond courts, rules
For tree lovers, the death of a tree is a loss of life worth commemorating. Trees are with us for decades, standing watch as human neighborhoods move and change. Beyond the hullabaloo of courts and ordinances, private citizens like Setteducato have more personal relationships with their trees.
After the car accident, which happened 10 years ago, "I think [the tree] was in shock," she said. The sycamore was barren for a year. "I said to it, 'Please don't die!' I don't know if this is what brought it back, but I used my silent prayer to try and save it."
The tree lived to bloom again and again over the years. Its first flowers peeked out from winter slumber last week, Setteducato was happy to report.
E-mail: shih@northjersey.com
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