By Pat Bonner
T
hroughout history, trees thrived in this area without any human help. In Colonial times, both the British and Continentals used Bayonne as a source of timber for fuel and building materials. Over time, wooded areas gave way to houses, but it wasn’t until the widespread use of automobiles that city trees were threatened. Cars must be parked, and multiple cars in a household creates a need for multiple parking spots. Over the years, a vast number of Bayonne’s street trees were replaced by carports, driveways, and concrete. The city recognized that we were losing trees, and about 20 years ago, launched a program to try to protect the city’s trees. It’s rare that a city ordinance is readable, but this one does a good job of making the case for urban trees. It reads in part: “ … The indiscriminate, uncontrolled removal and cutting of trees causes increased drainage control costs, increased soil erosion and sedimentation, decreased soil fertility, degradation of water resources, decreased ground water recharge, increased buildup of atmospheric carbon, and increased dust, which impacts the character of the City and decreases property values, all of which can adversely affect the health, safety, and general welfare of the inhabitants of the City.” It doesn’t mention that the shade of a big tree will lower your electric bill in summer and perhaps shield you from looking at the electric cables and wires over years amassed by cable and telephone companies.
28 • BLP ~ FALL | WINTER 2020/21
Branching
Out
Tough times for city trees
Did You Chop Down that Cherry Tree? The ordinance makes it unlawful to remove or destroy a tree in front of your house unless you obtain a permit. To obtain one, you must show that the tree is dead, diseased, or in an area to be occupied by a driveway, building, or other improvement. The permit holder must replace the tree or pay the city $250, which goes into a fund that will be used to plant trees elsewhere in the city. Tom Cotter, head of the Public Works Department and the city’s chief tree protector, has a team of four in the For-
estry Department who will know when a tree has been removed unlawfully. This program has worked; over the past 20 years, the number of curbside trees has increased. If residents want a new tree or to replace one, they can pay $250, and the city will dig up the old tree, ground the roots, and plant a new one.
Family Tree Residents can choose from six to eight types to choose from, including thundercloud plum, dogwood, sycamore, kwan-
