A native shade tree planting campaign is underway in Montclair. The town’s Environmental Commissioner, Imke Oster says time is running out for Montclair’s mature trees and it’s time to replenish the town’s treescape
It takes about 30-40 years for shade trees to reach full maturity. The majority of Montclair’s canopy of trees is reaching the end of their lifespan and are more and more prone to storm and insect damage. If residents don’t replant soon (and replicate the vision that our town’s residents had 100 years ago), we will see a very different town in 10-20 years.
The EC’s advice: dig into your gardens, to “plant, preserve, protect.”
With many of Montclair’s venerable tree trunks nearing their demise, we can’t be sitting back and taking shade for granted.
Montclair has an abundance of trees they’ve classified as senior citizens – susceptible to disease and broken limbs. Oster says we can’t just get by on what the town is planting – private planting is the way to preserve our shade canopy and brings an added bonus – adding 10-20% to the overall valuation of your home.
Protect indigenous trees. Native trees are an important habitat for local insect and bird species, and help foster sustainable living by providing cleaner air, reducing cooling costs and preventing water run off.
Download this document for native shade tree information and who can plant if for you. The price of trees range from $80 – $ 300, depending on variety and size. Most nurseries will deliver and plant the tree for a fee – about 50-80% of the tree price, and they guarantee the life of the tree for the first year. Some nurseries will also give a discount if you mention MEC’s save the shade tree campaign.
Without the huge trees, Montclair will look lousier and cost more to cool in the summer. House prices will definitely fall.
Then there are the boneheads who hate trees. I once lived next to one. He couldn’t see the value at all, and to him, all it meant was sweeping leaves, cleaning bird poop off his car, etc. He’s dead now but his tree is still thriving.
and…They just realized this…now?? I grew up in Belleville back in the sixties, plenty of shade trees on all the side streets…now…it looks like a desert.
Living in Montclair, for over 30 years, has made me quite aware of this precious resource gradually dwindling away. It is to such an extent, now, that one can’t escape seeing vast empty stretches along most of our prominent streets, where a continous canopy once existed.
Sadly, it takes lots of money for a replanting, but the benifits do outweigh the deficits, in more ways than one. Tragically, time is not on my side, and my generation won’t be around to experience a future grandeur that was once taken for granted in Montclair.
Arbor Day is April 24: http://www.arborday.org/programs/index.cfm
Start planting:
http://www.newjerseytreefoundation.org/home.asp