Downstreet.net: “Despite Tree City USA Honor Northampton Planting Lags”

Ed Shanahan is the editor of downstreet.net. He writes:

As a member of the Northampton Tree Committee, I, like other members of the committee, have been frustrated by our inability to advance the cause of shade trees in this community.

Each year, the city removes more dead or hazardous trees than it replaces, leaving a net decrease in the population of our mature shade trees…

…we have been working with the Planning Board and its staff to encourage better tree planting in new subdivisions with recommendations covering the protection of existing trees and rules and guidelines for replacement trees…

…developers, both residential and commercial, often regard landscaping and tree requirements as an unwarranted expense, not as a benefit to the quality of life to the city’s inhabitants…

…we continue to seek private support, and volunteer help to somehow turn the current net loss of shade trees into an net gain, so that Northampton’s reputation as a Tree City can be sustained as the trees we find ways to plant today become the life-enhancing mature trees of the future.

So give us a hand, if you can. This is one of those aspects of civic life where it is better to give the public more than it wants, not less. Remember: www.northamptonma.gov/treecommittee/

See also:

Kohl’s Condo Proposal: Where Things Stand and What You Can Do
Kohl Construction proposes to build 31 condo units in the forest between North Street and the bike path. This development, with its access roads and 66 parking spaces, will claim 5.49 acres of land…

NSNA Circulates Northampton Trees & Wetlands Petition
The North Street Neighborhood Association is now circulating a Northampton Trees & Wetlands Petition (MS Word version, Rich Text File version). The text of the petition reads:

Northampton was designated a “Tree City” in 2005, in recognition for its commitment to community trees and forests. Nevertheless, large, cherished trees continue to be cut down without public review, sometimes in quantity. These trees benefit the city as a whole by cooling local temperatures, removing air pollutants, absorbing water, reducing erosion, buffering sound, providing habitats for animals, and looking beautiful. We would like Northampton’s city officials to consider adopting some of the tree protections that exist in other Massachusetts communities like Lexington and Springfield…

We, the undersigned, urge Mayor Clare Higgins and the Northampton City Council to:

1) Pass an ordinance to protect “significant trees”
such that all “significant trees”, whether on public or private land, may not be cut down in whole or substantial part without permission from the Northampton Tree Committee or other appropriate official body. A significant tree is one which is 75 years old or older, or is 3 or more feet in diameter at chest height. The Tree Committee would take into account whether the tree is diseased, damaged, or poses a danger to people or property, and whether not taking action on the tree would impose a hardship on the property owner that exceeds the public’s interest in preserving the tree…