Photo by Boyd Loving
Proposal seeks to keep steady count of Ridgewood trees
Wednesday January 23, 2013, 11:45 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Constructive feedback from residents has helped the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee (REAC) reshape a quickly evolving shade tree proposal.
The committee is recommending that developers who remove trees from the property for the sake of their project either replant new ones elsewhere at the site or pay into a special tree endowment account. The stipulation also applies to homeowners who wish to build an addition to their house.
A previous draft would have required all developers and homeowners, including those who simply remove a dead tree from their land, to replant.
“We want to get the parameters set for developers,” said Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh.
Walsh, who serves as REAC liaison, referenced a Ridgewood property along Route 17, where a developer last year clear-cut dozens of trees without repercussion. The land is currently empty.
“The developer had every right to [cut down the trees]; there’s nothing on the books. We want to have that part of it on the books. If they’re going to be removing them, they’ll have the obligation to replace trees,” she said. “If they’re not going to replace them on the site, then they have to pay into that tree fund.”
The exact amount of the fee has not been determined, but Walsh indicated that the total will likely resemble the price of a new tree.
Thankfully 5 of mine that were too close to my home are now woodchips. I’m a big fan of trees and their ability to remove CO2 but I don’t need a ‘nanny government’ telling me which ones are too close to my home or are dangerously rotted.
A main problem with replanting trees on your property is that many homeowners have too many overgrown trees, right next to each other. During droughts, they compete for moisture, can get diseases, and die.
So, after cutting the trees down and not having replaced on your property, they have have trees planted on Ridgewood owned town property. Where are they going to put them?
Have you seen all the dead and diseased trees on Meadowbrook that is in Maple Park?
Well, this makes sense, since Ridgewood has devolved into just a pretty town with old houses and nice trees.
Long gone are other reasons to come to the village such as a quality school system, strong traditional values and an apolitical local government…