Letter: Disbanding Shade Tree Commission Would Hurt Chatham Community

Dear Editor:

On Monday, August 10th, the Borough Council introduced an ordinance, which, if approved next month, would abolish Chatham Borough’s Shade Tree Commission. I am a member of the Shade Tree Commission, but the opinions I express are my personal views alone.

Chatham Borough’s Shade Tree Commission has a 106-year history of planting and maintaining trees along Borough streets, public rights-of-ways, and municipal open spaces. It predates the State of New Jersey’s Shade Tree Federation, which began in 1926.

The goal of the Shade Tree Commission (STC) is to create and maintain optimum tree cover and species diversity while keeping up a pruning and removal program that will keep our streets and parks safe. Sometimes this requires the removal of trees. As a STC member, I complete annual CEUs and attend state-mandated training, but I am not an arborist and I recognize my limitations as a volunteer. When there is a question about the appropriateness of a tree removal, Chatham Borough Shade Tree utilizes the services of a Certified Tree Expert (CTE) to evaluate the tree and make a recommendation.

In the case of the Scarlet Oak in Lum Field, 2 CTEs independently evaluated the tree and came to similar written conclusions - with proper maintenance, pruning and treatment, this tree should continue to be a Chatham landmark for many years to come. Based on the findings, I voted in favor of treating and saving this tree. It seems to me to be a very reasonable course of action, based on expert opinion.

The Mayor and Borough Council disagree. They seek to abolish STC so that they can override the committee’s unanimous decision - a decision based on the findings of two independent Certified Tree Experts. Council member Kass and Attorney Lott attended the STC meeting last Thursday and stated that they had concerns that the town would not be covered under the Tort Claims Act if there were future incidents or accidents involving this particular tree - but could not or would not provide any specific examples or legal precedents as to why this tree would be treated any differently than any other Borough tree. (The tree is less than 100 feet tall, and the base of the tree is approximately 107 feet from the outside edge of the train parking lot, and approximately 290 feet from home plate in the baseball field.)

I have been fortunate to be a part of the STC since 2011. From 2012 through now, the Commission has planted over 100 new trees in the Borough. There are 5 members on the Commission and 2 alternates, but the work to care for our existing trees and plant new trees is truly a community effort. The Department of Public Works tirelessly supports the maintenance and care of Chatham’s trees by providing pruning and removal services, and generous support from organizations such as the Chatham Jaycees have made plantings possible when our budget was reduced due to overall financial constraints. It has been an honor for me to serve on the Chatham STC and know that I’ve had some small part in the trees the next generation of Chatham will enjoy.

If an ordinance to abolish STC succeeds, what committee or commission will be next?

I hope democracy, and the 175-year-old Scarlet Oak, will prevail.

Respectfully,

Colleen Truppo
Chatham Borough