By Allison Perrine
FAIR HAVEN – For many years, residents and visitors have been enchanted by the 119 historic London planetrees that stand starkly at attention along Buttonwood Drive.
Over a century later, the health of some of these nearly 60-foot trees has come into question. Several months ago, the borough retained a licensed tree expert, Zig Panek, to assess the trees and prepare plans to maintain their character and keep them intact. His report has recently been released and finds that while their overall health is good, several need some work. And seven should be removed and replaced.
“It is easy to see how important these trees are to the neighborhood. These trees make this residential area special,” Panek wrote. “It is important to the residents and the community to preserve and maintain these trees for the next 100 years. Sycamores in fact can live for well over 100 years.”
There’s a rich history behind the trees. In 1905, Thomas N. McCarter purchased 421 acres of land from the wife of Edward Kemp, who at one time owned 500 acres of land that is now Rumson and Fair Haven.
McCarter designed an elegant estate on the land with a private pond, stables, swimming pools, gardens and much more. Architects planted rows of London planetrees – a cross between the American sycamore and the Oriental planetree – along a driveway on the property. McCarter sold a 213-acre portion of the land to the Rumson Country Club in 1908.
According to Panek, trees like these not only provide beauty, they are a natural coolant and keep the area from getting hotter. If the trees weren’t there, drainage and stormwater backup might become a problem as trees take in gallons of water at a time and their leaves hold ample amounts of water and snow. And there could be increased wind damage, dust, dirt and noise.
The trees were studied both when they were dormant without leaves and in the spring with leaves. Each tree was numbered with easy-to-remove paint and was studied individually. In general, Panek found that most trees need corrective pruning, crown reduction and/or elevation, to have their rotting stubs cut back where possible, open cavities filled, deep root feeding, controlled grass at tree bases, careful use of mulch and, for some, replacement. Recommended removal includes trees identified as nos. 8, 14, 26, 40, 83, 91 and 99.
There is little regular maintenance for these trees, such as trimming, pruning and fertilizing, according to the report. As Panek looked into the crowns of the trees he found some dead limbs and branches “which is natural and not indicative of current insect or disease damage.” However, many of the trees do show the same or similar issues, he added.
“What stands out to me the most is the current acute situation that was caused by improper pruning carried out some time ago,” he wrote. “When the trees were pruned the stubs…were too long. They should have been cut closer to the growth collar. The longer cut allowed the center of the cut to rot (and) decay before the growth collar could grow (and) cover the cut.”
He also noted that several of the trees have open cavities that need to be addressed. He cited the “faulty pruning” as the cause of most of the rot and cavities and said that corrective pruning is needed for most of the trees in order to maintain their longevity.
Some of the trees have issues at their bases. According to Panek, if the roots have stress factors, problems show in the upper part of the trees, leaves or limbs. Older trees are more sensitive to this than newer ones; some of the historic trees were removed and replanted in the 1940s after a severe storm. Weed trimmers and mowers can also be a source of the problem at some of the bases as hitting them with these items can be harmful.
Over the several months Panek conducted the report, he returned once the trees were in full leaf to further assess them. While their leaves were largely “normal size with good color,” some developed sycamore anthracnose. According to Missouri Botanical Gardens, it is a fungal disease that can lead to leaf drop, twig dieback, cankers and more. It is rarely fatal.
“Once the trees were in full leaf it was easy to see what was dead in the canopy,” he wrote. “Most of the trees had minimal limb mortality. The (overall) condition of the trees is good. There are a few trees that are problematic; persistent rot (and) decay has left these trees in a dangerous state and their removal (and) replacement should be considered,” he wrote regarding seven of the 119 trees.
The full report was posted to the borough website Aug. 25 and can be found at fairhavennj.org.
The article originally appeared in the September 3 – 9, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
