Towns rethinking the planting of trees following storm’s fury

Towns rethinking the planting of trees following storm’s fury
Sunday, January 13, 2013
BY  RICHARD COWEN
STAFF WRITER
The Record

Superstorm Sandy carved such a path of destruction through some of North Jersey’s greenest suburbs that it has prompted some towns to rethink the way they plant trees.

file photo by Boyd Loving

Those stately elms and oaks towns planted on the right of way years ago caused a lot of damage when Sandy blew through. The state lost an estimated 400,000 trees in Sandy, and many of them took down power lines and slammed into homes and cars.

While the cleanup continues, many towns are planning to replace at least some of the trees lost along streets and in parks. With memories of Sandy fresh, some are leaning away from the right of way.

Both Glen Rock and Ridgewood are considering changes to their tree ordinances to allow replanting on the homeowner’s lawn. Such a change would require the town to get a so-called landscaper’s easement from the homeowner.

Tim Cronin, Ridgewood’s director of parks and shade trees, estimated that about 90 percent of the homeowners who lost trees in front of their houses in Sandy would like a new one.

File Photo Grove Street by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood, known for its trees, lost many in Sandy. Cronin said the village lost trees at 363 locations — both private and public— and was developing plans to replace its public trees.

“The canopy in town is a concern for everybody,” Cronin said. “Most homeowners realize that a tree adds value to the property.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/186659731_Towns_rethinking_the_planting_of_trees_following_storm_s_fury_A_changing_landscape.html