By Jay Cook |
RUMSON – After residents were dismayed by a borough streetscape improvement program that removed dozens of mature trees lining their streets in 2015, a borough commission has been hard at work, offering olive branches.
The Rumson Shade Tree Commission, led by resident Stephen Barrett, has had one of its busiest years on record advising a $1.3 million streetscape program that zeroed in on trees growing in the borough right-of-way on Washington Street, Center Street, Avenue of Two Rivers and Ward Lane. The trees’ roots were uprooting curbs and sidewalks as they grew.
“Our big thing is ‘The right tree in the right place’,” said Barrett, who has served as chairman for three years. Fifty trees were removed, impacting about 90 homes. Because of the disappointment expressed by some borough residents, he and the other three members of the Rumson Shade Tree Commission devised a plan to offer homeowners new, expense-free trees for their front yards.
In June 2015, trees along Washington Street were marked with an X, to indicate they will be removed during a major road reconstruction project. Photo by Jaclyn Shugard
“Those streets got repaved, and we offered every homeowner on the streets an opportunity to get a new tree. I think a little over 40 took them,” said Barrett. “Those trees were all planted in the fall, and it took some time to get done.”
It was the first time that the Shade Tree Commission worked with residents directly to educate about them about the proper trees to plant, especially those near right-of-ways and utility lines, said Barrett.
Homeowners were able to pick one of eight trees from a brochure, which ranged from Flowering Dogwoods to Goldspire Sugar Maples. At a mature age, none of these trees would reach heights of more than 50 feet, thus ensuring a healthy life-cycle free of utility trimming or garbage truck scars.
Educating young tree lovers is key to ensuring a long, healthy relationship between a town and its residents, Barrett says. Inspired by his two young sons, he is playing a larger role to the schools in town.
In years past, Barrett said a basic presentation was done annually on Arbor Day, where a single tree was planted by a kindergarten class. But this year, with help from Rumson Superintendent of Schools John E. Bormann, it was a much more invigorating event.
Every class was asked to help raise money for a tree. The goal was $1,000, but the students raised $5,000. “We crushed it,” he said.
With that money, about 20 of those colorful and Rumson-friendly trees were planted at Deane Porter School and Forrestdale School, with the goal of livening up the bare school grounds.
While Barrett and his commission work in an advisory role for the borough, residential trees are protected by Rumson in local legislation passed in 2002.
“Most of these tree protection ordinances are done primarily to maintain the character of a neighborhood,” said Bill Brooks, a contract consultant with the borough’s tree protection program. “You don’t want someone coming in and just clear cutting, because that affects that piece of property, and to a certain extent, all of the adjacent ones.”
Mark Wellner, Rumson DPW superintendent, is forwarded all complaints about trees in the borough. “Somebody might call up about some hanging limbs or if their tree looks diseased.”
The DPW has three workers educated on bucket truck and chainsaw safety.
“We decide whether it has to be taken down or pruned – sometimes it can be too hazardous if we leave a tree.”
Brooks, an original member of the Red Bank Shade Tree Commission, has aided in the tree preservation within Rumson for the last five years. Through his work, he advises the Rumson Shade Tree Commission along with Rumson Department of Public Works on town-owned areas.
Brooks believes the tree protection ordinance is beneficial to the town. In his mind, it’s more to protect the trees that will stay, rather than to prohibit the removal of others.
Not all Two River-area towns have similar protection ordinances. In Atlantic Highlands, permits are necessary when asking to remove trees on the steep-slope section of town. Conversely, on the west side, no ordinance is necessary. No such law even exists in Holmdel, although the township will get involved with trees in existing rights-of-way.
Just as Barrett preached, Brooks is a proponent for educating homeowners to what trees fit where.
“We’ve been much better about what we select and where it goes, and that’s been continuing to evolve,” he said.
Also in 2016, Rumson became one of 35 municipalities in New Jersey to be recognized as Tree City USA members for more than 25 years.
With that accolade, it makes Rumson more attractive to any possible state grants available to improve the borough. Barrett says that recognition is key, and with it, he hopes more work can continue to be done.
“I think we do prove a need, and I think that we have some success behind us that it would be favorably looked at,” he said.
